Work Text:
Maomao has never been a woman to focus on love or romance, far from it. It's not that she despises anyone in love; that would be absurd, but she had never thought it was for her. I mean, who could love a skinny, freckled girl?
Ka Zuigetsu, otherwise known as The Moon Prince. A better name for him would be Jinshi, as that's what Maomao was introduced to him by and what she continues to call him. Maomao can swear up and down the man is simply insane for being so infatuated with an ugly servant girl, and he is; maybe she’s just as insane for requiting those feelings.
It's almost like a cheesy love story that Maomao would sneer at. The Emperor's own brother falling for his lady-in-waiting and later dating her in secret? Straight out of a fairy tale.
Nonetheless, here she is, in the Moon Prince's bed of all places. Truly, she never could've imagined being in such a situation.
Maomao lies next to a sleeping Jinshi, wearing nothing but the thin robes Jinshi had given her after she complained about not wanting to sleep naked. Jinshi isn't much better, lying next to her–dead asleep–in similar, thin robes. At least they fit him. That's more than she can say for her own robes, which are two sizes too big.
Maomao grumbles in slight annoyance as she attempts to sit upright, only to find she’s trapped by Jinshi's arms firmly around her waist. Fantastic, really.
“Master Jinshi…”
Maomao murmurs, pushing on his chest with zero remorse for his beauty sleep.
Jinshi simply responds with a sleepy grunt and ignores her attempts to wake him. She's quite positive the jerk is aware enough to know she is trying to wake him up so she can get out of his grip, but he's just too stubborn an idiot to care.
“Will you–”
She begins as she attempts to elbow him awake. Jinshi sits up, before suddenly moving himself on top of Maomao and effectively pinning her to the bed. He lowers his weight onto her–careful not to entirely squish her with his body–and buries his head into the crook of her neck, making it clear he doesn't want her to leave just yet.
“Master Jinshi, we have to get up. Who knows when Suiren will come check on you, and-”
“And–” Jinshi begins, continuing what Maomao was going to say (inaccurately), “–you can spare a few moments with me in bed before either of us will be needed for today. Indulge me, will you?”
Maomao groans loudly, allowing herself to stop trying to push Jinshi off her (it wasn't going to do anything anyways). She knows it was a lost cause, trying to get him to stop acting like a needy dog. It's easier not to fight it, but that doesn't mean she didn't want to, though.
Not much time passes before Suiren knocks on Jinshi's door.
“Young Master, are you decent?”
A normal question, but at this moment it makes him shoot up and off of Maomao, because no, he was not decent—and neither was Maomao, for that matter.
Maomao shoots him a silent “I-knew-this-would-happen” look, but Jinshi simply ignores her.
“I– uhhh, give me just a moment!”
Jinshi replies as he scrambles to stand up, almost tripping over his own feet as he stands.
Maomao sits up as well, watching as the man rushes to put on some robes with more fabric. After he successfully adorns less revealing robes, he whirls around to face Maomao, panic set in his face.
“You need to hide— somewhere, anywhere!”
He whisper-shouts at her. Maomao raises an eyebrow at him. Sure, their relationship is not yet common knowledge, but Suiren is no idiot. She practically raised Jinshi and is now his head lady-in-waiting; Maomao's pretty sure Suiren knows what's going on.
Despite that, Maomao rolls her eyes and stands to ‘hide’. Her hiding spot? His connected washroom. The area in his room is pretty much open space, there aren't many hiding spots… while she still thinks the whole hiding thing is pointless, why hide when Suiren can probably deduce what's going on anyways? She still makes an effort to stay out of sight.
Once Maomao is hidden, Jinshi finally turns back to the door, desperately attempting to feign calmness.
“Come in, Suiren!”
Suiren pushes the door aside as her gaze falls onto Jinshi. He’s wearing typical sleep robes, and his hair is a disheveled mess; nothing too out of the ordinary.
“Young Master, Xiaomao is needed at the rear palace clinic, but none of us can find her. I don't suppose you have?”
Truly a simple question, has he seen Maomao? He has. But he can't really say that, now, can he?
“Ah, can't say I have. Perhaps she's loitering outside somewhere? Who knows with her.”
