Work Text:
Li Yu hummed happily as he made his way towards Prince Jing's Palace. For whatever reason he'd been summoned by his best friend, and Li Yu certainly wasn't above swimming as fast as his tail fin would allow to find out why.
As he made his way to the main gate two guards blocked his way. "Halt! Who dares to enter the royal palace?"
Li Yu froze in shock. The entire time he'd been friends with Mu Tianchi, and subsequently been allowed to visit him, he'd never once been ordered to identify himself. He cleared his throat, bowed and said, "This humble mer is Li Yu. Here on summons from the fifth prince, Prince Jing."
The two soldiers looked at each other with doubt. The fifth prince was not known for summoning random mers to his palace. They took a second glance at the still bowing Li Yu and their doubt increased further. He was wearing only the simplest of robes, his hair appeared to have been hastily thrown into a ponytail with strands floating loose around his head, and to top it all off, he still had pieces of seaweed clinging to him as if he'd just swam through a kelp forest. Clearly this was not the kind of mer a prince would summon, and was instead a mer up to no good.
Just as they were about to chase him away, a voice came from behind them, "Li Yu! There you are!" It was Wang Xi, Prince Jing's personal attendant, "Where have you been?! We've been looking all over for you!" He swam past the two guards in order to haul Li Yu upright and check him over, "Nevermind all that now though! His highness has something important to tell you!" Wang Xi turned around and for the first time seemed to notice the two guards, then he remembered to bow he'd found Li Yu in and his gaze sharpened as he pointedly pulled Li Yu through the palace gates and further into the palace grounds.
The two guards watched them leave, feeling like they'd just survived a very dangerous encounter.
Li Yu allowed himself to be pulled along as Wang Xi tutted and fretted over his appearance, "-really would be better if we had time to clean you up, maybe a nice sand scrub to get the worst of the debris off, but there's no time now."
Li Yu hummed lightly as he mused to himself, "Is whatever the prince has to tell me really that important that you're this worked up? Prince Jing is well aware of how messy I can be, I'm sure it's fine."
Wang Xi looked behind him incredulously, as if questioning if he'd truly heard Li Yu correctly. He seemed about to say something, but then thought better of it and muttered, "His Highness will explain everything."
The two continued swimming through the halls, until Li Yu finally began to recognize certain areas. Surprisingly, a new scent also began to permiate the waters around them. Li Yu inhaled deeply, trying to ingrain the scent into his lungs. With a slightly dopey smile he asked, "Did Prince Jing start a new garden by any chance?"
Wang Xi said nothing and continued pulling a long the now slightly drunk mer.
Finally they arrived at the entrance of Prince Jing's personal quarters. Wang Xi looked Li Yu over one last time and said, "I do wish we'd had time to clean you up just a little, but we mustn't keep his highness waiting any longer than we already have!" With that, he opened the door and pushed Li Yu inside.
Li Yu gaped at the transformation Prince Jing's rooms had undergone since the last time he'd been there. Where once there had been minimal decorations, and an even sparcer sleeping arrangement, there now stood an almost excess of color and the bed seemed to be made of the softest, bounciest sea sponges Li Yu had ever seen, and a not insignificant part of him wanted to stretch out on it to see if it was true.
Then the thought struck him, this looked like a courtship display. Suddenly his interest and excitement waned.
His best friend, Prince Jing, Mu Tianchi, the only person he'd ever truly been close to, was looking for a mate. He already had one in mind if the display was anything to go off of. He'd probably only summed Li Yu to let him know that he wouldn't be welcome around the palace anymore.
What had started as genuine excitement, had turned unbelievably sour.
On top of all that, he hadn't even shown up yet! Li Yu humphed and moved over to the new bed defiantly.
So what if his best friend was looking for a mate! So what if it meant that they'd likely never be as close as they currently were! Li Yu wasn't going to leave until he'd seen it with his own eyes! With that thought Li Yu dramatically threw himself down onto the bed and pouted.
Unfortunately for him, the bed was extremely comfortable, and it wasn't long before he'd fallen asleep completely.
Mu Tianchi swam as quickly towards his rooms as he would allow himself, so slightly faster than usual with a completely blank face. Today was the day he'd confess to Li Yu and ask him to be his mate!
Entering the room he had so painstakingly created with everything Li Yu loved in mind to see the one he loved asleep in his bed was almost too much for the prince to bear. But bear it he did, and it was with no little remorse that he moved to wake the sleeping beauty.
Li Yu was slow to wake, sleeping on such a comfortable bed had naturally made him reluctant to greet the waking world once more. When he saw Mu Tianchi floating above him, for a moment, his sleep addled brain forgot why he'd fallen asleep on the bed in the first place, and he smiled sleepily at his best friend.
Then he woke up a little more and realized that Mu Tianchi was smiling! Well and truly smiling! Excitement burst through the smaller mer at the mere sight of it.
Later, if asked, Li Yu would claim he was still half asleep and was therefore not in full control of what he did next.
Li Yu reached up and cupped Mu Tianchi's face in his hand. Mu Tianchi then, oh so gently, turned his face to give that same palm a kiss, all while maintaining eye contact. Li Yu's entire body felt like he'd gone swimming over an underwater volcano. He might have made a sound, but all he could hear was the blood rushing through his ears.
Mu Tianchi could practically see the currents flowing through Li Yu's mind as he slowly began to retake in the room around them. His eyes went all over, carefully cataloging each carefully placed item, before his other hand (the one not trapped between Mu Tianchi's cheek and hand) once again came to rest on the sea sponge bed.
Finally, he lifted his eyes once more to meet Mu Tianchi's, "This is all... for me?" Li Yu asked hesitantly. Mu Tianchi nodded. Li Yu licked his lips and said, "Your highness, does know that these could be seen as... courting gifts... correct?" Once again Mu Tianchi nodded.
Li Yu was silent for a time after that, but he did not try and remove his hand from Mu Tianchi's grasp so he was choosing to take it as a good sign. Then, Li Yu asked one more question, "You are certain? I am not what most would consider, a good match for the royal family."
Mu Tianchi reached for Li Yu's hand. With gentle, but purposeful, strokes, he wrote, 'It has to be Li Yu. It can only be Li Yu. Mu Tianchi loves Li Yu.' Feeling nervous for the first time, Mu Tianchi looked at Li Yu through his lashes.
Li Yu was smiling, "Then of course I'll be your mate!"