Beiji

Chapter 3 (Pt. 3)

"Ah, right." His voice dropped to a whisper.

Was the emperor actually, secretly, stupid?

With one hand holding onto his belongings, Wan Xue grabbed Meng Yuan by the sleeve, and dragged him off down the street and into an alleyway. There would be no going to the farm, no goodbyes made, no explanations given. But people disappeared all the time, especially people like him. Had anyone questioned his absence this last week? Would anyone question if it extended indefinitely? He was just an orphan who grew up on the streets. There was no one to check in on him, no one to look for him if he vanished.

About to step out from an alleyway to cross a street, Wan Xue's sharp hearing caught the faint sound of footsteps from somewhere nearby. In a panic, he grabbed Meng Yuan by the arm, dragging him back into the alley he was about to step out from and pushed him against the side of a building. Hidden in the shadows, Wan Xue held his breath, turning his head enough to see the entrance to the alleyway, and they both watched as a man walked past. Meng Yuan could only make out his feet and part of his legs past the hat over his eyes, but Wan Xue could see that it was one of the guards and instinctively tried to shrink further into the shadows, pressing unconsciously closer to Meng Yuan, his eyes never leaving the man's retreating form.

Meng Yuan could barely see the passerby anyway, so he looked down at Wan Xue instead, surprised by the tightness of his grip on both of his arms. Their chests were nearly pressed together with as close as he'd shifted to stay out of sight, and their faces would have been uncomfortably close had Meng Yuan not been so much taller than Wan Xue.

As they waited, listening to the man's retreating footsteps, Meng Yuan studied the face of his near-savior. His brow was furrowed with concern, his eyes looking only in the one direction, and Meng Yuan could sense the fear he was radiating, and wondered, Is he that worried about getting me out of the city? No, of course not. He would be worried about the repercussions on himself if they were caught. But then...why help him in the first place?

Wan Xue's lips were pressed tightly together, his eyes scanning the entrance to the alleyway. This was the closest they had been to each other since meeting, and it had been dark the entire time, so this was the most clearly Meng Yuan had been able to see the other man's face. He couldn't help but think that he looked rather pretty, even worried as he was, his more delicate features a startling contrast to Meng Yuan's. Meng Yuan wondered if he would have remembered his own appearance if he'd not seen his reflection in a mirror upon waking.

Abruptly, his eyes still perusing the man's fair skin, their gazes met as Wan Xue looked up at him. Thrusting himself away from Meng Yuan, he stumbled back into the alley as if he wasn't the one who'd designed that arrangement to begin with.

"Shhh," Meng Yuan said without thought, a finger raised to his lips, a slight smile causing one side of his mouth to lift almost imperceptibly. "We don't want to get caught." His voice was no more than a whisper, but it still seemed to anger Wan Xue somehow.

With a scowl, Wan Xue turned away and checked the street for any signs of other people. It was empty. He hefted his pack back onto his shoulder from where it had slid off. Thankfully he'd kept hold of it in his hand so it didn't hit the ground and attract attention.

"Hang on." Meng Yuan was still whispering, but there was a weight pulling on Wan Xue's pack, just like back at his house, so he turned around and tried to yank it from the other's grip again. Instead of it working like last time, Meng Yuan didn't let go, pulling it back towards himself, nearly sending Wan Xue off his feet. After stumbling forward a step, Wan Xue let go for fear of colliding with him.

His hand followed after it though, grasping at the air where it had been, when Meng Yuan threw it over his own shoulder. His hat had fallen back, and his eyes showed his smile more than his mouth did.

"I'll carry it for you," he said quietly. "It's the least I can do."

But Wan Xue shook his head insistently, reaching out and trying to take it back. That bag held everything he'd ever owned, aside from the clothes they were wearing and the pouch of money that remained close to his chest and out of sight.

He grabbed the strap and pulled on it. However, Meng Yuan didn't let go, using his other hand instead to cover Wan Xue's. "It's alright," he reassured him. "I'm not going to steal from you. You're the only person who has helped me so far, and even if for that reason alone, I feel as if I can trust you – which makes you the only person I trust right now. I won't so carelessly throw away your friendship by repaying your kindness with theft."

Kindness. Friendship. Trust. He threw these words around as if they had any place in the relationship between them. Wan Xue wanted to be angry. He was angry. He hated Meng Yuan for what he had done to him. But the man in front of him...

Wan Xue didn't know why, but with his sudden declaration of trust, he felt strangely guilty, which bothered him even more than his hatred, so he let go of the strap and stepped back.

Meng Yuan seemed to not notice anything amiss, pulling the borrowed hat forward on his head – though not as far as Wan Xue had – and smiling as if he hadn't lost his memories and as if he wasn't running from a group of soldiers whose intents he didn't know.

"Let's go," he said, passing Wan Xue to check the street and walk out into it.

Wan Xue followed, catching up just as Meng Yuan stopped in the middle of the street, Wan Xue's pack slung over his shoulder. He stopped next to him and looked up as if waiting for him to come to the proper conclusion.

"Right," Meng Yuan said at last. "I don't know where we're going."