It was an obvious attraction. Zhao Yun always looked at Liu Bei with an expression conveying respect, but sometimes, when he'd been praised or thanked by the kind King of Shu, something approaching adoration would appear in his face. Most of the generals had taken note but known better than to say anything about it, leaving the Little Dragon to his supposedly harmless infatuation without embarassing him in any manner. The lack of discussion was, indeed, the only reason that people failed to notice that Liu Bei himself was probably the only one in the entire kingdom who did not realise that Zhao Yun had some level of feelings for him.
When Zhao Yun's tent got trampled by an rather upset horse (with Ma Chao in hot pursuit, trying his best to calm the poor beast down) and Liu Bei offered to let the little dragon sleep in his tent with him, he did not even notice the slight pink appear on his general's cheeks as he nodded and thanked his Lord profusely.
The first night of this arrangement came, and both men settled into a part of the tent and fell asleep rather quickly with barely a word exhanged between the two. It had been a long day, and Zhao Yun had been rather grateful for this. He was becoming aware that his affection for his Lord sometimes showed up on his face and did not want to make a fool of himself in front of the man he admired so.
On the second day, they ended up talking a little, but nothing embarassing happened, and Zhao Yun became confident that his time spent sleeping next to his Lord would pass uneventfully.
On the third and last night, however...
"Zhao Yun?"
It was almost pitch black, but Liu Bei's gentle voice cut through the darkness and brought his loyal general straight out of the light sleep he had been in.
"My Lord?" replied said man, rubbing his eyes slightly.
"I am sorry if you were asleep, but it occured to me that I don't tell you how much I appreciate you enough," said the King of Shu, voice clear and thoughtful like he'd been thinking about it for a long time.
Zhao Yun didn't reply immediately. Liu Bei really thought that? The man was reknowned for drawing people to him, and he did that because of his kind heart, natural charisma and quickness to give praise everywhere it was due. Every single one of his men had been thanked on a regular basis in a genuine and real manner, which only cemented their loyalty to Liu Bei firmly. Zhao Yun was no exception.
"What do you mean? My Lord, forgive me, but that is not true," replied the tiger general. "You praise me often, as you praise everyone who fights for you. It is one of the things that makes you such a great ruler."
"I know you would not lie to me, but I still do not feel like I do it enough. Perhaps it would be impossible for me to thank you as much as you deserve, Zilong. You have done so much for me."
"But it is I who could never do enough for you, my Lord. It is your destiny to rule this land; I know it. Only you have the right heart to do it. Your compassion and love for your people is unmatched by any other would-be-ruler to be found."
There was a pause after Zhao Yun said this, broken only when the Liu Bei chuckled slightly sadly.
"But I am weak, dear general, "he said, moving closer to Zhao Yun and placing a hand on his shoulder now that he was close enough to make out his shape in the dark. "What would I be without you, my brothers, Zhuge Liang and the rest of my men? All of you do so much for me, are all so much stronger than me, and I would be nothing without you. I wouldn't even be a father were it not for you saving my son. Every day I think of what you did for me and my family... the courage, strength and loyalty you displayed that day. There is not a man to match you, my friend. I admire you so much."
Zhao Yun felt something well up inside himself, an emotion that was a mixture of gratefulness, protectiveness and, yes, love. Was it not normal to love one's friend and Lord? All who knew him well surely felt this way too.
"My Lord..." he replied eventually, after thinking a reply through. "I am simply act as your shield and sword. This is my sworn duty to you. I could never be a ruler like you, never carry the responsibilities that you do so well. You have the strongest heart among men, to remember still to love the weak and mistreated even when in a position of power. So many gain such power and become consumed with themselves, but you weep for those lost to war and work to create a land where everyone may one day live in peace. I firmly believe that only you can make that land. So please, do not think of yourself as weak. You say you admire me, but I admire you more than I can say, as do all of your people..."
The hand on Zhao Yun's shoulder gripped a little tighter. Liu Bei sighed a little, and then, to Zilong's surprise, pulled him to the side so he could embrace him fully.
Full silence descended, punctured only by the sounds of both men breathing. The ruler had his arms wrapped around his general, holding him as if he might slip away if he didn't. Zhao Yun felt his cheeks burn up again. Liu Bei had no idea how about his feelings, after all, so he couldn't know how such close contact would affect him. Yet... despite this, despite knowing that his heart was beginning to beat faster, he moved his own arms to hold his Lord closer, feeling that it was important to do so.
Eventually Liu Bei spoke again.
"I know you will always be here as my sword and shield, but more importantly as my friend," he whispered. "That I do not even have to ask you to stay that way means more than I can say."
"Your faith in me moves my heart, my Lord," replied Zhao Yun quietly. "I shall be sure to do my best to never let you down."
An odd moment passed, something strange hanging in the air between them. Zhao Yun felt his heart beat even faster in his chest, an urge to lean forward and kiss his Lord consuming him. But he resisted. He had to. He was a proud warrior, able to resist such urges. What embarassment might he cause if he did such a thing?
The shock that went through his body when Liu Bei kissed him was strong, but faded extremely quickly. Unable to resist now it had begun, Zhao Yun leaned in just a touch, all awareness not focused on his Lord's lips disappearing for the moment. They were soft, warm... genuine. Odd that he'd not imagined what this would be like before. Sighing, he put a little more pressure into it, running his tongue across Liu Bei's bottom lip. Zilong felt a surge of warmth when the man responded with a sigh of his own, fine quivers running through his body.
When he felt a hand settle into his hair, the warmth turned into what could only be described as a searing heat, flooding his body from head to toe. Zhao Yun began to move one of the hands resting on Liu Bei's back in a circle, thoughts of what skin beneath might feel like, and was rewarded when Liu Bei responded by deepening the kiss properly, slipping his tongue inside his general's mouth.
This was good, so good... and though a brief moment of clarity ran through Zhao Yun's mind, warning him that this might not be a good idea, it disappeared very quickly when he felt Liu Bei almost shyly tug at his clothing with his free hand.
Right now, the consequences did not matter. For the night at least, he'd get to show the full depth of his devotion, admiration, and love.