Prompts #33 & #22
Continuation of my warriorslash 50 challenge \o/
I'm on a total Cao Cao roll~ And I've ceased to make sense I think =3 Oh well xD;
Look forward to some epic [and completely random] Cao Pi/Zhao Yun angst next time round |D;
Prompt: #33 => Primitive
Character/Pairing(s): Xiahou Dun/Cao Cao
Rating: K?
Warnings (if any): None really~
33. Primitive => Xiahou Dun/Cao Cao
Everyone had instincts.
Instincts to avoid danger, to protect the one you love, to know when you’ve gone too far.
And at this very moment, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuanrang, knew that he had crossed that very thin line between ‘acceptable’ and ‘unacceptable’.
His lord, Cao Cao, was glaring at him in displeasure. The expression didn’t abate a single bit even as Xiahou Dun struggled to sit upright in his bed.
Silently, Xiahou Dun cursed his weakness and off-centre balance, knowing that it would take months to return to his previous martial proficiency.
Cao Cao didn’t even bother looking at the doctor who had been working throughout the night to stabilize one of his best generals who had teetered much too close to the brink of death.
“My lord, General Xiahou needs to rest,” the older man bowed respectfully as he stepped back.
Cao Cao nodded and dismissed him with a regal wave of his hand.
Silence fell.
“Mengde…” As the silence started becoming overly strained, Xiahou Dun spoke, hoping to ward his lord Cao Cao away from the furious tirade he could see building up behind that calm façade.
It didn’t work.
As Cao Cao drew in a deep breath, Xiahou Dun closed his one working eye and braced himself.
To his surprise, the rant he had expected never came. Instead, Cao Cao spun around to glare angrily at the table where Xiahou Dun’s medicine rested.
The words, when they came, were soft, but backed with steel, “You are not to do that again. Ever.”
Xiahou Dun bowed his head, acknowledging the words but not agreeing.
Both of them knew that if it happened again, Xiahou Dun would still ride out in front of Cao Cao and shield him from that arrow; no matter how prepared he was to deflect it.
“I, Cao Mengde, do not need anyone’s protection. Not even yours.”
With those parting words, Cao Cao swept out of the room, face impassive.
Prompt: #22 => It started off like any other tea ceremony
Character/Pairing(s): Nobunaga/Cao Cao
Rating: K?
Warnings (if any): Lots of tea drinking. And rambling.
A/N: I can't believe I wrote 1000 words on Cao Cao. And Nobunaga. Drinking tea. D=
22. It started off like any other tea ceremony => Nobunaga/Cao Cao
It was no secret that Cao Cao adored good food, good wine and good company. It was also no secret that he considered very few to be eligible for the title of ‘good company’.
Oda Nobunaga was one of the few.
Despite the time gap in between them as well as the cultural and inevitable language barriers, Cao Cao found Nobunaga to be an entertaining companion, someone worthy of his attention.
It was hard to see what Nobunaga thought about this. But if anything could be taken for granted, it was the fact that he, leader of the Oda, was just as intrigued with Cao Cao as the other man was with him.
Many of their underlings compared them to each other. Pointing out the startling similarities; the unquenchable ambition, the martial prowess, the magnetism that drew in some of the most talented generals and officers from around.
Both Nobunaga and Cao Cao seemed to disregard anything said about them, or seemed absurdly amused by the whole thing.
So tonight, Cao Cao had invited Nobunaga to join him for a drink.
The moon was full and the night sky clear, a rare occurrence during the temperamental autumn months and it was that moon that drew them both away from the affairs of war for a night.
Nobunaga walked through the maze that was Cao Cao’s back garden, heading towards the small pavilion that he knew the other man favoured.
Cao Cao rose as soon as he saw his guest, inclining his head politely, a show of almost-deference that he showed no one else.
Nobunaga returned the gesture with a simple bow of his own and they both seated themselves on opposite sides of the table.
With interest, Nobunaga viewed the implements on the intricately carved marble table.
Cao Cao noted his gaze and smiled, a bare upward curve on one side of his lips, “I have heard you enjoy tea.”
The taller man inclined his head and returned the almost-smile, “And I have heard that your mastery of the tea ceremony is something else.”
The leader of Wei replied with a fractionally wider upturn of his lips, lowering his eyes to the tea set sitting serenely in front of him.
His fingers stroked the white porcelain once before he turned slightly to his side to watch the steam curling lazily from the ceramic kettle on coal stove by his left.
Apparently it was steaming to his satisfaction since he removed it from the stove and poured it delicately into both the empty cups and the pot.
Nobunaga watched in fascination. There were obvious differences from the tea ceremony he was used to, but there were also similarities.
He remained silent, taking in the way that Cao Cao’s brows, usually furrowed in thought, were smoothed out. He looked more relaxed than he had ever seen him. The way he held his right sleeve to keep it out of the path of the hot water, the way his skin was pale and smooth in the glittering moonlight…
Shaking off the sudden and somewhat dangerous swerve of his thoughts, Nobunaga looked up in time to catch Cao Cao’s raised eyebrow.
“Something on your mind Lord Oda?”
