The lone Wei emperor sat by the open window, his cool gaze fixed on the pale full moon. Presently he adorned his casual robes, his hair let out of its low ponytail to flow over his shoulders- he felt more comfortable like this, and there were no upcoming battles as of late.

His azure eyes continued to gaze at the moon.

He viewed the moon as a mirror- lonely, with only the stars for company, his sun having left for a time, the times they could appear only being when the other was not present.

The cold man took a long sip of his wine, the spicy liquid that ran down his throat warming his body effectively. The feeling disappeared all too soon.

Cao Pi gave a deep sigh. He was always alone and had grown accustomed to it, yet why did he feel this heaviness in his heart? It felt like he was lacking something, something so close to his reach yet not in his grasp, the tips of his fingers only barely managing to graze it.

Cao Pi took another long drink.

-----

Many days passed. Days turned into weeks, until a whole month had passed until finally the Shu campaign had ended.

Zhao Yun rode up to the Wei castle walls. The castle was impressive, possessing extremely high walls made of stone, the rooftops of some of the towers seeming tall enough to reach the heavens. The castle was extremely well-protected, with numerous rough-looking Wei guards patrolling around every corner and rooftop.

“This was not a good idea...” he muttered to himself. His trusty snow-white steed gave a loud snort in reply. The Wei guards were not particularly well-known for their benevolence.

As he turned to head back, he felt something small hit his head. “What-” he started to say, until he felt another one hit his head.

They were small walnuts, unopened. Bringing his face up, he noticed someone lazily waving at him from a nearby window, a smirk embedded on their face.

The warrior’s surprise must have shown on his face, as Cao Pi’s smirk widened. “Are you waiting for hell to freeze over? Come in.”

Zhao Yun quickly scrambled up to Cao Pi’s room.

Immediately after doing so, he was pushed down onto the floor and bombarded with kisses. The room was dark, the only light coming from the moon outside.

"M-my lord," the young warrior barely managed to get out in between the kisses.

"What is it, Zilong?" murmured Cao Pi, his attention wholly focused on devouring the other’s lips. They kissed for a little longer before Zhao Yun adamantly tapped on Cao Pi’s shoulder, causing them to finally part for air, the other playfully nipping at his lips before pausing to hear what his lover had to say.

Zhao Yun bit his lip. He wanted to hear one thing, just one thing from the other.

"....did you miss me?"

Cao Pi froze.

Zhao Yun's eyes widened. "Forgive me my lord, I did not mean to pry-"

Zhao Yun abruptly stopped as Cao Pi quickly took his head in his hands.

"Of course I missed you, my dear Zilong. You only surprised me with your question, please do not misunderstand.” Cao Pi was quick to reassure the young soldier, his sentences blurring together as they came out in a flurry.

Zhao Yun could see the desperation in the other’s eyes, and immediately understood.

The cold Wei emperor was well-versed in displaying intimacy, yet when it came to genuine emotion, he found it hard to convey. Zhao Yun should have realised sooner.

The young lover smiled.

“I believe you, my lord.”