With his heart thundering against his chest, the surgeon screamed, dream and reality intertwining with one another as terror drowned him in a haze, rendering him unable to breathe.
Face pale and horror painted in his eyes, Li Xinyuan scrambled backwards in the darkness, unable to clearly see the person in front of him through the piercing headache.
His long ebony waves were thrown in disarray, cascading carelessly down his shoulders as he heaved breathlessly. His grey outer robes slipped down his shoulder as a shiver crawled down his spine, a terrified glare in his golden eyes.
When he finally stopped screaming, his throat ached as the haze of dream cleared away, giving way to a little bit of clarity whilst his throat ached from exertion.
"Heaven…" The man whispered, his voice soothingly deep and magnetic as he put a hand on his ear, tilting his head slightly. "Xinyuan sure is quite vocal."
It was meant to be a joke.
Li Xinyuan blinked, surprised to hear a familiar — relieving — voice instead of the horrifying cadence of a grotesque monster from a bad dream.
His plush — now swollen — lips fell ajar, for a long time, no sound felt his lips while the shadows of an impending headache pounded inside his skull.
He squinted, golden irises gleaming with nerves as he tentatively called out, unsure of himself. "Y… Your Highness?"
Upon hearing the address filled with uncertainty, the figure looming in the shadows stepped closer to the bed, hands moving away from his ears to behind his back.
In a deep, somewhat worried tone, the man spoke, a deep frown set between his furrowed brows.
"You look pale," he commented before answering the questions. "Who else could it be, Xinyuan? Are you well, no, you look pale, obviously you are not feeling well."
Li Xinyuan dropped his head, hiding his face as he looked down at his lap, heartbeat finally calming down as he shivered.
He didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to respond or to think at all. His beautiful face crumbled into a vulnerable look as he hugged himself, resisting the wicked urge to cry.
This was the first time Li Xinyuan woke up to someone by his side after a nightmare. This was the first time someone had bothered to ask about his well-being after waking up to darkness—since that day.
His shoulders shook harder, the urge to weep overwhelming the pain of migraine as he sniffled to himself.
He didn't know what to do with himself.
As he sat in silence, hugging himself, Liu Mingyun pursed his lips, debating on what to say.
Finally, he settled with trying to disperse the tension in the tent.
"This Prince did not know that he looked so frightening that Xinyuan would scream at the sight of him." He mused, glancing at Li Xinyuan's bowed head.
Hearing him speak jokingly, Li Xinyuan took a deep breath, lips quivering as he raised his head and looked at the faint outline of the man's face.
"Please, Your Highness," he replied, chuckling wetly. "This lowly one cannot even see you through the pain and darkness. How can he find you frightening?"
"Is that so?" Liu Mingyun drawled, lips curled into a small, teasing smile as he leaned forward. "Then it's a relief, Xinyuan scared This Prince for a moment!" He spoke in a soft voice, mindful of the pain concealed in Li Xinyuan's beautiful eyes.
Li Xinyuan chuckled, shaking his head slightly as he held his forehead. "What can this one say to that, Your Highness?" He asked, voice still wavering from the residues of the nightmare. "Why has Your Highness visited this Xinyuan? Is there something this lowly one can assist you with?"
Even the meagre task of speaking seemed to be taking a toll on his ailing body. The surgeon let out a wince before snapping his eyes shut, just a little amount of light brought him immense pain.
Liu Mingyun tentatively approached him and slowly sat down on the bed, neither too close to Li Xinyuan nor too far. Just close enough to let him know of his presence.
The bedding sunk beneath the Crown Prince's weight, making Li Xinyuan shuffle a little to make some space for the man while keeping his eyes shut.
"Well," Liu Mingyun murmured, looking at the surgeon's beautiful face. Briefly, he wondered, why was Li Xinyuan so breathtaking? Even in the palace, he hadn't seen anyone who could rival the surgeon in terms of beauty much less in knowledge or strength.