Jinshi says with a small strained smile on his face, silently willing her to leave as soon as possible.
Suiren nods. She turns to leave, but before she does, she spots something out of the corner of her eye. It looks like a small pile of clothing. She moves to pick it up, thinking it’s laundry.
“Young Master, you really need to pick up after yourself–”
Suiren says as she begins to scold Jinshi. Then, her eyes land on the piece of clothing.
It is a burgundy colored skirt—the same skirt that Maomao wears on a daily basis.
“You have…no clue where she is? Right?”
Suiren turns to face Jinshi, this time with the skirt in her hand like evidence.
Jinshi's face grows flushed.
“I– I uh– nope! No clue! That’s– she's not here!”
He says, fumbling over his words. What fool does he take her for?
“Right, so do you mean to imply that you have taken an article of Xiaomao’s clothing?”
Suiren raises an eyebrow at him.
Jinshi looks almost offended at the assumption, of course he wouldn't! He's not THAT degenerative!
“I– no! Of course not! I would never–!”
“Hm.”
Suiren hums non-committally. She won't interrogate the man, but she is most definitely forming her own thoughts on the matter now.
“Well, if you see Xiaomao, tell her Dr. Kan requests her in the clinic.”
Suiren turns to leave with the skirt in hand.
Jinshi panics as he sees Suiren take the skirt with her; if she does that, then Maomao will have nothing to leave in!
“Wait! I'll need to take that skirt back-”
Jinshi speaks hurriedly as he moves closer to Suiren to take the skirt off her hands.
Suiren narrows her eyes and allows him to snatch the skirt from her hand. She leaves silently, but not before shooting Jinshi one more look.
Jinshi finally exhales a breath he never knew he was holding, gods that was stressful, and now Suiren knows without a doubt what likely took place in this room last night… great.
He moves to open the washroom door, where Maomao is still hiding
Maomao exited the room swiftly; it wasn't a bad hiding spot, just annoying that she couldn't do anything while hearing what Jinshi and Suiren were conversing about.
She snatched her skirt from his hand–rather roughly–and located where her top was: on the floor.
Maomao started dressing in silence. Truthfully, she doesn't care much if Suiren knows about their relationship. She’s pretty sure Suiren was already having suspicions before this anyways. Jinshi, on the other hand, definitely cared; Suiren practically raised him! And now, she definitely knows that he and Maomao had intercourse last night!? Humiliating.
Jinshi watches as Maomao dresses herself, his gaze briefly looking over her figure before snapping back to attention.
“Do you think she knows…?”
He asks, trying to get some sort of comfort. Maybe he’s overthinking it?
“Oh, definitely.”
Her blunt response shatters whatever peace of mind Jinshi has left. He groans in embarrassment.
“Maomao…. What do we do..?”
She looks at him in confusion as she ties her top.
“Nothing? There's nothing we can do. And besides, she's loyal to you, she won't tell anyone. It's not like this will leak to the palace.”
Maomao shrugs after she speaks.
Jinshi sighs. He still isn't happy about it.
“I suppose you're right… but still, it's Suiren! I don't want her knowing that we…” he trails off bashfully.
“Had sex?”
Maomao speaks bluntly, turning to him with an impressed look on her face. This grown man can't admit to having intercourse?
“Yes.. that…”
Jinshi mumbles.
Maomao sighs, shaking her head. This man is hopeless.
“Does it matter? She definitely knows, but you're not posing as a eunuch anymore. You're a grown man. She won't mention it, she wouldn't,” she says, brushing off his concern.
“I suppose I now have to see what my father needs from me at the clinic, since I'm a missing case apparently,” she says, rolling her eyes.
Jinshi frowns at that. Leaving already?
Maomao caught his expression and shoots him an unimpressed look
“I can't stay, if I'm missing any longer people will start asking more questions than they already are”
Jinshi groaned, rolling his eyes. She had a point, but he doesn't have to like it.
He soon allows Maomao to leave. And as she steps out of the room, she spots Suiren still lingering nearby
Maomao sighs internally, if nothing else it will be slightly awkward around Suiren for a few weeks.