It was the first time Cao Cao had ever addressed him directly. Nobunaga stared for a brief moment, taken by surprise. But he wasn’t fazed for long, a slow smile curving, white teeth flashing briefly in the moonlight night.
“Of course not Lord Cao Cao,” he repaid the address back in kind and then decided to try something, “Or may I use Mengde instead? I am told that it is a more… intimate form of address.”
Cao Cao stopped his actions completely, only pausing to put the kettle back on the stove before facing Nobunaga directly, dark eyes unreadable.
Nobunaga continued to smile gently.
As if reaching some kind of conclusion, Cao Cao let show his own smile, a more relaxed, realistic expression of amusement that was so rare, “So it is.”
He lowered his eyes to the cups again, emptying out both the small teacups into a larger ceramic bowl and doing the same with the liquid inside the teapot.
He fell silent as he concentrated on the tea before him; pouring barely boiling water back into the teapot to steep the tea leaves inside. Cao Cao seemed content to let the smile rest on his visage.
Watching this scene play out in the moonlight, Nobunaga felt a gentle tug somewhere inside the vicinity of his broad chest.
They sat in comfortable silence as the tea readied. Both studying the other from the edges of their vision, deeming it impolite to stare directly.
Cao Cao broke the silence as the right time passed; he lifted the tea pot and poured, “I hope you’ll find the tea to be pleasing.”
Nobunaga accepted his cup with another inclination of his head. He didn’t drink the tea immediately, instead closing his eyes and inhaling the aroma.
It was delicate, subtle and hinted at the flavour.
His eyes opened again and met the ones watching him from across the table.
Almost exactly like Cao Mengde in fact.
He took a sip and shuttered his eyes in pleasure at the flavour. It tasted like the autumn, earthy and bold with something sharper behind, with just enough bitterness to intrigue and tempt him for another sip.
He lowered his lips to the edge of the cup once more, wanting another taste.
Pleased at the fact his guest seemed to appreciate and enjoy the flavour and taste of the tea, Cao Cao sat back and sipped at his own cup.
This particular blend was his favourite. The taste and fragrance appealed to him on some unexplainable level.
He looked up once more, meeting the eyes of Nobunaga once before averting his glance to the moonlit sky, “It is an alluring sight is it not? Worthy of every poem dedicated to it.”
Nobunaga allowed his gaze to linger on the man opposite for a moment before he turned his eyes upwards to the moon as well. His smile was hidden with the hand that raised the cup to his lips once more; taking care to ensure that his gentle murmur reached the other man’s ears, “Indeed, a beautiful sight.”
And somehow, he wasn’t talking entirely about the night sky any more.
I'm on a total Cao Cao roll~ And I've ceased to make sense I think =3 Oh well xD;
Look forward to some epic [and completely random] Cao Pi/Zhao Yun angst next time round |D;
Prompt: #33 => Primitive
Character/Pairing(s): Xiahou Dun/Cao Cao
Rating: K?
Warnings (if any): None really~
33. Primitive => Xiahou Dun/Cao Cao
Everyone had instincts.
Instincts to avoid danger, to protect the one you love, to know when you’ve gone too far.
And at this very moment, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuanrang, knew that he had crossed that very thin line between ‘acceptable’ and ‘unacceptable’.
His lord, Cao Cao, was glaring at him in displeasure. The expression didn’t abate a single bit even as Xiahou Dun struggled to sit upright in his bed.
Silently, Xiahou Dun cursed his weakness and off-centre balance, knowing that it would take months to return to his previous martial proficiency.
Cao Cao didn’t even bother looking at the doctor who had been working throughout the night to stabilize one of his best generals who had teetered much too close to the brink of death.
“My lord, General Xiahou needs to rest,” the older man bowed respectfully as he stepped back.
Cao Cao nodded and dismissed him with a regal wave of his hand.
Silence fell.
“Mengde…” As the silence started becoming overly strained, Xiahou Dun spoke, hoping to ward his lord Cao Cao away from the furious tirade he could see building up behind that calm façade.
It didn’t work.
As Cao Cao drew in a deep breath, Xiahou Dun closed his one working eye and braced himself.
To his surprise, the rant he had expected never came. Instead, Cao Cao spun around to glare angrily at the table where Xiahou Dun’s medicine rested.
The words, when they came, were soft, but backed with steel, “You are not to do that again. Ever.”
Xiahou Dun bowed his head, acknowledging the words but not agreeing.
Both of them knew that if it happened again, Xiahou Dun would still ride out in front of Cao Cao and shield him from that arrow; no matter how prepared he was to deflect it.
“I, Cao Mengde, do not need anyone’s protection. Not even yours.”
With those parting words, Cao Cao swept out of the room, face impassive.
Prompt: #22 => It started off like any other tea ceremony
Character/Pairing(s): Nobunaga/Cao Cao
Rating: K?
Warnings (if any): Lots of tea drinking. And rambling.
A/N: I can't believe I wrote 1000 words on Cao Cao. And Nobunaga. Drinking tea. D=
22. It started off like any other tea ceremony => Nobunaga/Cao Cao
It was no secret that Cao Cao adored good food, good wine and good company. It was also no secret that he considered very few to be eligible for the title of ‘good company’.
