Work Text:
"Imperial younger brother, your lovely Miss Chue is here with your request!"
Miss Chue bounced around on her feet in front of his desk, holding a small wooden box in her hands.
She was an eccentric woman, but usually toned herself down when her fearsome mother-in-law was present, or Jinshi's formidable attendant Suiren.
However, seeing that only her husband Baryou and her brother-in-law Basen were there alongside Jinshi, she was radiating with cheery energy.
"Thank you, Miss Chue," He said as she placed the box in front of him. She flittered off to poke at the curtain Baryou hid behind.
"I'd have brought you something better, but unfortunately the medical office is busier than ever," Chue chirped, sending him a sly look.
He averted his eyes, blood rising to his cheeks. He had considered waiting for someone else to come by so he could make the request, but it would've been more embarrassing that way. Plus, they might've not picked up on his real motive, and have shown concern. He would just have to put up with Miss Chue's teasing, and hope she could keep her mouth shut for once.
"Well? Aren't you going to open it?"
Jinshi grimaced. He should've known she wasn't going to behave.
Tentatively, he lifted the lid off of the box, and tried to angle himself away from Chue's prying eyes.
The smell wafted up to his nose, and he took a deep breath in, deciding he would just have to forget his dignity in that moment.
It didn't perfectly emulate her scent, but it was something close enough. He'd requested for a variety of herbs knowing that he'd need their aromas to mix together to get a closer match, yet it was still a little off. Perhaps if he had some green tea to accompany it.
He'd have to experiment with different things to see what would replicate her. He couldn't help but smile as he remembered her earthy musk, radiating off of her as well as something warm and comforting that he couldn't quite place- a natural body scent.
He sighed as he glanced back at the stacks of papers on his desk, as well as the small, mischievous looking woman watching him.
How he deeply longed to be home in her arms, where neither his pounding headache nor heavy eyes would matter anymore. Nothing comforted him like her scent enveloping him at the end of each day. Her skin smelled almost as good as it tasted, and he liked the pleasant mix of soap and medicines that came to him as he held her after she bathed.
But of course, these sentiments were only alive in his head, and all he had at the moment was a couple of herbs and a long afternoon of work ahead of him.
Basen watched his milk brother as he stored away the box, the cloud of doom and gloom returning to him almost as quickly as it had left. True to his character, he didn't understand the reasoning of Jinshi's antics, and looked concerned for his health.
---------
"Master Jinshi, are you sure you're feeling alright?"
It was the third time Jinshi had pulled out the box that afternoon, and Basen had grown worried. Jinshi looked exasperated as he met his bodyguard's eyes and accepted that he really, truly was simply that dense.
"Yes, I'm not unwell. Just a bit fatigued."
"Then why do you keep smelling those herbs?"
Jinshi sighed to himself. With Chue having left a few hours ago, he didn't have as much of a problem with admitting it, but it was still awkward having to answer.
"It reminds me of Maomao."
Basen frowned at that, the gears in his head turning slowly. Not only did he struggle to understand Jinshi's feelings, but he hardly grasped Jinshi's feelings towards Maomao specifically.
He couldn't really imagine them together- he had been wary of Maomao from the start, questioning why she was suddenly so close to the Moon Prince after she seemingly appeared out of nowhere. For her to now be his wife, it was an idea he had accepted but not understood.
Jinshi only gave him a resigned look as Basen continued to look troubled, before turning back to his paperwork.
For a few minutes, the room was still again, except for the rustling sounds of paper turning, before Basen spoke again.
"Master Jinshi, may I ask how you something?"
"Yes, what is it?"
Basen's cheeks turned pink, and he sweated profusely as he stalled. "How exactly do you... handle Maomao?"
Jinshi blinked. "What do you mean exactly?"
"You know what I mean..."
"I'm not sure I do," Jinshi frowned.
Basen coughed, his face burning. "Nevermind."
"I think he's trying to ask you how you handle Maomao in bed, Sir," Baryou piped in quietly, hiding behind his curtains.
Jinshi raised his eyebrows. "You really want to know, Basen? I didn't think you were ready to think about this sort of thing."
Basen trembled and shook, but nodded awkwardly.
"Well... alright then. Maomao's far more knowledgeable than me, but she's gentle and patient. It got easier with time, I suppose. She had a lot more endurance than me at first, but I've been able to go on for the entirety of the night before, after we were married for a while."
