Chapter Text
This was the first time Jinming had ever felt something like this. With this being the first, he would like to assume that it was just a passing thought and he is not in love with Luo Hanying. Because ever since he finally acknowledged it, the feeling has multiplied tenfold! He used to have an intimate and close relationship with the astrologer since it was so natural for him. But now, his heart beats loudly in his chest whenever he comes near. Did that mean that he's liked him all this time? His head was clouded with thoughts and usually he would talk to the astrologer, but due to his situation they have been overfilling his head for a month.
Nevertheless, he was not going to let this stop him. "Luo Hanying, I'm going to win you heart!" He imitated shooting an arrow with his hands and imagined it landing right on the astrologer's chest. "Cupid won't ever miss, hehe" "I see your aim is very excellent Your Highness" "AH?!" Jinming jumped in surprise as the astrologer appeared beside him. "Cupid is the Roman god of romance, so who were you trying to shoot with your love?" "I.. erm.. no one in particular." They continued their conversation as they walked around the palace. After an hour or so, Jinming remembered that this was his perfect time to try and flirt!
"So... Have you ever been outside of the palace before?"
Never."
"Then today is your lucky day!! We're going out to the capital, and I can tour you-"
"I cannot leave without the Emperor's command."
"A-ah... is that so? Well then, I, Lord Xiaoyao permits you to leave the palace and with me."
"I apologize, Your Majesty. But I need the Emperor's permission since it is my responsibility to stay and observe the sky to ensure balance within the kingdom. Imperial Astrologers rarely ever leave."
"Think of this as a reward for all your hard work these years, you've been locked up here for as long as I can remember. As your prince, I say you need to relax-"
"Who is going to relax?" interrupts Xiao Jinyun.
"Jinming, I need you to oversee the court affairs. Astrologer Luo, you may take your leave."
Jinming turns his head in shock. "Brother, I thought you had bailed me out on that one last week?"
"It's urgent."
Jinming groans as he gets dragged away once more. He looks back behind him and watches as the astrologer retreats back into his quarters.
He wouldn't really mind if he was caught escaping on another occasion, but this time he looked like a miserable puppy as he moped over his desk.
He really needed someone to bail him out right now.
With perfect timing, Xu Yu entered the hall.
"Xu Yu!! Please save meee!!" "There's nothing I can do Jinming, it's the emperor's orders." "B-but I finally got the chance to ask the astrologer outtt" He babbled out excuses as Xu Yu tried to wring him off of her arm. "Just get back to work- wait, what did you just say?"
Jinming stopped for a moment and smiled sheepishly. "Ahhh well..." "JINMING?!?!?!"
-
He explained his whole situation to her and how he had grown a fond attachment to the astrologer. It took Xu Yu a while before processing everything, so she just sat there trying to make sense of it.
"I-I never expected that... it doesn't seem like you at all." "What do you mean?" "Well.. for starters, I always assumed you liked women" "But I do! I just..." The thought that the person he likes was a man never occured to him. He just liked Hanying all this time but he never realized that since they're both men the relationship would be even more difficult.
Xu Yu sighed and patted his head. "Don't worry, I think I understand now.. just a little. I know you like the astrologer a lot, and that is a fact. So as long as you like him, I won't think of you any different"
Jinming started to tear up."XU YUUU!!!" He started to sob. "Hey what- ARE YOU CRYING?!" He sniffed between words. "I'm just so happy... WAAAAAHHHH" "HEY STOP CRYING I'LL BE IN TROUBLE IF YOU DO!!"
"I want to confess to him really bad... but I want it to be at the right time. Xu Yu, do you think I should say a pick up line?" "That's corny Jinming." "Then what should I say?! Do I ask him who's his type? What if it's nothing like me?!!"
Xu Yu imagines if Jinming was a girl, she shuddered at the thought.
Don't worry about all that, just speak from your heart and I'm sure he'll like you"
"But I can't just speak honestly when he's there, I get so flustered and end up tangled in my own words! You know last time I almost told him that I was thinking of him at night!"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?!??"
