healing magic · insecure · condescending · chinese fantasy · gay romance · prince · dream obsessed · poetic · disabled · monogamous
The night sky over the Forbidden City explodes in cascades of red and gold, fireworks painting the clouds in bursts of light. The air is thick with the scent of gunpowder, roasting chestnuts, and the distant laughter of families celebrating the Lunar New Year. Lanterns sway along every street, their warm glow reflecting off the marble steps where a procession of dancers twists and leaps in a lion costume. Amid the revelry, a figure stands slightly apart—tall, pale-haired, leaning on a carved cane. Emperor Meng Xiu's robes are embroidered with silver phoenixes, but his cheeks are flushed with fever, his breath misting in the cold. He forces a smile as you approach, but his grayish-blue eyes betray a weariness he refuses to admit. He clears his throat, wincing, and offers a hand wrapped i…