Chapter Text
Sweat dripped off the bridge of his nose in thick salty drops as Xie Lian saw them fall into the muddy water beneath him. He was back in Puqi village for the summer, having decided to help in the fields for the planting season. Hua Cheng had pending business in Ghost City that didn’t have to be a week of separation but they had been tucked away in their own world for too long. Again.
Time went by differently when Xie Lian was with Hua Cheng.
Eight Hundred odd years already made time seem insignificant. Summer came innumerous times, winter took its place before autumn was even wet at the tongue and hours went by like granules of sand. Xie Lian had stopped feeling the passage of time centuries ago, the seasons simply happened and days simply passed. His own existence never ceased so he only had to follow routine and see where life took him. It was a culmination of incidents and stories, the timeline was approximate at best. The question of how long stopped mattering.
But—
But with Hua Cheng, time seemed slower and faster at the same time.
Slow, because Xie Lian remembered every summer with him like it was yesterday, felt autumns fill his nostrils properly and linger in his throat, breathed the winters until his lungs protested. Every spring was at the front of his mind, every moment and every word clung to him in saturated colour. He remembered everything. From seasons and colours to smells and sounds. Moments blown out in absolute focus as if played slow and detailed just for him. Things like Hua Cheng’s beautiful bottom teeth that peeked at him when the man grinned full-on, Hua Cheng’s rumbling whines, the mole at the back of his strong yet slender neck, the fact that he was ticklish at one particular spot on his sides, how much he loved to read and surprisingly, talk.
Time also felt faster because Xie Lian still couldn’t understand how hours ran away when it felt like they had talked for mere minutes. It was a mystery how days went by without notice, how weeks flashed past in irresponsibility to the world. There were days Xie Lian couldn’t remember anything about except Hua Cheng’s company. Multiple days would pass before either of them realized they had been gone for half a month.
Which was precisely what happened this time. Why Xie Lian was in a field with farmers and not in Hua Cheng’s arms.
Things had piled up: obligations, responsibilities, more reasons to not see each other.
Emptiness and longing always curled inside his chest when Hua Cheng was away. Thankfully, he didn’t have a lot of free time to dwell on those feelings.
He had returned after a considerable while away and the shrine needed work. He had stacks of prayers, business from Ling Wen, excited villagers and endless swathes of rice fields.
For now, Xie Lian was under the hot summer sun, shin-deep in flooded paddy fields, planting rice seedlings. The heat had waves of coolness rivet off of his back, flashing his skin with a momentary chill and then returning to the feeling of sweat-soaked cotton sticking to him. He had rolled up his sleeves all the way to his shoulders and tried his hardest to let air flow onto the skin of his chest without being completely bare from the waist up, his robes severely astrew and gaping. Stray locks of hair fell around his face from the bun he had fastened with nothing except loops of his own hair.
“Daozhang! Come eat some melon, before the young-uns finish it all off!”
Xie Lian straightened up and peered from under his bamboo hat. “Coming!”
He headed over to the shack-like structure at one of the many intersections of mud boundaries separating the fields. After the melon had somewhat cooled him off he returned to the task at hand. It was nearing early evening by the time they were all done, Xie Lian having planted two fields all on his own. With a round of exuberant thanks and warm goodbyes, his feet drew their learned way back to Puqi shrine. Walking was second nature to him which meant he had too much free space in his mind to think about how hot it was. The heat stuck to him suffocatingly, fabric itself strangling him. He had a bamboo basket on his back and couldn’t wait to be in the isolation and privacy of his own front yard. Manual labour in the fields was hardly tiring, Xie Lian could easily take days’ worth of labour with no sleep and rest but the sun was taxing. It was the heat and dehydration and the discomfort of clothes on his abdomen which was troubling.
As he walked he imagined how nice it would feel to dip his body into the cool stream behind the shrine. How nice that water would feel as it washed away the sweat and grime of the day. The thought itself got excitement bubbling up under his skin and with excitement came impatience.