"IT WASN'T ANYTHING LIKE THAT I SWEAR!!!"
"You know, maybe the best option is just alcohol"
"Alcohol?! But who knows what I'll say then?!!"
"Hey, at least you'd be honest. I don't think you would be able to say it without it."
"I want to confess properly!! I'll have confessed in a month, just you wait! I'll just use it as a last resort if none of my tricks work out."
"Okay then, that's a bet!" Xu Yu smirked, this is certainly going to be very entertaining!
-
"It's been a month Jinming~" She peeks.
"WHAT?! ALREADY?!!!"
"Hehe, I knew you wouldn't do it!!" Jinming sighed in defeat.
"Fine... a bet is a bet, what do you want me to do"
"I want you to treat me at the barbecue shop, oh and at the wonton store too, and maybe some tanghulu-"
"Hey that's too much already!!"
"Its lucky for you that you're allowed to go out! Don't you realize how boring it is just sitting around doing nothing?!"
"Hmph, fine. I'll treat you out on the weekend."
"I wasn't finished."
"WHAT?!!"
"You're confessing to him."
"WHAT?! B-but I'm still not ready!!!"
"You've been postponing this for too long and I'm getting tired of waiting!! If you can't say it, just have a drink with him"
Xu Yu started pushing him out of the door and dragged him out into the courtyard. Jinming resisted like a toddler and restrained with all his might.
"I can't do it! I can't do it! I can't do it! I'm not ready!!!!" He wailed. He pleaded the maids to side with him but they just watched as he got pulled away.
Xu Yu tossed him a bottle of wine and two glasses and dropped him off at the sky observation tower.
"Go get yourself laid! Goodluck!!" The door shut loudly behind him.
-
Jinming was nervous and so afraid, he sat unmoving at the doorstep. He had mixed emotions on how he should do this, but before he could try and leave the door was locked from behind. He frantically tried to unlock the door but made a loud noise while doing so.
"Your Majesty?"
Jinming froze. He didn't want to face him right now, so he kept close and faced the door. But there was nothing else to do.
"Uhm, why did the empress leave you here? Do you need anything?"
His chance his here. He can't let it slip away again..
"....Astrologer Luo."
"???"
"let's... have a drink." He smiled weakly
-
Hanying didn't quite get why he was here, but nonetheless he liked his company. Jinming has been like this since they were kids. He was an orphan, and was rather isolated from everyone else in the palace. He didn't want to interfere with the royals, and he felt out of place being with them.
But Jinming never made him feel out of place. He can still remember the day clearly. They were both 5 years old and the imperial family was supposed to go for their summer vacation but their youngest son was throwing a big fit in the yard wailing about someone named Ying.
With no other options left, they got brought the young orphan to the prince and he immediately stopped crying.
"I don't want to make you feel lonely" He sniffed and wrapped his arms around him.
The other child stood still and quiet. The one who hugged him kept crying but he just accepted the touch.
"Warm."
"?"
He pulled himself away but Hanying still held onto his hand. He didn't say anything, but Jinming understood. He hugged him back again and they stayed in eachothers embrace. The other servants watched the two children in the courtyard in awkward silence.
"Don't feel lonely anymore. Let's get married and I'll never make you sad forever. I promise!" they pinkie promised and Hanying watched the child walk away just like that. Someone loves him.
"Astrologer Luo, I have something I've wanted to tell you..."
"What is it your majesty?"
"I... erm..." Jinming's courage vanished. Impulsively, he took a big sip from his glass.
"What made you so interested in astrology?"
Hanying didn't expect just that to be the question.
"Ah, well it started when I was young your highness. If I'll be honest, I think it was because of you."
Jinming flushed and almost choked on his wine. They conversed more and kept drinking.
"...Right! We've known eachother since birth, and to be honest since then I've had these fee-" Jinming immediately shut his mouth. He almost said it!
"Pardon?"
"U-uh nothing!" He took another sip.
