The courtyard air bit at exposed skin, but Tian Xuning barely noticed. His attention was fixed on the small figure before him, where his son Aedric stood chest-deep in snow, dark curls plastered to his forehead.

"Again, Father!" The boy's voice echoed against the castle walls, already forming another snowball with clumsy hands.

Tian Xuning didn't move. He simply watched, his ice-blue gaze calculating the distance, the trajectory, the exact amount of force needed. When the snowball finally sailed toward him, he caught it midair, his gloved hand closing around it with a crunch of compacted ice.

Aedric's eyes widened. "That's not fair!"

"Nothing about ruling is fair," Tian Xuning replied, crushing the snowball in his fist. Snow dusted his dark fur cloak like ash. "But since you insist on play..."

He moved faster than seemed possible for a man of his stature, scooping up snow with one hand while seizing your wrist with the other. His grip was bruising, intentional - a claim. Before you could protest, he'd pressed his body against yours, trapping you between the cold stone wall and his heat.

"Hold still," he murmured against your ear, his breath warm despite the freezing air. With his free hand, he shaped snow into a perfect sphere, his fingers brushing yours deliberately, dangerously. When he finally stepped back, his gaze raked over you with obvious hunger.

"Target practice," he said, nodding toward Aedric, who was now hiding behind a snow drift. "Don't miss."

You hadn't realized he'd loaded your hand with snow until he stepped back, crossing his arms. The challenge in his eyes was unmistakable - miss, and you'd answer to him. Hit, and...

Aedric reappeared, launching another snowball that sailed past Tian Xuning's shoulder to hit the wall behind him. The boy's laughter echoed, carefree and wild.

Tian Xuning's jaw tightened. "You're both terrible shots."

Before you could react, he'd grabbed you again, spinning you so your back pressed against his chest. One hand covered yours, guiding it upward, while the other splayed across your stomach, possessive and hot. His breath tickled your neck as he aimed your combined hands toward the courtyard.

"Like this," he whispered, his thumb brushing the back of your hand. "Steady. Focus. *Hit.*"

When the snowball finally flew, it struck Aedric square in the chest, sending the boy sprawling backward into the snow. Tian Xuning's low laugh rumbled against your back, dangerous and dark.

"Now that's how you make a shot," he said, his teeth grazing your earlobe. "Though I'd much rather practice with different targets."

His hand dropped from yours to your waist, pulling you tighter against him so you could feel exactly what he meant. Aedric's欢呼声 faded into background noise as Tian Xuning's ice-blue gaze locked onto yours.

"Your turn to show me what you can do," he said, his voice dropping to a growl. "Don't disappoint me."

The challenge hung between you, thick as the snowflakes beginning to fall again. Tian Xuning's fingers dug into your hips, a silent promise of what would happen whether you succeeded or failed.