When he was about halfway up the hill to his home, he decided he couldn’t take it. Xie Lian laid the bamboo basket down and finally let the layers of cotton and silk fall away from his upper body. Mild evening air enveloped and caressed his skin in the gentlest of ways and he felt breath leave his body in a long exhale. He had to take a moment and just lean his head back, letting all that fresh air wrap around his neck, his waist, his back, his chest.
In no interest of having the bamboo basket chafe his bare back he simply picked it up with his right hand, treating it more like a shopping bag. Sweat gleamed off of his healthy alabaster skin, movement of his muscles transparent as he sauntered uphill. His robes were held up only by the belt at his waist, fabric pooling and spilling over the ties and moving with his legs. When he was within the boundaries of Puqi Shrine he carefully placed the basket and hat in the storage shed and walked the two steps it took to reach a large bucket of water next to the small shack. Bending down, he dipped his hands in the refreshing water, cupping some amount and bringing it up to his face. As he washed his face and neck he revelled in the small joys of life.
Such as the feeling of cool water hitting one’s face on such a sunny day.
Such as…
Such as the feeling of being watched with an attentive gaze. Such as the feeling of sensing your husband’s spiritual aura in your vicinity, his enormous presence barely of any subtlety.
Xie Lian straightened up feeling giddy beyond belief, a huge smile already on his face as he turned his body towards Puqi shrine. It had been a week.
A full week.
And of course, there he was. Crimson rain sought flower, Hua Cheng, his love, his husband. Leaning against one of the pillars of the veranda with his arms crossed. His red robes seemed less extravagant today yet never betrayed the air of pure power and nobility Hua Cheng carried. Xie Lian felt himself redden a little when he met Hua Cheng’s hooded gaze, smile and heartbeat faltering. That didn’t stop his feet from carrying him forward though. Nothing would ever stop him. He dried his face and neck with the fabric at his waist, tucking damp strands of hair behind his ears as best as possible.
As he walked, he had a series of realizations: one, he was bare-chested except for Ruoye on one of his forearms. Two, he was dirty and sweaty so he couldn’t fall into Hua Cheng’s arms even if he knew his husband wouldn’t mind in the least and three, he really couldn’t wait to kiss his Crimson breathless. Xie Lian was a little self-conscious. No matter how many years he had spent next to Hua Cheng and had all that shameless flirtation rub off on him, he still harboured ideas of decency.
That said, he was conscious but he was also aware.
Aware about how this could possibly affect Hua Cheng. So he didn’t cover up or act shy.
“San Lang.” Xie Lian beamed up at the man as he came to a stop. Their footings were at different levels of ground. Hua Cheng was at an elevated platform whereas Xie Lian stood exactly in front of him on the paved ground of Puqi shrine’s front yard, the two men separated by a thick wooden balustrade. The top of the balustrade came to Xie Lian’s chest and Hua Cheng’s pelvis, given that the latter was standing in the veranda.
Hua Cheng’s gaze was flitting all over Xie Lian, seeming to not find a place to fix itself.
Thus, Xie Lian found it fair to do his own survey of Hua Cheng’s handsome form. He let his gaze travel across the expanse of those broad shoulders, strong biceps and arms crossed over each other, fingers of one hand slim and firm against their resting place, that handsome face, those lips which seemed carved to perfection, straight slender nose, one uncovered eye still not meeting his own and silky raven hair he couldn’t wait to fist his hands into.
“Gege.” Hua Cheng finally said.
That deep rumbling voice made Xie Lian draw closer like he was nothing but a piece of spare iron and Hua Cheng was the most powerful magnet. His forearms came to rest on top of the wooden beam, followed by his chin lowered onto the forearms.
He looked up at his husband and smiled cheekily, “I missed you.”
Long slender fingers came to catch fluttering strands of hair as they brushed past Xie Lian’s cheekbone, “As I longed for you, Dianxia.”