Oda Nobunaga was one of the few.
Despite the time gap in between them as well as the cultural and inevitable language barriers, Cao Cao found Nobunaga to be an entertaining companion, someone worthy of his attention.
It was hard to see what Nobunaga thought about this. But if anything could be taken for granted, it was the fact that he, leader of the Oda, was just as intrigued with Cao Cao as the other man was with him.
Many of their underlings compared them to each other. Pointing out the startling similarities; the unquenchable ambition, the martial prowess, the magnetism that drew in some of the most talented generals and officers from around.
Both Nobunaga and Cao Cao seemed to disregard anything said about them, or seemed absurdly amused by the whole thing.
So tonight, Cao Cao had invited Nobunaga to join him for a drink.
The moon was full and the night sky clear, a rare occurrence during the temperamental autumn months and it was that moon that drew them both away from the affairs of war for a night.
Nobunaga walked through the maze that was Cao Cao’s back garden, heading towards the small pavilion that he knew the other man favoured.
Cao Cao rose as soon as he saw his guest, inclining his head politely, a show of almost-deference that he showed no one else.
Nobunaga returned the gesture with a simple bow of his own and they both seated themselves on opposite sides of the table.
With interest, Nobunaga viewed the implements on the intricately carved marble table.
Cao Cao noted his gaze and smiled, a bare upward curve on one side of his lips, “I have heard you enjoy tea.”
The taller man inclined his head and returned the almost-smile, “And I have heard that your mastery of the tea ceremony is something else.”
The leader of Wei replied with a fractionally wider upturn of his lips, lowering his eyes to the tea set sitting serenely in front of him.
His fingers stroked the white porcelain once before he turned slightly to his side to watch the steam curling lazily from the ceramic kettle on coal stove by his left.
Apparently it was steaming to his satisfaction since he removed it from the stove and poured it delicately into both the empty cups and the pot.
Nobunaga watched in fascination. There were obvious differences from the tea ceremony he was used to, but there were also similarities.
He remained silent, taking in the way that Cao Cao’s brows, usually furrowed in thought, were smoothed out. He looked more relaxed than he had ever seen him. The way he held his right sleeve to keep it out of the path of the hot water, the way his skin was pale and smooth in the glittering moonlight…
Shaking off the sudden and somewhat dangerous swerve of his thoughts, Nobunaga looked up in time to catch Cao Cao’s raised eyebrow.
“Something on your mind Lord Oda?”
It was the first time Cao Cao had ever addressed him directly. Nobunaga stared for a brief moment, taken by surprise. But he wasn’t fazed for long, a slow smile curving, white teeth flashing briefly in the moonlight night.
“Of course not Lord Cao Cao,” he repaid the address back in kind and then decided to try something, “Or may I use Mengde instead? I am told that it is a more… intimate form of address.”
Cao Cao stopped his actions completely, only pausing to put the kettle back on the stove before facing Nobunaga directly, dark eyes unreadable.
Nobunaga continued to smile gently.
As if reaching some kind of conclusion, Cao Cao let show his own smile, a more relaxed, realistic expression of amusement that was so rare, “So it is.”
He lowered his eyes to the cups again, emptying out both the small teacups into a larger ceramic bowl and doing the same with the liquid inside the teapot.
He fell silent as he concentrated on the tea before him; pouring barely boiling water back into the teapot to steep the tea leaves inside. Cao Cao seemed content to let the smile rest on his visage.
Watching this scene play out in the moonlight, Nobunaga felt a gentle tug somewhere inside the vicinity of his broad chest.
They sat in comfortable silence as the tea readied. Both studying the other from the edges of their vision, deeming it impolite to stare directly.
Cao Cao broke the silence as the right time passed; he lifted the tea pot and poured, “I hope you’ll find the tea to be pleasing.”
Nobunaga accepted his cup with another inclination of his head. He didn’t drink the tea immediately, instead closing his eyes and inhaling the aroma.
It was delicate, subtle and hinted at the flavour.
His eyes opened again and met the ones watching him from across the table.
Almost exactly like Cao Mengde in fact.
He took a sip and shuttered his eyes in pleasure at the flavour. It tasted like the autumn, earthy and bold with something sharper behind, with just enough bitterness to intrigue and tempt him for another sip.
He lowered his lips to the edge of the cup once more, wanting another taste.
Pleased at the fact his guest seemed to appreciate and enjoy the flavour and taste of the tea, Cao Cao sat back and sipped at his own cup.
This particular blend was his favourite. The taste and fragrance appealed to him on some unexplainable level.
He looked up once more, meeting the eyes of Nobunaga once before averting his glance to the moonlit sky, “It is an alluring sight is it not? Worthy of every poem dedicated to it.”
Nobunaga allowed his gaze to linger on the man opposite for a moment before he turned his eyes upwards to the moon as well. His smile was hidden with the hand that raised the cup to his lips once more; taking care to ensure that his gentle murmur reached the other man’s ears, “Indeed, a beautiful sight.”
And somehow, he wasn’t talking entirely about the night sky any more.