Chapter Text
The first time Hua Cheng realized that he could feel through the ring was when Xie Lian clasped his hand around it.
It was just after he’d just returned, after the two of them had clung to each other for nearly an hour, bathed in the warm glow of so many lanterns. It was after Xie Lian had finally stopped trembling and sobbing, after Hua Cheng had murmured enough comforts and reassurances in his ear—I’m back, yes, I’m real, yes, it’s me—and Xie Lian, finally seeming to regain a bit of shyness, took hold of Hua Cheng’s wrist and meekly tugged him towards the little home on the hill.
“I—I really would have cleaned, if I knew San Lang was returning today,” he blustered, haphazardly arranging a few plates on the table. Wiping away a few stray tears, he sniffed and shook his head. “Please forgive the mess. It’s so silly, ah, I’ve been arranging everything for so many months to make it perfect! And all of a sudden—”
“Gege,” Hua Cheng said gently, drifting up behind him. Sliding his chin over Xie Lian’s nervous shoulder, he wrapped his arms around his waist and rocked him gently side-to-side. “You’re right. I’m not satisfied with this welcome, I’m very upset.”
Xie Lian heard the smile in his voice, but he still flushed. “Then—then how would you prefer…”
“You haven’t made me anything to eat,” Hua Cheng whispered, into Xie Lian’s reddened ear. “It takes so much energy, to make my form again like this…I’m very hungry.”
“Does it really? Then, so…” Xie Lian suddenly seemed very flustered, or dizzy from the way Hua Cheng was swaying him. “Would you like me to—make something?”
Hua Cheng shook his head. “I’m too impatient, I’m hungry. With a hunger like this, it’s like I have to eat the first thing I see.”
“Is—is that so…?”
And then Hua Cheng opened his mouth by Xie Lian’s neck, sinking down, and pressed a long, long, ravenous kiss into the furrow of his neck and his shoulder—
“San Lang!” Xie Lian burst out, somewhere between embarrassment and surprise. After a frenzied twist, he managed to extricate himself from Hua Cheng’s hold and danced back.
Hua Cheng blinked and held out a hand, feeling a little bad. “Your highness, I wasn’t really going to—”
Xie Lian went even redder. “I know! I know, I was only surprised. Er, you see, I—”
“Forgive me for troubling dianxia, it was a bad joke—”
“No, it was very funny, it was good! I only, ah, how to really explain this…”
Finally, Hua Cheng stopped. “What is it?”
For a moment, Xie Lian seemed to struggle. Then, holding his hands together, he bowed his head.
“I’m very glad to see San Lang back, and I—” He coughed. “I do, er, feel the same as you feel—”
Hua Cheng raised a brow. “Feel what?”
“Ahaha, ah, I can’t really, I have trouble saying it out loud,” Xie Lian babbled, “Please don’t make me say it out loud, but I do feel that—but it’s been so long, I’ve been alone and—it makes me a little nervous, to, when you—what I mean is, would San Lang mind waiting a little bit?”
“Gege—”
“Of course I don’t mean never! Only right now there’s a little bit of an, ah—”
“Your highness,” Hua Cheng interrupted, with the type of devotion that was only his. “It could be never. I wouldn’t mind. If gege does not want to be touched, then I will not. This is a given.” He hesitated darkly, before continuing: “And even if…gege has found someone else—”
“No no no no no, it’s nothing like that!” Xie Lian said frantically, striding over and grabbing his hands “There’s no one else, how could there ever be anyone else? I love San Lang, I do want San Lang to touch me! I only mean that—if it’s more than this, I need to wait a little bit. I want to, it’s just…”
“Of course,” Hua Cheng said graciously. “And if there’s anything this one can do for your comfort, then…”
He noticed, then, that Xie Lian seemed a little nervous. It wasn’t his usual flustered behavior, but rather something like guilt.
Hua Cheng squinted. “…is there something wrong, in particular?”
Giving a thoroughly unconvincing shake of his head, Xie Lian pulled away and walked over to the table, his back facing Hua Cheng.