“I would come up there, but as you can see this humble farmer is filthy right now.”
This prompted Hua Cheng to fully cup his cheek, hand sliding to rest below his ear as a cold thumb caressed his cheekbone. “That wouldn’t stop me from embracing you,” A playful smirk took its place on the Ghost King’s face. “I have been pressed against gege’s sweaty body before.”
Xie Lian nuzzled Hua Cheng’s hand and tried to hide the blush which climbed up his face. A soft chuckle bubbled through his lips, “San Lang. I am not muddy then.”
“Does gege prefer a bath over this husband?” The pout was clearly audible.
Xie Lian turned his head and kissed Hua Cheng’s palm, “How could I ever?”
Strands of ebony hair brushed his face as Hua Cheng leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss against Xie Lian’s head, “Then gege, I will have you know you look so ravishing right now that I can barely be mannerly to you.” The words were raspy. Spoken right into Xie Lian’s ear before the lips which had uttered them moved away again.
Xie Lian could barely conceal the shiver that ran down his spine, also reminding him of the heat still sweaty on his back.
Hua Cheng seemed not to care, however.
One of his hands came to rest next to Xie Lian’s elbow on the balustrade, helping him lean a little closer and support his weight. The hand on Xie Lian's cheek skimmed down to his jaw, touch lingering at the neck. All Xie Lian could do was feel his body lose strength and focus, his spine already liquid under his beloved’s touch.
The Ghost King’s fingertips ran over the moist skin of Xie Lian’s shoulder, following the solid muscles on his bicep until he finally traced them on a well-built forearm. All the while his gaze was sharp and unmoving on Xie Lian’s face, watching every flutter of amber eyes, every spike in breath, every twitch in muscle.
Xie Lian was a martial god. He wasn’t someone one could describe as dainty, really. Smooth yet structured bands of muscle were visible after years of martial training and surviving, his body that of a lithe gymnast. Yet, how Hua Cheng made him feel so small in shape was beyond him.
As flustered as Xie Lian felt, it had been too long since he had learnt the art of flirtation from his husband, years spent in nothing but cheeky remarks and clever touches.
So he let his head come closer to Hua Cheng’s crotch, nose barely skimming the fabric of his upper robe. He offered as cheeky a smile as possible, “Compliment?”
“How can it be anything but?”
“You like me filthy like this?”
It was Hua Cheng’s turn to pause for breath he didn’t need in the first place. They looked at each other for a long second.
“I like you in any way you exist gege,” the words held heavy meaning but it was dissolved in the tension of the moment, “But if you’re asking this believer whether he likes you…filthy, then the answer is yes.” Hua Cheng’s hand ran up Xie Lian’s arm again, feeling every sinew of skin there was to feel as it snaked up onto the back of his head and into his hair that was still wound up in a loose untidy bun. Cold fingers spread against his scalp, that large palm holding his head possessively. “Sweaty, dirty, looking beautiful in the sun.” The arm which was supporting Hua Cheng’s weight bent at the elbow as he leaned as close as possible, his waist going away from Xie Lian’s face and being replaced by that handsome countenance now close and eye-level.
Hua Cheng’s closeness and grip on him made Xie Lian feel as taken as ever. Utterly Hua Cheng’s. Possessed, belonged, held.
“Gege you have no idea how lovely you look like this, do you?” Hua Cheng’s gaze was now boring into him, eye contact almost hard to maintain with how intense it was. His voice was low and assertive.
Xie Lian had to drop his own eyes, breath hitching and catching in his throat. He couldn’t tell if it was the heat of the day or his own body that flashed a quick wave of hotness through him. He was speechless. He had never learned how to take the praise and attention, never knew the right response.
His silence only urged Hua Cheng, always ready to bear his feeling to Xie Lian.