It didn't take long before Jinming was completely drunk, and yet he wasn't drunk enough to admit his feelings to Hanying's face.
"Your Majesty, you're really drunk. Let me take you back to your quarters."
"Noooo... stay with me... have another drink...."
"Your Majesty, you can't."
"Don't tell me what to do!! Im... perfectly okay with our relationship.. if you're gonna leave.. I'm staying here!"
"..."
Jinming sulked and crossed his arms as he slurred out words. He held his chin high and didn't face him.
"Okay Your Majesty. You may sleep anywhere that makes you feel comfortable."
"...huh? Wait.. noooo... Hanying... don't leave me..."
His left leg was stuck to the ground. He looked down and the prince was sobbing at his feet.
"...*sniff* I like you... I like you so much... you can't leave... I need you..."
He bent down and caressed his cheek that was wet with tears. He lifted Jinming's pristine face toward him. His eyes were red and puffy, his cheeks fainting pink. He looked so pretty right now.
"How do you feel about me?"
"...I love you" He said weakly. At that moment, Hanying's whole world had stopped. He wanted him. He needed him so badly.
"Your Highness, you're not thinking straight.."
"...this was all I've been thinking of. I think of you all the time.."
He stroked and caressed his face so gently Jinming wanted to stay there forever and fall asleep.
"I don't think you'll remember this after anyway, but I can't hold myself back anymore."
He brought his lips to his own and made an impulsive decision for the first time. He shouldn't take advantage of the prince like this, but how could he when his feelings that he forced down for so long are now beating against his chest. They're so strong it had clouded both their minds of any logical reasoning and they poured their hearts into eachother in a passionate kiss and it felt so, so, freeing.
-
"My head hurts..." Jinming awoke from a hangover without any recall of why his head throbbed so much. Then he looked around and realized he was in the sky observation tower, in the astrologer's bed. It was around midnight. He felt around his body and checked if anything weird happened as he tried to remember what happened last night.
We kissed.
Oh my gosh. This was happening all to fast right now. Xu Yu was definitely right, he had to pay her back for sure. Wait, where was Hanying? Oh no, did he regret it all? Did I force myself on him?! No, I have to make sure.
"Was it real? Was I not dreaming?!" He found the astrologer lookinh at the sky once more.
"Your Highness?! I-if you're talking about earlier then I..."
"Then what?! I'm so, so, sorry I know you can't forgive me after this but I didn't mean to hurt you at all! I just got too carried away with my feelings and I should just stop liking you anymor-"
"No. Don't stop. Please."
Jinming's heart was beating so loudly right now.
"It's my fault, not yours. But please don't stop liking me, not when I know now that you like me too."
"Y-you like me too?"
"Do you not remember the promise we made as kids?"
Jinming flushed again and his face turned bright red.
"Oh well, we promised we would stay together forever and we would always keep eachother company. As for why I got into astrology, one time you snuck us out and we watched the stars on the tower. You heard that you could see constellations from up there, and brought me along. Unfortunately it was a cloudy night, and we never saw the constellations, just a few stars and the full moon. You were disappointed but from the way I saw it, the stars had never shone brighter than before. They were small yet so beautiful. But more than anything, that was how I saw you."
Hanying held his hand tightly and looked into eyes as he spoke.
"There was nothing more to me than how I spent that night with you. No matter how many times I've gazed into the black nothingness of the night, or winced my eyes at the blinding light of the sun, you are my eclipse. No matter what day it is, people still wait and watch for the eclipse. Because when I look at you, you are so beautiful. I will always be by your side, and I promised that I would forever. So, will you stay?"
"Yes, yes! Of course I will!" He leapt into his arms and they embraced in the breeze of a moonlit night.
-
"So do you really not remember?"
"Hm? Oh you meant the promise? Yeah, I did when you mentioned it."
"Did you remember the second part?"
"Second part?"
"You said 'Let's get married' " He whispered.
"A-ah!! It's too early for that but let's definitely do that sometime..."
They laughed. The Empress Dowager might get a heart attack if she saw the new "bride" Jinming had found.