Disorder in the Palace, Love Blossoms

Chapter 14

~~~ I wanted to publish this yesterday, for Halloween, but I had to do a ton of homework. That's not a good excuse, please forgive me. Hope you still enjoy it. Thank you for reading my story! ~~~

It was a long three days, and during every one of them Xun Yu fought with himself to stay still and do nothing. Because of his immense desire to do things other than lay around, those three days felt like torture to Xun Yu; however, after much internal struggle, he managed to stay in bed and rest. As he tried to get a few more minutes of light sleep before opening his eyes, he suddenly felt a strange aura, one that radiated immense power. Curious as to where it was coming from, Xun Yu sat up in bed and looked around the room, trying to discover the source of the strange energy. As his eyes roamed the room they eventually landed on Cao Cao, and the man's face instantly brightened up. Xun Yu did his best to mask the concern that he felt after sensing the strange energy; however, almost as soon as it appeared, it vanished, like it never even existed. I am glad that my strength has returned, but what was that strange energy I felt? It couldn't have been him, could it? Xun Yu thought to himself as he looked at Cao Cao. No, he is strong, but I have never felt him use power anywhere near that strength, unless he is hiding it.

"How are you feeling, Wenruo?" Cao Cao asked, distracting Xun Yu from his thoughts. His eyes sparkled with concern for the man who had claimed his heart.

"Uh, much better, but did you ever tell Guo Jia that I will be returning to my duties today?" Xun Yu inquired. He was feeling anxious. He desperately wanted to escape the room that he had been trapped in, and he wanted to talk to someone about the strange energy he felt.

"Hm? Oh, yes, I told him," Cao Cao replied casually. He then took Xun Yu's hand in his and smiled. "But, before you return to your duties, there is something that I want to show you."

Xun Yu gave the man a curious look before nodding his head, signifying that he was ready and willing to follow Cao Cao to wherever he planned on taking him. Cao Cao then helped him get out of bed, and, after telling Xun Yu to keep his eyes closed, the two carefully walked to the cafeteria. Xun Yu did as he was told and kept his eyes closed as Cao Cao guided him to their destination. Once the two made it to the cafeteria area, Xun Yu could hear people talking, and Cao Cao told him to uncover his eyes. Xun Yu removed his hands from over his eyes and, as he looked around the cafeteria, he noticed that it was covered in Halloween decorations. As he continued to look around the room, he also noticed that Jia Xu, Xiahou Dun, Guo Jia, and Xun You were there, and they were all dressed in costumes. Jia Xu wore a purple Ezio outfit (the assassin from Assassin's Creed), Xiahou Dun was dressed up as a pirate, Guo Jia was there as himself (a pool player), and Xun You was dressed up as a wizard, which caused Xun Yu to let out a bitter laugh because it reminded him of an incident that caused Xun You to lose his magical abilities.

As usual, Jia Xu chased Xun You around the room in a desperate attempt to gain the man's affection. Xun Yu smiled at the sight, he knew that Xun You liked Jia Xu, but he was waiting for the man to ask him out normally – not by chasing him around every room in the palace and yelling "please date me" – before agreeing to actually date him. Guo Jia held a glass of wine in his hand as he teased Xiahou Dun about the outfit he chose to wear. Since Xiahou Dun had to wear an eyepatch every day, Guo Jia found it humorous that he would choose to be a pirate. As Xun Yu took everything in, a smile formed on his lips. He thought it was great to see everyone gathered together and enjoying themselves.

"Mengde, did you plan this?" Xun Yu asked as his eyes happily took in every detail. The ruler nodded in response, and Xun Yu gave him a quick hug. "Ah, this is so great! Thank you."

"There is no need to thank me. A long time ago you expressed your desire for everyone to get together and enjoy themselves, and, to celebrate your recovery, I decided to gather everyone for this party. I'm glad that you like it." Cao Cao replied.

Xun Yu smiled at the man and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I can't thank you enough. It's perfect." Xun Yu said, his cheeks were a vibrant shade of red.

"Well, uh, don't just stand there. Let's go and have some fun." The ruler stated as he took Xun Yu's hand in his, leading him towards the party.

A few hours passed and the two enjoyed a dance, played a few games of pool with Guo Jia and Xiahou Dun, and they had a few drinks. Well, Xun Yu only had one drink, but Guo Jia initiated a drinking contest with Cao Cao, so he ended up having 10 at the least. Guo Jia burped and laid down on the table, drooling as he fell asleep. The others cheered for Cao Cao's impressive victory over Guo Jia, who was known to outdrink many in the kingdom, and Xun Yu pulled the ruler away from the table. He told the man that he couldn't have any more drinks, and the ruler frowned in response.

"But I'm not even drunk yet." He slurred, stumbling. "Okay, maybe just a little."

Xun Yu shook his head and helped Cao Cao to his chambers without incident. He helped the man get into bed, and sighed as he looked at his love's current condition. As he turned to leave, he was surprised when the man gently grabbed his wrist.

"Wenruo," Cao Cao said softly, causing Xun Yu to turn around and face him. "I'm sorry for earlier, I shouldn't have accepted Guo Jia's drinking challenge. Thank you for helping me back to my room."

Wait, is he really drunk? Xun Yu thought to himself. He is acting different from how he was a few minutes ago. Was he telling the truth about not being drunk?

"Don't look at me like that, Wenruo. I said I'm sorry, please believe me. I don't want to ever hurt you, I just want to make you happy. I love seeing you smile and making you laugh. Even your voice is intoxicating to me. I would do anything for you."

Yeah, he's definitely drunk. He can be sweet, but he is never this sweet and open with his feelings. It's nice that he feels these things for me, but it is sad that wine causes him to reveal them – I wish he could do it freely, without wine influencing his judgement. Speaking of that, I need to make him go to sleep before he does something crazy.

"Mengde, thank you for your kind words, but you should get some rest. You aren't feeling well, and, in your current condition, you're liable to do something that you will regret." Xun Yu said, hoping that his drunken love would go to sleep.

"Hmm, I see. You're probably right. I'll go to sleep, but –" He paused, causing Xun Yu to give him a curious look. "You have to stay with me, at least until I fall asleep."

Xun Yu sighed and sat down beside his Lord on the bed. The man eyed the strategist, taking in every detail about him as his eyes looked over him. He was perfect, everything about him was simply perfect, from his soft facial features to his slender frame, everything about him was gorgeous. As he continued to look over the man, trying to determine if he was secretly a god of beauty, his eyes slowly began to close, and he thanked Xun Yu for staying with him. His eyes finally closed as he fell into a deep sleep, and Xun Yu gave the sleeping man a soft smile before getting up to leave. I still don't think that this relationship between us is proper, but he makes me happy. Is there something wrong with that? I suppose not, but I wish I could understand what it is that I'm feeling. Is this what love feels like? He turned and looked at the sleeping man again, smiling to himself before leaving the room. Yes, I think this is what love feels like.