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Was he dreaming?
Silence dominated the room as Xie Lian, the Emperor of Heaven, rose slowly to his feet as if in a trance, eyes never leaving the devastation before him.
“I know you,” Xie Lian said. He stared intently at the ghost king as if he could will the other to meet his eyes.
“You don’t. We’ve never met,” Hua Cheng said, head bowed respectfully. Xie Lian ignored the gasps and murmurs making waves at the ghost king’s reverence. After all, he had always been this way. Except…
“Has my most devoted believer taken to lying now?” Xie Lian said.
A flinch, and then finally that gaze met his own. Hua Cheng shook his head and then stopped, caught out.
Murmurings in the background and Xie Lian didn’t care, his vision filled only with Hua Cheng. Of their own accord, his hands reached out to touch, to confirm that this wasn’t another painful dream.
A thought occurred to Xie Lian and he stopped just shy of touching the other man. It had been so long after all. Perhaps things had changed.
“Gege."
Xie Lian shuddered, his hand visibly trembling at the sweetly familiar address. It was a stark contrast to the outraged protests filling the room from their unwanted audience. Fortunately, those protests fell on deaf ears for the two who had eyes only for each other.
"There will never come a day where I don’t want your touch,” Hua Cheng said softly, stepping closer into Xie Lian’s space. Swallowing past the lump in his throat, Xie Lian nodded. He first touched Hua Cheng’s hand, his beautiful fingers, giving extra attention to the one with the red string tied around it. Xie Lian’s eyes followed his own hand sliding up Hua Cheng's silver vambrace, veering to touch his chest…and the heart that no longer beat.
Xie Lian closed his eyes and just managed to cover his mouth before the strangled cry could escape. Nothing could be done, though, for the pain stabbing his heart like a hundred swords. Hua Cheng, having only waited for the opportunity to reach for Xie Lian in turn, moved quickly. He grasped Xie Lian’s other hand, twined their fingers together and pressed a kiss to their joined hands.
I’m here now. I’m all right came the unspoken message.
Catching his breath, Xie Lian nodded and opened his eyes to seek out Hua Cheng’s reassuring gaze. Xie Lian raised his hand to cup Hua Cheng’s cheek, and his heart warmed when the other instinctively leaned into Xie Lian’s touch.
“Crimson Rain Sought Flower. Hua Cheng. It’s a beautiful name.”
“I still prefer San Lang,” he said, holding Xie Lian’s hand to his face.
Xie Lian didn’t know he was crying until he felt Hua Cheng kiss the tears from his face.
“San Lang, am I dreaming? The last I saw you -”
A burning temple. The body of his beloved lying dead on the altar. Blood everywhere. And –
And then Hua Cheng was kissing him. Kissing him as if no one else was around them. Kissing him with all the desperate longing and yearning Xie Lian had felt everyday throughout the last 500 years of separation. He grasped Xie Lian to him with a bruising force that Xie Lian eagerly welcomed. He wanted those bruises. He wanted every reminder he could get that this was real.
That Hua Cheng was real.
Xie Lian pulled back on a gasp, half laughing, half crying, but holding Hua Cheng close to him through it all.
San Lang, whatever happens, this time I won’t let go.