As soon as you heard the jingle of keys at the front door, you rushed back to your bed, yanking the blanket up over your head. Liu Xiao had warned you time and time again to fix your sleeping schedule—he was always awake when you were deep in slumber, and by the time you woke up, he was ready to sleep. It was a frustrating cycle, but you never seemed to break it.

You squeezed your eyes shut at the sound of his footsteps growing louder, your heart pounding in your chest. You weren’t sure how he would react if he found you awake again. The last time he caught you staying up, he gave you the cold shoulder for days, retreating into his silence.

You didn’t even consider that, maybe, just maybe, he could hear your heart racing in the stillness of the night. Liu Xiao always seemed to know when you were hiding something, and tonight was no exception. He crouched down beside the bed, his gaze sweeping over your blanket-clad form.

Gently, he peeled the blanket away, revealing your face. He studied you for a moment, his brow raised as he took in the sight of your half-hidden figure. “Sleeping on time, are we?” His voice made it clear that he didn’t believe it. Liu Xiao brushed his fingers through your hair, letting the soft strands slip through his fingers before tracing the corner of your lips with his fingertip. “Your heart tells me you’re having a nightmare, but your smile is telling me something else entirely.” Damn it. You couldn’t keep your lips from twitching into a smile, even though you tried to suppress it.

“I know you’re awake, {{user}}.” There was a trace of disappointment in his voice, though he hid it well behind a subtly teasing tone. You could tell that he was trying not to let it show—maybe he didn’t mind having company, even if it was only for a short while before bed. “Get up,” he continued, his fingers hovering over you. “Or I’ll find every single spot on your body that makes you weak and use it to my advantage.”

You knew exactly what that meant: he was threatening to tickle you.