Read Online Song of the Spring Moon Waning by E. E. Ottoman - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: E. E. Ottoman
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into the courtyard, and Liu Yi fetched a mat for Wen Yu to kneel on.
Wen Yu settled himself at the desk and opened the poems again, sinking back into his work, and Liu Yi went back into his apartment.
The sky was beginning to be tinged with pink and gray around the edges when the door opened behind Wen Yu, footsteps approaching from behind him. He looked up to see Liu Yi, carrying a brocade jacket over one arm. He bent and draped the jacket over Wen Yu's shoulders.
"You must be cold."
"You should have gone to bed." Wen Yu set aside his brush and reached up to massage a crick in his neck. "I'll be stopping soon, anyway."
"How is the translation going?" Liu Yi knelt on the ground, and Wen Yu shifted on the mat so Liu Yi could also kneel there. Liu Yi's robes were now a little rumpled from sleep while his hair still fell loose around his shoulders and down his back to his waist.
"It's going well, I think, although I am not nearly done." Wen Yu looked away, across the courtyard to the gate, where the guards stood silently facing the street. "I'll be back tonight to continue it."
Crickets sang from the grass that grew in the cracks between the stone tiles of the courtyard and the palace wall. The sky was becoming lighter now, the moonlight almost completely faded. On the desk, the books of poetry had gone blank.
Wen Yu stood and stretched his arms over his head, bending at the waist to work the stiffness from his back. "I will see you this evening, then."
"Study well today." Liu Yi stood, and when Wen Yu moved to take the coat off and hand it back, he shook his head. "Keep it." He took a step forward so that he and Wen Yu were standing close and leaned in. There was a long, heart-stopping moment when Wen Yu, once again, thought that Liu Yi was about to kiss him. Instead, Liu Yi shook his head once, leaning back and giving him a small smile, then turned back to his rooms.
Wen Yu turned towards the gate, trying to quiet his pulse and pull his wits together. All he could think about as he passed by the guard and onto the street was the sweet scent of Liu Yi's hair and how soft his skin looked. Wen Yu found he wanted to taste it so badly that it made his hands shake. He stomped down on the feeling. He could not do that, not now, not ever.
*~*~*
Wen Yu spent the day not really concentrating on his work, though he tried not to think of Liu Yi or the poetry. He found himself thinking about what he'd do when he had the poems in front of him again, trying this or that to see if he could crack the language they were written in. He would jerk his mind away from the poems and concentrate on military strategy for a few moments, but his mind would drift back to Liu Yi's loose hair and the way it drifted in a dark veil around his face. Liu Yi's features were fine, almost delicate, his face surprisingly almond-shaped up close. Wen Yu wanted to kiss those small pink lips.
Shaking his head, Wen Yu tried to bring his attention back to his studies only to have it drift away again. He found himself pulling on his good robes as the sky began to turn the orange-red of dusk outside his window. Wondering if he should bring something with him this time, he headed out into the street. Unfortunately, he couldn't find anything in the shops that he could both afford and transport easily to Liu Yi's rooms.
The two guards from the last afternoon were at the gate when Wen Yu got there, and Wen Yu glared at them as they let him in. Luckily, they didn't make any comments as Wen Yu headed towards Liu Yi's rooms. Liu Yi opened the door before Wen Yu knocked. He smiled at Wen Yu, slow and sweet, then stood back so Wen Yu could enter.
"Come in. I have tangyuan and tea I thought we could share."
The low table at the center of the room was set with tea and the rice flour sweets in a bowl of ginger syrup. Wen Yu sat at the table without really seeing any of it. Liu Yi settled on the other side, his hair falling loose around him again, and Wen Yu couldn't
Wen Yu settled himself at the desk and opened the poems again, sinking back into his work, and Liu Yi went back into his apartment.
The sky was beginning to be tinged with pink and gray around the edges when the door opened behind Wen Yu, footsteps approaching from behind him. He looked up to see Liu Yi, carrying a brocade jacket over one arm. He bent and draped the jacket over Wen Yu's shoulders.
"You must be cold."
"You should have gone to bed." Wen Yu set aside his brush and reached up to massage a crick in his neck. "I'll be stopping soon, anyway."
"How is the translation going?" Liu Yi knelt on the ground, and Wen Yu shifted on the mat so Liu Yi could also kneel there. Liu Yi's robes were now a little rumpled from sleep while his hair still fell loose around his shoulders and down his back to his waist.
"It's going well, I think, although I am not nearly done." Wen Yu looked away, across the courtyard to the gate, where the guards stood silently facing the street. "I'll be back tonight to continue it."
Crickets sang from the grass that grew in the cracks between the stone tiles of the courtyard and the palace wall. The sky was becoming lighter now, the moonlight almost completely faded. On the desk, the books of poetry had gone blank.
Wen Yu stood and stretched his arms over his head, bending at the waist to work the stiffness from his back. "I will see you this evening, then."
"Study well today." Liu Yi stood, and when Wen Yu moved to take the coat off and hand it back, he shook his head. "Keep it." He took a step forward so that he and Wen Yu were standing close and leaned in. There was a long, heart-stopping moment when Wen Yu, once again, thought that Liu Yi was about to kiss him. Instead, Liu Yi shook his head once, leaning back and giving him a small smile, then turned back to his rooms.
Wen Yu turned towards the gate, trying to quiet his pulse and pull his wits together. All he could think about as he passed by the guard and onto the street was the sweet scent of Liu Yi's hair and how soft his skin looked. Wen Yu found he wanted to taste it so badly that it made his hands shake. He stomped down on the feeling. He could not do that, not now, not ever.
*~*~*
Wen Yu spent the day not really concentrating on his work, though he tried not to think of Liu Yi or the poetry. He found himself thinking about what he'd do when he had the poems in front of him again, trying this or that to see if he could crack the language they were written in. He would jerk his mind away from the poems and concentrate on military strategy for a few moments, but his mind would drift back to Liu Yi's loose hair and the way it drifted in a dark veil around his face. Liu Yi's features were fine, almost delicate, his face surprisingly almond-shaped up close. Wen Yu wanted to kiss those small pink lips.
Shaking his head, Wen Yu tried to bring his attention back to his studies only to have it drift away again. He found himself pulling on his good robes as the sky began to turn the orange-red of dusk outside his window. Wondering if he should bring something with him this time, he headed out into the street. Unfortunately, he couldn't find anything in the shops that he could both afford and transport easily to Liu Yi's rooms.
The two guards from the last afternoon were at the gate when Wen Yu got there, and Wen Yu glared at them as they let him in. Luckily, they didn't make any comments as Wen Yu headed towards Liu Yi's rooms. Liu Yi opened the door before Wen Yu knocked. He smiled at Wen Yu, slow and sweet, then stood back so Wen Yu could enter.
"Come in. I have tangyuan and tea I thought we could share."
The low table at the center of the room was set with tea and the rice flour sweets in a bowl of ginger syrup. Wen Yu sat at the table without really seeing any of it. Liu Yi settled on the other side, his hair falling loose around him again, and Wen Yu couldn't
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