Then, he reached up, almost as though by pure instinct, and squeezed Hua Cheng’s ashes—the ring, which hung around his neck—in his fist.
That was the first time he felt it. There was a little press around Hua Cheng’s shoulders, tight and full of longing. Feeling it, Hua Cheng stilled in surprise.
Of course, he realized then. When a ghost gathered its form again like this, naturally it would be more linked to its ashes. Xie Lian’s hand, applying force and perhaps a few sparks of misplaced spiritual powers, must have transferred some part of the action to him.
But Xie Lian didn’t know.
For a moment, Hua Cheng considered saying something about it; but it seemed such a little and insignificant thing, and Xie Lian was already so worked up, that he decided it wasn’t worth mentioning for the moment. Instead, he walked up beside Xie Lian and clasped his hands behind his back.
“I would really like to have Gege’s cooking again,” he said, with mock-sorrow.
That finally got a bubbly laugh out of Xie Lian, and an awkward little pat on his shoulder.
Hua Cheng smiled. This was all he needed.
********
That is, it would have been all he needed, had they not been interrupted halfway into their first meal back together.
Everything had just been prepared perfectly, the dishes laid out, the flirting just right to ease Xie Lian into a state of cute mischief, a few bites of the cooking eaten—palatable only to the two sitting at the table—when suddenly, Xie Lian jerked up.
“Oh! It’s Ling Wen, excuse me for a moment…”
Then, he furrowed his brow and seemed to listen. His face took on a look of surprise, followed slowly by rueful disappointment.
Deeply annoyed, and just as impatient, Hua Cheng reached over and touched his fingers to Xie Lian’s temple. There, he managed to catch the last of Ling Wen’s voice in the array.
“—and that’s why it’s imperative that you come at once.”
Xie Lian responded through the array. “Ling Wen, I’m very sorry, but is there any way that this could wait? I just—”
“Unfortunately not, dianxia. Now is now.”
With a sigh, Xie Lian lowered his head. “All right, I’ll see if I can…”
“The entire stability of the court relies on your presence at this matter,” she replied. “Everyone respects you, and if you’re there, nothing will get out of line. We don’t call for you often. Please, dianxia.”
“All right, Ling Wen. I’ll come. Thank you.”
With that, Xie Lian disconnected, took Hua Cheng’s hand down, kissed the side of it shyly, and threw himself backwards onto the floor.
“Ah, I’m so sorry, San Lang! They really almost never need me! I can’t believe it came now, I truly…”
“What do they want?”
“Three of the gods are fighting over a territory, it’s apparently a big deal and there’s a meeting where they—”
Hua Cheng waved his hand and smiled warmly. “It’s fine, it’s fine.”
“It’s not fine! San Lang has just come back…”
“Of course, I don’t care about those lowly trash,” Hua Cheng replied. “They could tear each other apart, for all I care; but I know gege cares. Don’t let me keep you here.” He crossed his arms. “Only come back quickly.”
“I will! I’ll be back before you notice I’m gone.” He leaned forward, as if to kiss him, and Hua Cheng grew still—but in the end, he only pecked his cheek. “It’ll barely be a moment—”
Xie Lian still seemed a little upset, so Hua Cheng frowned. “If you don’t want to go, then don’t. Really.”
“I do, I’m just a little sad! I’ll come back quickly.”
Hua Cheng lifted a hand, letting a tiny, tiny butterfly, nearly translucent, drift towards him. “I’ll send a butterfly with—”
Xie Lian was so agitated that he didn’t notice, as he stood and flounced out the door. “Goodbye, see you soon, please don’t leave! Enjoy the meal, eat before it gets cold!”
“Gege!” Hua Cheng called. “I’m sending with you a—”
But he was already gone, and the butterfly was gone with him too.
It wasn’t anything dangerous, of course, only a little sentry butterfly that Hua Cheng could take a peek through. He’d wanted Xie Lian to know, so that he wouldn’t feel so alone, but it looked like that had fallen through. At least he’d be able to watch him.
A little morose, Hua Cheng ate his portion of the meal, then Xie Lian’s. Somehow, though, it only made him hungrier.