Zi Tao had his own room, on the opposite end of a long hall from Wu Fan’s. He couldn’t be too far since he was at his every beck and call. At first, he’d had trouble sleeping in the soft, luxurious bed. But, as the weeks passed, he became more and more comfortable with his large room.

He’d also gotten used to being at Wu Fan’s side every day. There was a time, leading up to his arrival, where just his name would make him furious. But now, things were different. He had almost forgotten why he’d come to the palace; he was only reminded as he passed Commander Han Geng in the halls and the man stared at him knowingly, as if saying ‘Do it already.’. It gave him an uneasy feeling that made him sick to his stomach every time those dark eyes stared at him.

Zi Tao was afraid to leave his room, unless he was going straight to Wu Fan; he knew Han Geng wouldn’t say anything with him there, and the dictator had become something of a security blanket. No, he couldn’t call him a dictator anymore, Wu Fan was more of a prince. The kind from a fairy tale, a messed up fairy tale where the prince is hated by the world, but his foe, the wicked dragon is put on a high pedestal. Zi Tao knew exactly what was going on; Han Geng wanted to rule, but Wu Fan was in the way. And there was no way he could kill him himself.

Zi Tao groaned and hugged his pillow close to his chest. It was very early morning, before the sun had a chance to rise, but there was a knock on his door. He bolted out from under the covers and grabbed his shirt off the end of the bed and slipped it on before opening the door. Wu Fan stood, with his hands in his jean pockets, waiting patiently. Zi Tao bowed, “Is there something wrong? It’s so early.”

“Nothing’s wrong I’m just hungry and want to go out,” he eyed him and his pajamas, then snickered, “Get dressed and meet me downstairs.”

Zi Tao nodded and shut the door. He hurried through his closet; he didn’t have many clothes, especially in the dress-department, but luckily for him, Wu Fan had been dressed very casually. That meant one day away from his horrid suit. He was making more than enough to get a wider selection of dress-clothes, but he didn’t see the point in it. He pulled out a pair of dark grey jeans and a striped v-neck. He changed quickly and made his way downstairs.

Wu Fan was waiting by the main doors, flipping his car keys in his hand. He looked up when he heard Zi Tao’s footsteps echo down the marble steps. Their eyes met and Wu Fan smiled; Zi Tao hesitated halfway down and frowned. His heart seemed to skip a beat. Wu Fan’s smiled faded slightly and he raised his eyebrows questioningly.

Zi Tao took a deep breath and shook his head before closing the distance between them.

“Everything alright?” Wu Fan asked, snickering.

Nodding, Zi Tao replied, “Of course,” but he wasn’t quite sure.

“Good, let’s go,” he headed out the door and Zi Tao followed along behind. Wu Fan had already pulled the car around front, so the two of them merely hopped in and drove away. “There’s this restaurant that’s open all night not far away. It’s about twenty minutes, is all.”

There was one district not far from the palace that was still running well, despite the depression. While most businesses had closed, or had a hard time making profits, this little section of the city had no problem with making sales. The area was surrounded by the few wealthy families that weren’t affected by the war as much as the others. It was the first to be rebuilt and because of it, most of the stores were way-overpriced. Zi Tao hadn’t been there in years, but Wu Fan seemed to frequent it; it was probably one of the few places he could go without being harassed. The rich didn’t mind him; they weren’t suffering.

Light was barely inching over the horizon as they pulled into a parking place at a large, modern restaurant. It was painted brightly and was well-kept. Zi Tao eyed the building and frowned; there was a time when everything seemed this cheerful. He stepped out of the car and shut the door slowly, then followed behind Wu Fan up the sidewalk to the door. He skipped forward and grabbed the door for him; Wu Fan smirked and patted him on the arm as he passed.

The restaurant was empty, excluding the waitress, who sat behind the desk looking bored. When she spotted them, she hopped up and bowed deeply, “Your usual place, sir?” Wu Fan nodded. She directed them to a small table in the back corner, next to the window over-looking the street. Zi Tao pulled out the chair for the other man, pushing it forward as he sat, then took his own chair on the other side.

They made their orders, and the food arrived quickly. There was stir-fired cabbage, eggs, buns and more- assorted foods that Zi Tao hadn’t seen all at once in a long time. They each dished food out of the smaller bowls onto their plate. Zi Tao looked across the table to the other man’s plate; he’d taken only the cabbage. He glanced at him. He was staring out the window. Zi Tao put his chopsticks down and placed a couple of hard-boiled eggs on his plate, then some rice and vegetables.

Wu Fan jumped when he noticed the commotion in front of him. He eyed the food on his plate; his gaze slid to Zi Tao, who had his head down, digging into his food. He smiled softly and took a bite out of an egg, but didn’t look away from the man across from him; he was eating like it would be his last meal.

“What did you do before you were hired with us, Zi Tao?”

“Mm?” Zi Tao sat up and finished chewing before answering, “I had a few odd jobs. I laid bricks for a while, worked on roofs in my neighborhood, did some tutoring,” he shrugged, “I did whatever I could.”

