Chapter Text
Xie Lian wakes to a water in his lungs. He’s long lost track of how many times he’s drowned over the past few days, but he remembers enough to know it was more than in all of the previous centuries combined.
He’s not eager to repeat the experience.
His limbs ache with the fading injuries of his "death" and the overexertion of constant thrashing beneath ice cold water. It's the same feeling he's had for the past week, along with the burning of his nose and throat and lungs and he struggled for air.
This time, though, he doesn’t feel the crushing weight of the current.
Oh, he thinks. I must have washed ashore.
Despite his lucky break, he can't bring himself to move a muscle. No matter how how tells himself to get up, his limbs refuse to listen. Hopefully, he'll manage to force the water out of his lungs before he passes out from the lack of oxygen. Again.
Sighing internally, he decides to take stock of his body. He'll likely be lying here for a while yet—at least until he passes out again—so he might as well make use of the time.
He focuses his attention on one limb at a time. Even without the ability to circulate spiritual energy, he's plenty used to paying attention to the smallest sensation. Pain doesn't hurt the way it used to, not anymore, but he can still tell it's there. All things considered, he thinks he's pretty okay. Aside from the lack of oxygen, the sore muscles, and bruises. Maybe a few broken ribs, too.
Truly, things could be a lot worse.
As soon as the thought crosses his (admittedly still fuzzy) mind, he feels cold hands tugging at the fastenings of his water-logged armor. Disappointment laces through his gut. He should've known better to hope he wouldn’t be robbed before he had the opportunity to sell his armor.
Wishful thinking.
He expects the thief to make off with his meager belongings as soon as they’ve finished stripping him from the waist up, but that isn’t what happens. Instead, a hand presses on his bare chest, fine-boned fingers lightly curling into his skin, and he feels spiritual energy winding through his body until he’s surging to the side to cough up a frankly disturbing amount of water onto the rocks.
Eventually, the coughing dies down, and he can suck in a series of desperate gasps, willing his mind to steady with the influx of oxygen. He calms after a while of this, but not for very long.
If he'd been standing, the first breath through his nose would've brought him to his knees.
The air is cold as he breathes it in—biting in away the water wasn't, even as it rushed into his nose and down his throat. Still, he can barely bring himself to notice it's sting. Not when all of his attention has honed in on the looming scent of aloeswood and seasalt, filling the space around him like a favored incense. It's overpowering and unmistakably alpha, but Xie Lian doesn't find himself feeling wary. No, he feels beckoned by it—something that has never happened to him before, despite having lived as an omega for so long.
For this to happen at a time like this... He doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. Or maybe recite the ethics sutra, just in case being instinctively drawn to someone's scent isn't the only new reaction his body decides to have upon meeting this alpha.
With wide eyes, he jerks his head up to see his unlikely savior. Kneeling by his side on the rock shore is a frowning man in fine yet simple black robes, which are somehow dry despite just pulling someone from a river. His dark hair is secured in a high tail, with bangs framing his elegant face on one side and contrasting the pale color of his smooth skin. From his lobes dangle golden earrings, which seem to be the most blatant show of wealth on him.
Xie Lian blinks, and he forgets to keep fretting about his body's potential reactions. He isn’t sure what he expected out of his savior, but a young man of seemingly noble birth was not high on his list of predictions. Squinting, he recalls the feel of the spiritual energy coursing through him earlier and corrects himself: a ghost of seemingly noble birth. That seems even more unlikely.
Voice hoarse with disuse (and the constant rush of water forced down his throat for days on end), he says, "You must be quite kind to save a stranger. You have my gratitude, though I am afraid I cannot offer much in the way of payment."
The stranger’s frown deepens, a furrow forming between his dark brows and disrupting the sharp lines of his handsome features. His scent remains steady, however, unwavering even in the face of his obvious dissatisfaction at Xie Lian's words. "I am not kind," he finally says, with a deep voice that reaches inside Xie Lian. "Nor do I want payment."
It's unexpected, and leaves Xie Lian pleasantly surprised. Most ghosts (and mortals) would jump at the chance to use this sort of situation to their advantage. Xie Lian would know—he's been in them enough times.
"To not even ask for payment speaks more to your kindness than saving my life," he notes, smiling a bit wider as the ghost crosses his arms and averts his eyes at the compliment. If he had blood, Xie Lian is sure he'd be blushing.
"It's not kindness. I just don't want anything from you."
Choosing not to comment on the ghost's embarrassment, he changes the topic with a light hum. "Of course. Either way, I think you've at least earned an introduction." He smiles. "I'm Xie Lian."
