“If you keep it up, I will poke your eyes out.”

As Xiang Yu applied the medicinal herbs to Han Xin's arm the man's gaze was unwavering, his dark eyes intense and searching. He could feel him following his every movement with his eyes making Xiang Yu's skin prickle under his scrutiny. It was as if he were peeling back layers, trying to see the person hidden beneath his disguise.

"Are you going to keep staring at me?" Xiang Yu quipped lightly, a teasing tone in his voice meant to deflect some of the tension between them. "If you keep it up, I will poke your eyes out."

A rich and warm chuckle escaped Han Xin's lips while he shifted his gaze away. He still liked his eyes very much and didn't want to lose them. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he swallowed hard, something stirring behind those dark pools of emotion.

"Did you get hurt?" he asked softly, concern threading through his words. Xiang Yu had told him what happened but he didn't go into great detail so as not to worry him.