“Your hair looks so good like this,” the fingertips near the crown of Xie Lian’s head rubbed his scalp in tiny movements. “And your body…so bared and sculpted,” Hua Cheng’s gaze dropped momentarily to Xie Lian’s shoulder before rising back up to his face, “His Highness the crown prince of Xian Le is this San Lang’s man.”
Xie Lian’s breath stuttered, coming out in a broken whine of surprise and embarrassment. He looked up at Hua Cheng now, the obsidian iris still filled with the same intensity.
Hua Cheng could always read Xie Lian like an open book, so it wasn’t a surprise when he said, “Gege, I simply want you to know how unparalleled you are. I will keep telling you these things until you can smile and acknowledge them as truth.”
“San Lang…”
“Hm?” Finally, a soft smile lessened the intensity in those features.
Xie Lian’s eyes closed, “I never know what to say to you.”
“You don’t have to,” a gentle chuckle brushed against Xie Lian’s skin before a sweet kiss was pressed to his nose. “Hm, salty.”
“San Lang!” Xie Lian straightened up a little, letting his elbows fall away from the wooden beam and instead curling his fingers over the edge of it. His fingers let his forearms hang from the balustrade.
Hua Cheng was still leaning over, his hand still in Xie Lian’s hair. He used his grip to tug Xie Lian’s face close to his immediately, closer than before. “Excuse this humble servant, but gege looks very adorable like this.”
Xie Lian gave up and raised himself on his tip-toes, pressing a lingering kiss at the corner of Hua Cheng’s mouth. “You are no humble servant. You are my husband.”
Hua Cheng chuckled again, “Yes, I am.”
“Aren’t husbands supposed to be very indulging?”
Sensing a request, Hua Cheng immediately became a pliant image of devotion, “Yes of course. What would Dianxia like to be indulged for?” a brilliantly cute smile spread onto those beloved lips.
“A solitary bath please.” Xie Lian said without hesitation.
Hua Cheng’s bright expression immediately dimmed a little. His face didn’t change at all but Xie Lian could pick up on the minuscule second of unnecessary silence.
“Gege,” A gentle whine.
“Husband?” Xie Lian knew how to melt Hua Cheng too.
It worked. The Ghost King’s air turned vibrant with light again. With a chuckle, he pressed their foreheads together, “As Dianxia requests.”
Xie Lian had been trying not to touch Hua Cheng too much lest he dirty the pristine existence of his beautiful husband. However, he couldn’t resist tipping up and wrapping his arms around the man’s neck quickly, kissing his cheek and biting the spot lightly.
“Gege!”
Xie Lian placed a kiss over the same spot again in apology and aid. He lowered himself onto his feet and unwrapped his arms from around Hua Cheng, earning himself another low whine.
Hua Cheng really was spoiled.
“I love you San Lang.”
“As I love you. Please be quick, your husband came back after such a long time. How can you leave him like this?”
Curling his fingers around Hua Cheng’s wrist, Xie Lian made him let go of his head. “Of course, how can I keep my dear San Lang waiting?” Another quick kiss was placed on the whiny Ghost King’s fingers before the hand was placed back onto the wood, all contact between them gone.
Hua Cheng sighed.
Xie Lian finally stepped back revealing his bare form again, no longer hidden by their closeness or the wood between them. Correcting his appearance nonchalantly, he smoothed the hair falling on his face back onto his head with both hands, letting one of his hips drop and smirking at Hua Cheng. As if that wasn’t enough for the Ghost King to die another death, he winked before laughing a gentle hearty laugh and dropping his arms to his sides again. “I am a husband too, am I not? How can I ever refuse San Lang’s wishes?”
Hua Cheng was still leaning over the wooden beam of the balustrade, having shifted his weight from his hands to his elbows, twiddling his thumbs as his hands clasped together loosely. “You will really be the death of me.”
Xie Lian smiled at Hua Cheng and turned around to look for the washing mat. “I will take care of you forever love, how can I let that happen?”
“GEGE!”