He doesn’t know what possesses him to give his real name, but he’s beyond thankful that the alpha has no visible reaction to it. It's... nice, he thinks, to be himself for the first time in so many years, even in such a small way.
Reluctantly, the alpha offers, "He Xuan."
"Well, He Xuan, it’s nice to meet you." Laughing awkwardly, Xie Lian scratches the side of his head. "Though, I can't say I didn't wish it were under better circumstances." Xie Lian wraps his arms around his upper body with a shiver, suddenly reminded he's still half-naked. "I think I’ve decided that drowning isn’t very fun."
He Xuan’s eyes move to the rushing water nearby, something unreadable swirling in his sharp gaze, and he murmurs, "I… agree."
Xie Lian blinks. Then, when the words properly register, he frowns at He Xuan’s tone, his airy floral scent automatically threading with comforting omega pheromones. The ghost sounds… sad. Gently, he asks, "Are you okay?"
Scowling, He Xuan snaps his gaze back, but it's a heatless glare, as if he can't quite be truly annoyed when breathing in Xie Lian's scent. "Why are you asking me that? I’m not the one who was just pulled from a river."
"I suppose not," he concedes. "But that doesn't mean I can't worry about you."
When Xie Lian’s shiver intensifies, He Xuan’s frowns at him, his retort falling away. A single look from the ghost, and the water dripping down Xie Lian’s skin seems to peel itself away, returning to the river in thin rivulets. Xie Lian gasps softly in surprise, but He Xuan ignores the sound. Instead, he pulls a dark cloak from a qiankun pouch and tosses it toward Xie Lian. He wraps it gingerly around his shoulders, thankful for the warmth. He can help but breath deeply at the scent clinging to the heavy fabric—one that he now knows belongs to He Xuan. He shivers again.
After frowning into the silence for a good long while, He Xuan asks, "What happened?"
The way he bites out question makes it sound more like a statement, something Xie Lian has noticed seems to be a habit of the alpha’s. He finds it oddly charming.
"I got in the middle of a fight and ended up somewhat, ah, trampled." He laughs, but it sounds mildly pained, even to himself. "I had to play dead, and they tossed my body into the river. I'm not exactly sure how long ago that was. At least six days, if I had to guess. My body was still weak, so I've been drowning since then." Bowing as low as he can with his shaking limbs, Xie Lian allows his genuine sincerity to color his words. "I am in your debt, He Xuan. If there is anything I can do to repay you, please don't hesitate to ask."
At first, it seems like the alpha is at a loss for words. It’s in the slight widening of his eyes—the way his lips part just enough to show the hint of words he can’t quite manage to force out. It’s a reaction Xie Lian is quite used to invoking in people, even if he usually doesn’t know why. This time is no different.
As if sensing Xie Lian’s confusion, he demands, "You would say something like that to a ghost? Aren’t you worried I’ll take advantage of you?"
Straightening, Xie Lian offers a crooked grin, though it’s undeniably soft at the edges. "If you take advantage of me, I’m sure you’ll have a good reason."
He Xuan's eye twitches, and he pins Xie Lian with a long look. "...How have you survived this long?"
"I, um, can’t die," admits Xie Lian, sheepish. "Or else my bad luck would've ended my life long before I'd ended up in this river."
Something complicated crosses briefly over his face before it smooths out, returning to what seems to be He Xuan's natural state of barely restrained exasperation. His gaze drops to Xie Lian's neck, and it's only then he realizes the water must have knocked his bandages loose.
His hands shoot up to cover the cursed shackle, but he knows it's useless; He Xuan would've already seen it as soon as he pulled Xie Lian from the water. Still, he should prevent anyone else from seeing it.
Clearing his sore throat, he calls, "Ruoye? Some help, please?" The silk bandage responds immediately, quickly slithering from his forearm to his neck and hiding his shackle from view. A quick glance tells him He Xuan doesn't look surprised or wary of the spiritual tool. He doesn’t comment on the cursed shackle, either, but Xie Lian gets the feeling he knows exactly what’s marking his neck. Xie Lian is thankful he doesn’t ask about it.
After a moment of silence, He Xuan sighs. "Where are you from? I'll help you get home."
Xie Lian laughs awkwardly, tugging his borrowed cloak tighten around himself, basking in the aloeswood and seasalt scent. "Well..."
Not looking all that surprised by Xie Lian’s hesitancy, the ghost rises to his feet. "Fine. Come with me. I have... space." He pauses. "If you want."
Maybe it's curiosity, or the simple fact that he doesn't have any plans on where to go now that his time in the army is over, but Xie Lian finds himself smiling. "I'll have to trouble you then."