My Husband Is A Stranger (BL)

The tension between them had been growing for weeks.

Rui felt it in every glance, in every word unspoken. He told himself he hated the emperor, resented him, that everything Li Yuan did was a calculated move meant to test him, to control him. But that did not explain the way his body reacted when Li Yuan was near.

It did not explain why, even now, when he should have walked away, he stayed.

The candlelight in the chamber cast long shadows across the floor. The air between them was thick—hot, charged. Li Yuan stood only a few steps away, golden robes undone at the collar, his expression unreadable. Rui was still in his silver robes, but his fingers trembled slightly where they curled into fists at his sides.

Tonight had been unbearable.

The court was a battlefield, and Rui had spent the evening defending himself, enduring subtle jabs from those who still saw him as nothing more than the emperor's conquered prize. Zhang's allies whispered behind their fans, their words sharp as daggers. Even though Li Yuan had put Zhang in his place, the minister still had influence, and Rui knew they were waiting for him to make a mistake.

Waiting for him to fall.

But the worst part?

Li Yuan had done nothing to stop it.

He had watched. Observed. Let Rui fend for himself.

And that infuriated him.

"Was it entertaining for you?" Rui's voice was quiet, but the edge in it was unmistakable. "Watching them tear at me like wolves while you sat there, saying nothing?"

Li Yuan's golden gaze flickered, but he remained calm. "You handled yourself well."

"That's not the point!" Rui's hands slammed against the wooden table between them, rattling the teacups. His heart pounded against his ribs, his emotions boiling over. "You could have shut them down. You could have protected me."

Li Yuan stepped forward. "And you would have hated me for it."

Rui stilled.

Li Yuan's voice was steady, firm. "If I shielded you, they would say you are weak. That you need me to fight your battles." He paused, eyes darkening. "I will not insult you like that."

Rui swallowed, anger and something else twisting inside him. "Then what am I to you, Li Yuan? A pawn? A trophy?"

Li Yuan's jaw clenched. "You are mine."

Rui's breath caught.

The words should have enraged him. Should have made him lash out. But instead, they sent a shiver down his spine, something molten curling deep in his stomach.

It was too much. The resentment, the anger, the tension that had built between them for so long. He hated Li Yuan. Hated how easily the emperor could unsettle him. How effortlessly he could draw him in.

He wanted to fight him. To push him away.

Instead, he crossed the space between them and kissed him.

It was not soft. Not tender. It was a battle, a clash of wills. Rui's hands twisted into Li Yuan's robes, pulling him closer, and Li Yuan responded just as fiercely, gripping Rui's waist, pressing him against the table.

The heat between them burned away reason.

Li Yuan's hands were rough against Rui's skin, sliding beneath his robes, pulling the silk apart. Rui gasped as the cool air met his fevered skin, but he refused to back down. If Li Yuan wanted to claim him, then Rui would meet him as an equal.

He pushed, he pulled. They stumbled toward the bed, knocking over a lantern in their haste. The golden light flickered wildly, casting shadows against the silk curtains.

Li Yuan's mouth was hot against Rui's throat, tracing the line of his jaw, down the curve of his collarbone. Rui's fingers tangled in his dark hair, silver and gold entwined in the dim light.

He should stop this.

He should push Li Yuan away.

But right now, he wanted to drown in this fire.

And so he let himself burn.

The Morning After

The first thing Rui noticed when he woke was the silence.

The air was thick with the scent of incense and the lingering traces of last night's heat. His body ached, his skin still sensitive where Li Yuan had touched him. The silk sheets felt too soft, too warm, trapping him in the remnants of what had happened.

He turned his head slightly.

Li Yuan was still asleep beside him, his dark hair spread over the pillows, his breathing slow and even. His expression, usually so controlled, was unguarded in sleep.

Rui's chest tightened.

What had he done?

Regret flooded him, cold and sharp.

This was exactly what Li Yuan wanted. To pull him in, to make him forget who he was. Rui had let his emotions take over, had given in to something he could never take back.

He had let himself be conquered.

Slowly, carefully, he shifted, sliding out of the bed. His robes were discarded across the floor, and he pulled one around himself, tying it tightly as if it could somehow shield him from the reality of what had happened.

He needed to leave.

He needed to clear his head before he did something reckless.

But as he reached the door, he hesitated.

Li Yuan stirred, golden eyes blinking open. For a moment, he just looked at Rui, his gaze unreadable. Then, softly, he spoke.

"Running away?"

Rui stiffened, gripping the doorframe. "This was a mistake."

Li Yuan sat up, the silk sheets pooling around his waist. He watched Rui, something unreadable in his expression. "You didn't seem to think so last night."

Rui's jaw tightened. "That was frustration, nothing more."

Li Yuan smirked. "Ah. So you only come to me when you're angry?"

Rui turned to leave.

"Rui."

Something in Li Yuan's voice made him stop.

Rui did not turn around, but he could feel the weight of the emperor's gaze on his back. "What do you want me to say?" he asked, voice quiet.

Li Yuan exhaled slowly. "The truth."

Rui's grip on the doorframe tightened.

The truth?

The truth was that last night had not just been about anger.

The truth was that even now, with regret curling in his chest, his body still remembered the way Li Yuan had touched him, the way he had wanted it.

The truth was that he did not hate Li Yuan as much as he wished he did.

But he would never say that.

So instead, he whispered, "This changes nothing," and stepped into the corridor, leaving the emperor behind.