Basen looked like he was having an aneurysm. "No! That wasn't what I meant!" He trembled, the the blood dramatically leaving his face.
"No? Why do you want to know about this, anyways?" Jinshi questioned.
Basen took a deep breath. "I've been worried lately, about Lady Lishu."
Jinshi shook his head, though he knew he shouldn't be surprised. Not only were they barely thinking of being intimate after being married for so long, but he still spoke of her formally. The two truly made a helpless pair.
"What about her, exactly? I still have some books that might be useful, if you're simply confused on what to do."
"What do you mean, what to do?"
"If you're too scared to do anything, I find that it isn't so bad just lying down and letting your wife do the work," Baryou mumbled.
"I'm not so sure Lishu knows what she's doing either," Jinshi mused.
Basen let out some sort of strangled cry, as if he were in pain.
"It's not any of that! I just... don't want to break her."
Basen turned back to Jinshi, looking white and clammy. "Maomao is quite small, compared to you. Isn't it hard not to hurt her?"
Jinshi shuffled his papers, looking thoughtful. "That was my concern at first, and I think with your strength it's definitely an issue. But Maomao is less delicate than I imagined she'd be. As long as you do your best to be gentle and communicate with her, you should be fine."
Basen looked a little less troubled, but still seemed quite anxious. "Maamei keeps pestering me to have children while we still can, but I'm not so sure about it now..."
Jinshi only frowned deeper. "No, at this point, I think you'd be better off trying to call her by just her name, first."
"Just her name...?" Basen blanched, looking positively terrified. Jinshi, who'd meant it as a joke, now wondered how he'd thought he could ever handle starting a family with Lishu if he could hardly imagine even talking informally to her.
In turn, he was actually impressed with himself. Perhaps it was just because it was only them three in the room, but Jinshi had never been able to speak so openly about things intimate. He could hardly tell Maomao what he wanted while the two of them were together- all the more frustrating, since she was entirely practical and didn't often get embarrassed enough to mince her words. She was blunt, and even seemed to enjoy how much that bothered Jinshi.
But he supposed it showed that Basen had somewhat matured, if he was able to ask Jinshi about it. Though maybe it was just that he didn't really realize what he was asking- clearly the thought of intimacy had only barely crossed his mind.
Whatever the case, they'd spent too long talking. The work of the Moon Prince never ceased.
---------
"Master Jinshi, when was the last time you ate? Surely you're hungry?"
"Mn." His grip around her tightened, and he burrowed his face further into her lap.
"Master Jinshi..."
He frowned. To think he had been teasing Basen about informality just a few hours ago... now his own wife was speaking to him this way.
Though, if she were really being formal, she would address him as the Moon Prince, or as the Imperial younger brother. That would be cruel.
"Maomao, please do not treat me so coldly."
"I'm treating you just as I always do. The food will get cold soon."
"Hmm." He rolled over so he could look up at her. He smiled to see she looked exasperated. Somethings just never changed.
She sighed, before she reached up to the table next to them to pick something up with her chopsticks.
She held it in front of Jinshi's face, and he took in its savory aroma.
"Open up," She commanded. Jinshi happily closed his eyes and opened his mouth, enjoying the delicious bite as she fed him.
"Wouldn't you like to have more?" She implored. She stroked Jinshi's hair as she would comfort a clingy child, yet her face betrayed no warmth. It was neutral, as it always was.
There was something oddly comforting about that, though he used to be so hurt by it, so desperate for her affection. He had grown used to her showing it in her own ways, though. If anything, it made it more special.
"Yes, please. I'm rather hungry." He sat there, waiting for her to feed him again. He had to smile as he watched her face threaten to twist into a scowl.
"You must feed yourself, or I won't be able to eat any. Aren't you always trying to get me to gain weight?"
"I can feed you."
"If you do, we won't have time for anything else tonight."
He thought for a second, then slowly rose and climbed off of her. He grabbed his own chair, brought it next to Maomao's, and began to eat as if nothing was wrong. Their shoulders bumped, and he could still catch a whiff of her earthy scent.
She glared at him for a while, but he didn't mind. After such a long day, he didn't care to hide his childishness. As long as he could be comforted with her warmth, nothing else mattered.
He passed her a wine glass, and to that she sipped away happily, finally letting him lean against her.