Wu Fan frowned, “But I’ve seen your resume. You were at the top of your class in school, even at university…”

“Yeah, a good degree doesn’t really get you anywhere when everything’s shut down,” Zi Tao said bitterly. He covered his mouth with his hand, but Wu Fan didn’t look nearly as bothered as he would expect. He just nodded and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. Zi Tao fidgeted in his seat, “Why did you need someone for this position, anyway?” He laughed, “We hardly ever do anything official.”

“That wasn’t really the point,” he sighed.

“Then what was it?”

Wu Fan stuffed the rest of the egg in his mouth before continuing, “I really just wanted someone… to talk to, I guess. I told them I wanted someone who was smart, capable and…”

“And?”

“Handsome,” he said, smirking. Zi Tao was sure he saw the slightest blush creep onto his cheeks, “But not more handsome than me, of course,” he added.

Zi Tao laughed, “Well, how did they do?”

Wu Fan eyed him, then looked away and sighed dramatically, “Well, you’re not more handsome than me. They got that part right.” He glanced back; Zi Tao’s face screwed up irritatedly, and he couldn't help but grin.

“Hey. I’m smart,” he said, “I’m smarter than you.”

Wu Fan sat up straight and stared at him, “Excuse me, Mr. ‘138’.”

“Joke’s on you, sir,” Zi Tao spat between mouthfuls, “I got a 142.”

“They lied to me?”

Zi Tao smirked into his plate; he wasn’t supposed to tell him, but he couldn’t help it. He didn’t regret it at all, as Wu Fan began laughing loudly. He was in disbelief, but it he wasn't angry in the slightest; it was only two points. He finally stopped, catching his breath, then frowned, “I never thought I’d have to pay someone to be my friend, but you got to do what you got to do.”

Zi Tao leaned back in his seat and sat his chopsticks down. “You’re not. You’re paying me to do meetings and arrange your schedule,” he gulped as Wu Fan’s eyes met his, “the friendship is just an added bonus,” he said softly.

Wu Fan smiled and rolled his eyes, “You’re just saying that.”

“No, I mean it,” he replied.

He did mean it and that scared him.

Wu Fan gave him the afternoon off, but before Zi Tao left the palace, he stopped him. “Before you go, what are you doing later this evening?”

“Whatever you’re doing this evening.”

Wu Fun snickered, “No, really,” he nudged him with his elbow and the other man shrugged. “Han Geng’s coming for dinner, and I don’t want to be alone with him. Will you come?” Zi Tao nodded and his prince let out a relieved sigh, “Good. I was so worried.”

“I’ll be back in time, no problem,” Zi Tao rested his hand on his shoulder, then started towards the door.

“What’s taking you so long?” Yixing asked him as they sat around a small table in a run-down café. “Surely you could’ve kill-“ Zi Tao lunged across the table and covered his mouth with his hand. He shushed him and pulled back; he glanced at Lu Han, who was just as shocked as him that Yixing almost spit it out.

“What’s wrong with you?” Zi Tao hissed angrily, “We’re in public,” he whispered.

“It’s not like any of these people would be bothered by it- no one wants him,” Yixing replied.

That’s not true, Zi Tao thought, there’s one person that does. He kept the thought to himself and looked down at his cup of black coffee. It was bitter and thick, but the cup was warm under his hands. The other two had drank theirs almost down; he must’ve gotten used to the way the palace made coffee for them, with cream and sugar and a drip of chocolate. Not wanting them to know how spoiled he’d become, he took a gulp from his cup and kept from pulling a disgusted face as he sat it back in front of him.

Lu Han patted his arm, “How is it coming? Does he trust you?”

Zi Tao frowned, “Yes.” He was sure that Wu Fan trusted him more than anyone else. He suddenly regretted coming here; it reminded him of what a terrible person he would be, if he followed through with this plan. It was so easy to forget about it, when he was next to Wu Fan. He looked around at his friends. He knew their hearts were in the right places; they wanted a better China like the rest of them. But if only he could convince them…

“Well?”

He had to stand up for himself, “To be honest,” he said slowly, “I can’t do this.”

“What?!” Yixing shouted. Lu Han reached across and grabbed his arm. He tried to relax, letting his head drop into his hands for a moment and taking a deep breath before looking up at Zi Tao again, “Why would you go back on this? You went for a reason.”

“I just don’t think it’s the right choice-“

“I didn’t think you could get any softer,” he said, “Are you liking the high-life, is that it?”

“No, it’s just-“

“What, do you think he’s your friend?”

“Yes!” Zi Tao jumped to his feet and pointed at Yixing angrily. “I do. I’ve been there for two months and he’s yet to ask me to do anything this low! And he never would! If you would listen to me explain, you might understand that-“

Yixing stood suddenly and grabbed him by the collar. “What? Understand that you’ve become one of them?” Lu Han struggled to push his way between the two of them but Zi Tao pushed him back. “He’s brainwashed you, Zi Tao.”

“Stop!” Lu Han shouted.

“I was brainwashed,” he said quietly, “I was before I went to the palace.”

Yixing let go of him, but didn’t retreat, even when Lu Han tugged on his arm. “Whose side are you on?”

Zi Tao frowned; he was on the right side. “I’m not going to murder him,” he stated stubbornly before grabbing his coat and storming out of the café