"I came here to spend some time with you and take the opportunity to sort out my thoughts. But when I came in, Xinyuan was asleep and it seemed like a bad dream—" he glanced at Li Xinyuan's closed eyes and leaned a little closer to him "—I wasn't sure if I should wake you up. Just when I came to a decision, Xinyuan woke up and screamed my ears off."
Li Xinyuan felt his face warm up, suddenly he felt grateful for the darkness obstructing his and the Crown Prince's vision.
In a feeble voice, he replied. "This one begs for your forgiveness, Your Highness." He bit his lips, trying to abate another throb of pain.
Liu Mingyun looked at him with a faint smile, his enhanced vision enabling him to see the blush staining the surgeon's cheeks as he hummed. "There is nothing to be sorry for, Xinyuan." He side-eyed him. "In fact, thanks to you, I have realised that I am not going deaf just yet."
Li Xinyuan gasped at the playful jab. "Your Highness..." He pouted, cheeks puffing up ever so slightly.
Liu Mingyun chuckled at his reaction, a small grin adorned his face as he ducked away a half-hearted swat aimed at him. "I'm jesting, Xinyuan. You can scream all you desire. I don't mind." He shook his head and put a hand inside of his sleeves. "That reminds me, I actually came here to give you something."
Li Xinyuan cocked his head to the side, curiosity written on his face as he opened his mouth. "What, Your Highness?" He asked.
If his eyes were open, Liu Mingyun was sure that his golden eyes would be shining.
"Nothing too grand, Xin'er," he mused aloud, not noticing the slip. "Just a little something for you to have. I stumbled upon your companion, he was bringing this to you. But he had to go away because of an emergency with one of the soldiers," he explained, patiently taking out a small silk pouch. "Hence, I offered to bring this to you instead."
"..."
A beat of silence. More silence followed.
It continued even after Liu Mingyun finished speaking, making the Crown Prince frown and look at Li Xinyuan.
"Xinyuan?" He called out once more, voice rumbling in his chest as he leaned even closer. Li Xinyuan sat completely still, not moving an inch as his ears rang, blood rushing to his face again.
"Ah… Ahem," Li Xinyuan coughed in his fist, wincing when his neck hurt from the abrupt movement. "Yes, Your Highness?"
"You are getting awfully lost." Liu Mingyun remarked, idly taking hold of the surgeon's hand and placing the pouch on his palm. "Here, eat this. I think it is something sweet."
Li Xinyuan nodded jerkily, as he opened the pouch and took out a small piece of flower cake, the saccharine fragrance hit his nose, making him cringe a little.
Liu Mingyun smiled slyly as he watched the surgeon nibble on the small cake, cheek tucked against his knuckles as he leaned forward, elbows propped on his thigh.
"You get flustered quite easily, Xin'er," he cooed, teasingly, the baritone timbre of his voice sending a shiver down Li Xinyuan's spine. "Previously it was just a slip, now seeing your reaction, I'm very tempted to continue calling you Xin'er."
Li Xinyuan looked up from the cake, throwing a glare at him as he nibbled on the sweet, feeling his migraine increase.
"For a Crown Prince, Your Highness is being awfully childish."
Liu Mingyun's smile didn't fade, instead it increased in intensity. He seemed to enjoy the teasing. "Oh, Specter of Blood Moon, please be understanding of This Prince, he has never had a peaceful childhood."
Li Xinyuan stilled at the statement, the cake remained caught between his lips as he dropped his hand on his lap.
"Why is Your Highness saying it as if it's a normal thing?" He mumbled through the dessert.
"Mn?" Liu Mingyun pursed his lips in confusion. "Is it not?"
Li Xinyuan's gaze shot up to meet his crimson eyes, the pain in those golden eyes ebbed to give way to something more… vulnerable.
"No, Your Highness, it isn't." He said, firmly.
Liu Mingyun blinked. "Ah?"