"U-um, your majesty?" Xiaochuan said in a small voice.
Chengyuan only tilted his head in response, awaiting what the omega had to say.
"..... there's only one bed." Xiaochuan said slowly.
Slowly, the corner of Chengyuan's lips lifted into a smirk, as if he already knew what the omega was talking about. "So?"
"How are we going to-"
"How about you take off your clothes and stop shivering before we fully talk about this." The smirk on Chengyuan's face deepened, catching the flickering orange glow of the hearth.
Xiaochuan's mouth went dry at the look in the Emperor's eyes. He looked down at the clothes in his hands, then back at the Emperor's bare chest. The thought of the Emperor's large hands sliding his clothes over his head, just like he did that night, made his heart hammer a frantic rhythm against his ribs.
He looked toward the bed in the corner, it seemed far too small for two people, let alone an Alpha and an Omega.
"I-I'm not shivering that much anymore," Xiaochuan lied, even though the shivering of his body did not go down one bit. Xiaochuan couldn't blame himself, really.
It was the way Chengyuan looked at him, like a predator who had finally caught his prey and had no intention of letting go. He couldn't deny that he was a bit scared, and aroused. Yes, he was aroused.
Who wouldn't be? The alpha standing in front of him was hot enough to melt him into a puddle. And he was hoping the alpha wouldn't make any advances toward him, cause if he did, he didn't think he'd be able to resist. And he could still feel the light soreness at his back from their first time together, it was already a few days ago, but he could still feel it.
"You can take the bed, I can sleep here on the rug. I'm sure it's warm enough." Xiaochuan whispered, his voice barely heard over the raging storm outside.
"Do you truly think I am the kind of man who would sleep in a bed while you shiver on the floor like a discarded hound?"
"But it's small," Xiaochuan pointed out.
"Then we shall have to stay close," Chengyuan retorted and reached out, his fingers hooking under the collar of the omega's hanfu.
"Take it off. Now."
With a shaky hand, Xiaochuan reached up and gripped the hem. He felt the Alpha's eyes tracking every movement, his gaze heavy and unblinking. Slowly, he peeled the layers off his back, leaving it to pool on the rug. The sudden contact of the warm air against his bare skin made him gasp, his nipples hardening instantly, not from the chill, but from the raw, undeniable sexual tension vibrating between them.
He stood there, exposed in the firelight, his sunset-pink hair messy and damp against his shoulders. He looked like a masterpiece carved from gem and shadow.
Chengyuan's eyes darkened and he stepped forward slowly. Xiaochuan's frame trembled as Chengyuan's towering frame casted a massive shadow over his small form. He didn't say a word as he reached for the dry fur cloth and wrapped it around Xiaochuan's shoulders, pulling him into his arms.
"There," Chengyuan breathed against the top of Xiaochuan's head. "Now, as for the bed….I find I don't mind the lack of space at all."
"Okay." Xiaochuan breathed, his heart beating fast. "But…. you have to promise to stay on your side."
Chengyuan let out a dark, velvety chuckle that vibrated through Xiaochuan's entire body. He leaned back just an inch, his smirk widening.
"I am an Emperor, Xiaochuan. I never make promises I don't intend to break."
He said and swept Xiaochuan into his arms as if he weighed nothing at all, and began the short walk toward the bed.
"Wh-what are you doing?" Xiaochuan asked as he held on tight to the Emperor's neck for support.
"I'm taking you to bed," Chengyuan said softly.
"I'm fine by the fire, Your Majesty." Xiaochuan immediately declined.
"You are shivering, Xiaochuan. And your hair is soaking the wool, if you don't dry it, you'll be feverish by midnight, whether you sit by the fire or not." Chengyuan said as he sat at the edge of the bed and settled Xiaochuan on the floor in-between his legs. He reached into the chest again and pulled out a thick, dry cloth.
Xiaochuan's eyes drifted shut the moment the cloth draped over his head. Chengyuan's rough, large hands were surprisingly careful as he began to rub the moisture from his damp hair.
"Your hair," Chengyuan murmured, his voice a low vibration that seemed to harmonize with the thunder outside. "It is a strange, beautiful thing, like a sunset caught in a storm. Why did you try so hard to hide it?"
"Because I thought you were going to kill me." Xiaochuan whispered, leaning back into the warmth of the Emperor's legs. He felt the hands of the emperor stiffen and he already knew what was coming.
"Why did you think so?" He heard Chengyuan ask.
"Because I hit you and ran away."
The rhythmic rubbing of the cloth stopped instantly, and the silence that followed was heavy, filled only by the crackle of the hearth and the distant, muffled roar of the storm.
Xiaochuan felt the warmth radiating from Chengyuan's body seemed to intensify, or perhaps it was just the sudden spike in Xiaochuan's own pulse. He stared into the dancing orange flames, his throat tight.
And worse, to add fuel to the fire that was already soaring inside him. He felt the Emperor lean down, the heat of his breath ghosting over the shell of his ear, sending a fresh wave of goosebumps down his bare arms, he immediately felt the spike of his arousal.
Xiaochuan's breath hitched, and he squeezed his eyes shut, same with his legs, trying so hard to suppress himself. There was no doubt, that the Emperor could smell his arousal.
He felt the Emperor's fingers begin to move again, but this time they weren't drying hair, they were tracing the line of Xiaochuan's jaw, turning his face upward. Xiaochuan was forced to look back, meeting that obsidian gaze.
Chengyuan wasn't scowling, instead, a dark, predatory light flickered in his eyes, accompanied by that same sharp, enigmatic smirk that made Xiaochuan's stomach flip.
"Was that the reason for hiding your face at the festival? Chengyuan asked, his thumb grazing Xiaochuan's lower lip.
Xiaochuan nodded weakly, unable to look away.
Chengyuan let out a low, rough sound, halfway between a growl and a laugh. He moved with a suddenness that made Xiaochuan gasp, his hands sliding under the omega's arms and hoisting him up until Xiaochuan was sitting firmly on the Emperor's lap, his bare legs straddling the Alpha's powerful thighs.
Xiaochuan gasped in terror and held on to the clothes on his body as tight as he could.
"If I wanted to kill you, Xiaochuan, I would've done that a long time ago." Chengyuan murmured, his hands settling firmly on the small of Xiaochuan's back, pulling their chests together until there wasn't a breath of space left between them. "I wanted you because you were the first thing that had the courage to look me in the eye and run away from me. I had my men go after you, but they couldn't find you."
At that point, Xiaochuan could almost taste the tension on his tongue. The nervousness under his skin was still there, but it was being swallowed by a searing, undeniable heat growing in between them. Xiaochuan's hands instinctively found the Emperor's shoulders, his fingers digging into the thick muscle.
"So," Chengyuan breathed, his nose brushing against Xiaochuan's. "Since we have established that you are a very bad omega…. how do you propose to make amends to your Emperor?"