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Hua Cheng was a shapeshifter. Though he tried to be in his true form around Xie Lian most often, he still changed skins like clothes when he was out on business, delighting in the ability to remake himself, if only on the surface.
A Ghost King was cold. Xie Lian never minded the icy fingers and frozen toes brushing against him when they held hands or cuddled though. The way his heart soared with every touch warmed him more than enough. Besides, he’d dealt with much more discomfort than the chill of a devoted lover could ever bring him. He didn’t mind. And if they had both been warm, they likely would’ve been much more uncomfortable wrapped up together all night the way they so liked to be.
But Hua Cheng did mind, Xie Lian noticed. No matter how many times he assured his husband any way he touched him was more than appreciated, Hua Cheng clearly still held some reserves about holding him with cold hands at times.
So when Hua Cheng shifted into a false human skin, something warmer, with a fake heartbeat and breath, Xie Lian more or less could guess why.
Hua Cheng slid into his arms, head slotting into the crook of Xie Lian’s neck and a warm nose nuzzling until it found its favorite spot against his pulse. Little puffs of air tickled against Xie Lian’s neck, soft and steady.
Xie Lian played with his hair absentmindedly, barely half paying attention to the scroll he’d been reading now that his arms were full of an affectionate husband. “My San Lang really likes this position, doesn’t he?” It wasn’t the first time Hua Cheng had slotted himself into Xie Lian’s arms like this.
Hua Cheng hummed, and Xie Lian could feel the rumble of it against his own chest. “I like hearing gege’s heartbeat,” Hua Cheng admitted, eyes closed and body relaxed, his lips brushing against Xie Lian’s collar as he spoke.
“Wouldn't over my heart be better then?”
Hua Cheng’s hand came up, blindly feeling around on Xie Lian’s chest much more than Xie Lian knew to be necessary before finding the ring nestled under Xie Lian’s robe and tapping it, lightly pressing it closer against Xie Lian’s skin. “Gege already keeps me there.”
Xie Lian felt a rush of fondness wash over him. His love for his husband felt too much sometimes, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. “Can San Lang feel my heartbeat there?”
Hua Cheng shook his head, or maybe he was just nuzzling Xie Lian.
“Did you become human so I can feel your heartbeat too?”
Hua Cheng opened his eyes slowly, but Xie Lian only really knew that from the small flutter of eyelashes against his neck since they couldn’t look at each other properly in this position. “Does gege want to?”
Xie Lian honestly didn’t know, he’d never really thought about it before. “I like San Lang any way he comes. I’m used to you without a heartbeat.”
Hua Cheng was quiet for a few moments. Then he shifted a bit and reached out, slowly and carefully grabbing Xie Lian’s arm and moving it up. Xie Lian let him, trusting whatever his husband’s intentions were, and smiled when he felt a kiss pressed to the pulse point in his wrist. Then another. Lazy, half formed kisses decorated the small area, the tiny sounds of Hua Cheng’s parting lips the only sound that filled the quiet of their room.
Xie Lian curled his hand in a bit to stroke his husband’s face, but did his best not to disturb him as he felt Hua Cheng relax against him once more, lips stilling.
“You have a pulse here too.” His voice was barely audible, muffled against Xie Lian’s skin.
“En,” Xie Lian couldn’t help but be a little amused. “I have a pulse in a lot of spots.”
Hua Cheng fell silent again, content and lazy, like a well fed cat. And just as he would a cat, Xie Lian pet him with his free hand, starting at the top of his head and trailing down his spine to the small of his back before making the motion again.
It all seemed too perfect sometimes. Like some wonderful miracle that he was allowed to have so much happiness so easily. It blew him away too, the idea that other people had this. So many hundreds of families out there, happy as could be. How did they handle the fond squeeze of their hearts? How did they keep from bursting under the sheer joy of their love? Did they look at their partners and feel their heart rate speed up every time too? How did the world even function? How could anyone do anything but lay in bed all day staring at the ones they loved and holding and being held?
Xie Lian didn’t know. He knew he had a life outside of Hua Cheng. Managed to pull himself away from his husband to do business or spend time with friends. But that didn’t mean he understood how he did it really, during times like this when his heart felt so so full. Like the world was just them.
Hua Cheng finally sat up to look at Xie Lian, and Xie Lian could see his love reflected back at him in equal measure. Perhaps even more. The idea Hua Cheng could possibly love any more than Xie Lian did was baffling. Where could he possibly store more love? Xie Lian already felt he must overflow with the love he had for his husband. It invaded his day in the smallest of ways. So all consuming and safe and wonderful. Xie Lian hadn’t known you could love like this before.
He smiled as he felt their foreheads touch, noses brushing, relishing in the closeness.
“Now my heartbeat should match gege’s.” Hua Cheng said, leading Xie Lian’s hand up to his heart, his own thumb over Xie Lian’s wrist’s pulse point.
Xie Lian hoped he hadn’t messed up Hua Cheng’s rhythm as he felt his own heart squeeze, threatening to explode with joy. He couldn’t ever express enough how much he loved this man. “Is that what my San Lang was doing all this time?”
“Gege you can’t call me so sweetly, I’ll lose control of my heart again,” Hua Cheng teased.
This close it was hard to really look at each other, but Xie Lian didn’t have to look to know which grin his husband wore.
“San Lang is already making my heart go crazy, so they’ll still match.” He leaned in, brushing their lips lightly once, then again, this time for a bit longer.
Hua Cheng’s lips were warm in this form, but they were always warm to Xie Lian. Love made one silly he’d learned, but it felt nice to be silly. To be too warm with a heart that went too fast was a luxury he hadn’t known to crave but now couldn’t imagine living without.
Somewhere, distantly, he knew the world went on around them. Prayers would need to be answered. Friends would be free for visiting. Ghost City would need tending. Even just the basics of eating and sleeping would need to be addressed. But right now, for this moment at least, Xie Lian was the god of nothing but his husband’s love. The god of shared heartbeats and lazy kisses. And his husband, an odd mix of god and ghost, was the same. After all, the two of them were meant to be worshipped together.
And so, intertwined by a red string of fate tied by their own hands, they gave offerings in the form of simple affection for the rest of the afternoon.