Hot flashes

As dawn broke, the light filtered through the gaps in the tent flaps, casting several hazy beams of light onto the ground covered with thick animal hides. Inside the tent, the warmth had not yet dissipated, and the embers in the charcoal brazier were still glowing red.

Zhou Heng was awakened by the heat. Not the heat of the charcoal fire, but the human-shaped heat source behind him, pressed tightly against him like a furnace.

He groggily turned over, trying to get away from the heat source, but the arm around his waist immediately tightened, pulling him back to his original position and even more tightly into his embrace.

He frowned, mumbled something indistinctly, and subconsciously tucked his cold hands and feet into the warm place, nuzzling his head against the other person's shoulder. Finding a comfortable position, he fell into a deep sleep again.

Xiao Jue had already woken up when he snuggled up to him. With his eyes closed, he felt the unconscious dependence of the person in his arms, and the corners of his mouth curved up almost imperceptibly.

He adjusted his posture to make Zhou Heng more comfortable, and gently patted his back, like soothing a cat that craves warmth.

About half an hour later, the deliberately light footsteps and whispers of the guards came from outside the tent; it was time for them to rise and handle military affairs. Xiao Jue slowly opened his eyes, his gaze clear.

He looked down at Zhou Heng, who was still sleeping soundly with faint red marks on his cheeks. Instead of waking him up immediately, he gently pulled out his arm, which was numb from being used as a pillow, and quietly got out of bed.

Dressed neatly, with his hair tied up and a sword at his side, Xiao Jue walked to the charcoal brazier, poked at the embers with tongs, and added a few more pieces of charcoal to keep the temperature inside the tent at a comfortable level.

After doing all this, he walked to the edge of the bed and leaned down to look at Zhou Heng.

The young man was sleeping soundly, his breathing even and long, his eyelashes casting a faint shadow under his eyes, his lips slightly parted, revealing a bit of his white teeth.

Gone is the cautiousness and occasional timidity of the daytime; she appears completely unguarded, even a bit... adorably silly.

Xiao Jue watched for a while, then reached out and gently scratched Zhou Heng's warm cheek with the back of his fingers.

"Hmm..." Zhou Heng unconsciously turned his head to dodge, gave a muffled hum, his eyelids trembled, but he did not wake up.

A hint of a smile flashed across Xiao Jue's eyes as he slid his fingers down and pinched the boy's earlobe.

This time, Zhou Heng finally reacted. He frowned, impatiently swatting away the troublesome hand, and opened his eyes a crack, groggily looking upwards: "...Stop messing around..."

Her voice was heavy with sleepiness and nasal tone, soft and indistinct, like she was being coquettish.

Xiao Jue paused, his eyes darkening.

Zhou Heng instantly became mostly awake. He recognized who was in front of him and what he had just said and done. His face flushed red, and any lingering sleepiness vanished in fright.

He sat up abruptly, clutching the blanket and shrinking back, his eyes darting around: "Lord, Lord... good morning..."

Xiao Jue didn't say anything, but straightened up, walked to the side, picked up Zhou Heng's clothes scattered on the ground, picked up his boots, and walked back to the bedside.

"Get up, we need to get to Yingyang City and set up camp today." Xiao Jue said in a normal tone, placing the clothes beside him.

"Oh, okay," Zhou Heng replied, hurriedly starting to put on his clothes. Undergarment, outer robe... when he got to his trousers, he realized he was still barefoot.

He was about to bend down to reach for the cloth socks and boots placed at the end of the couch when Xiao Jue had already knelt down on one knee in front of him.

Zhou Heng froze.

Xiao Jue remained calm, picked up the man's cloth socks, and with somewhat clumsy but exceptionally careful movements, slipped them onto his feet, smoothing out the wrinkles. Then, he picked up a boot.

When his ankle was grasped by a warm hand, Zhou Heng trembled and instinctively tried to pull his foot back.

"Don't move." Xiao Jue held on firmly, his voice calm.

Zhou Heng dared not move, his body stiff, watching Xiao Jue lower his head and stuff his feet into his boots.

The hand cradled his heel, fingers lightly brushing across the sole, sending a subtle tickle through him. He put on one shoe, then changed to the other.

As he put on his boots, Xiao Jue's thumb gently and slowly rubbed the protruding bone on the side of his ankle. The sensation was clear and persistent, carrying an unmistakable intimacy.

Zhou Heng's face began to burn again. This feeling... was so strange! It involuntarily reminded him of last night... that old scoundrel! He wouldn't stop even this early in the morning!

His ears turned red, his toes curled up inside his boots, and he tried to pull his foot away.

Xiao Jue seemed to sense his intention, and slightly increased the pressure on his hand, firmly holding his ankle until both boots were on and the laces were carefully tied, before letting go and standing up.

"Alright." He looked down at Zhou Heng's still reddened ears, his tone unreadable. "Go wash up and have your meal. We'll break camp in fifteen minutes."

After saying that, he turned around and left the tent.

Zhou Heng sat on the couch, touching his burning ears, then looked down at his boots, which were still neatly worn; the lingering sensation at his ankles seemed to remain. He scratched his hair in frustration, muttering under his breath, "...You slut!"

Breaking camp and marching is tedious. Zhou Heng rode on horseback, following behind Xiao Jue's central army. Looking at his cold and hard profile, he snorted. He looked respectable on the surface, but he was capable of all sorts of tricks in private!