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The day starts out perfectly ordinary.
The setting sun breathes the last of its warmth into the autumn air, a gentle breeze stirs around Puqi Shrine, and Xie Lian, as usual, is hard at work blasphemizing a perfectly good kitchen.
"Ruoye," Xie Lian calls out, tossing the last of his cabbage into a stormy cauldron. "Fetch me some wood."
A soft whistle responds, and the silken band obediently slips off of his wrist and out the door to Puqi Shrine. A moment later, it returns, wrapped around a small bundle as instructed.
"Good, Ruoye. Cut some kindling from that, would you?"
Ruoye chirps; however, just as it's about to do so, something silver glints in the corner of Xie Lian's eye. The breeze created by its swift interruption sends Ruoye tumbling back, and by the time it realigns itself, the firewood is chopped finely into kindling at Xie Lian's side.
"Eming, you…." Xie Lian trails off as he glances towards the scimitar, which trembles like an animal eagerly awaiting to be praised. He sighs. "Ah, nevermind. Thank you for your help. Just… be a bit more careful, okay?"
Eming's eye curves in delight, its trembling only growing fiercer under Xie Lian's praise. Xie Lian summons the thwarted Ruoye back onto his wrist. Fortunately, it doesn't seem too put out by Eming taking its job; it even greets the cursed scimitar by winding playfully around its engraved hilt as it passes.
Xie Lian's lips curve a bit at the sight. "You two get along quite nicely, hm?"
Another soft breeze comes through the window, bringing in a vibrant red maple leaf. Xie Lian watches as it curls through the air and settles just shy of the windowsill. The turning of the leaves had brought with it a particularly beautiful day, and a needed respite from the humidity of Puqi Village's warm summers.
A soft, nostalgic feeling settles in Xie Lian's chest, as it does every time they return to Puqi Shrine in the autumn. Because the hot weather was so inhospitable, he and Hua Cheng spent most of the summer at Paradise Manor and the Thousand Lights Temple. Returning now felt like stepping back into a gentle dream of the past, where memories painted every inch of the shrine in a comforting and effervescent gold.
A beautiful, normal day. Xie Lian never thought mundanity could feel so endlessly precious.
Humming, Xie Lian takes some of the firewood that Eming cut and tosses it in the kindling beneath the stove. It gives a soft crackle before the flames roar gently higher.
"Mm, it shouldn't be long now," he muses. "Eming, go fetch San Lang from the garden and bring him here."
Eming rattles its assent, spinning on its blade before whipping towards the door. Xie Lian laughs softly to himself at its eagerness. Sometimes, it really was a lot like—
Clang!
The sudden sound of metal striking into solid startles Xie Lian so bad that he drops the ladle he's using to stir the soup.
"E—Eming?!" Xie Lian abandons his soup to crouch next to the blade, which trembles pitifully on the ground just short of the door. "What happened? Did you crash into the door?"
The scimitar emits a low whine, its red eye curving up towards Xie Lian guiltily. Xie Lian sighs softly.
"Eming, you have to be more careful," he chides, reaching out to run his fingers over its surface. "Your hilt is so finely engraved, it would be a shame to— aiyah, that's hot!"
Eming's surface, usually as cold as jade, runs so hot it feels almost as if it had been stewing in the soup itself a moment ago. Xie Lian retracts his hand automatically, fingers tingling where they'd come into contact with it.
"Eming, what's wrong?" Xie Lian looks it over worriedly. "You're burning up. Did you get too close to the stove?"
Eming's trembling increases tenfold. Its eye clings stubbornly to Xie Lian's hand, where the skin has already started shifting into an angry pink from the burn. It looks fit to start crying, even though such a thing is surely impossible.
"What's that look for? Honestly," Xie Lian murmurs, quickly hiding his hand in his sleeve to keep it from distressing Eming any further. "Come, let me look you over, don't be upset—ah, Eming! Don't just run away!"
The scimitar resolutely ignores him, shaking from blade to hilt as it whips itself through a slim crack in the open door. As it goes, Xie Lian hears a series of clanks and crashes; he can't help but wince sympathetically.
"Honestly, it really is too much like him," Xie Lian sighs, standing up. "Running off even when it can't even fly straight. Tsk. Ruoye, mind the soup. I'll go fetch Eming."
Ruoye whistles, slipping off his arm once more to do as he says. Xie Lian shakes out his sleeves, pushing through the door to enter the shrine courtyard. He unfurls his palm and whispers a soft summoning incantation, and soon after a silver butterfly materializes and comes to rest upon it.
"Find Eming," he instructs softly, and the butterfly's sparkling wings tremble once in response before it takes off.
Xie Lian pursues it for a while, following a winding stone path through the woods surrounding Puqi Shrine. The path was one of the first things he'd installed in Hua Cheng's absence, and already it was showing signs of wear and aging. The stones eventually stagger off into a wider meadow, the soft grass interrupted by a series of small islets by a clear and winding river.
Hmm, it went this way? Xie Lian muses as he steps onto the painted wooden bridge. I wonder if it isn't because….
His thought trails off as they approach the furthest and largest islet. A gentle breeze stirs the woods surrounding them, sending a flurry of leaves twirling through the air. Xie Lian raises an arm to block them from getting in his face, and when he lowers his arm, his gaze lands on a familiar figure dressed in red a few paces before him.
Ah, so it did go back to him after all.
"San Lang, you're here," Xie Lian says, stepping forward. "Have you seen—"
Halfway through his question, Xie Lian freezes. His words seem to get stuck halfway up his throat, instead being replaced by a soft, nearly inaudible 'ah.'
Hua Cheng props an arm casually against his broom. "Mm? What is it, gege?"
As he speaks, Hua Cheng tilts his head slightly. Xie Lian's gaze follows the movement. His attention is ensnared by the crown if Hua Cheng's head—or rather, the area just above it. A space that was normally empty, but now….
Are those… fox ears?
"Gege?" Hua Cheng prompts at his silence.
"Ah," Xie Lian says numbly. "Ah… sorry, I just— I was—"
Twitch. Xie Lian is certain that he doesn't imagine it. One of the ears—the right one—twitches, just a little, as the silver butterfly flutters around him. When it comes to rest on Hua Cheng's shoulder, it twitches again.
Xie Lian's eyes weren't deceiving him. Hua Cheng had fox ears. Two of them, sitting on the crown of his head as if they had been there all along, the fur an inky black that blended seamleasly with the hair on his head.
And just like that, the normality of the day comes to a screeching halt.
Honestly, Xie Lian should have expected it. There was no such thing as a "normal" day for a thrice-ascended god and a thrice-deceased ghost king. The fact it had even felt normal at all was fishy on its own.
Clang!
The abrupt sound startles Xie Lian so badly he leaps backwards, snapping out of his reverie. He glances down to see Eming at his feet, its eye squeezed shut. As Xie Lian watches, it lifts itself up by the hilt slightly and then brings itself back down on the ground with another ear-ringing clang.
"E—Eming?" The sight provokes Xie Lian back into movement, and he crouches down frantically. "Stop, stop, what are you—" Clang! Clang! "—ah, don't do it again! You—"
"Eming," Hua Cheng commands sharply. "Stop kowtowing."
Eming flinches, its eye rolling back to look at Hua Cheng as he makes a languid approach. Xie Lian looks up just in time for Hua Cheng to bend down and take him gently by the elbow, pulling him up to his feet.
"Don't mind it," Hua Cheng says, his voice much gentler than when he'd spoken to Eming. "Let me see your hand."
Xie Lian's opens his mouth to protest that it's really nothing worth worrying about—if anything, Eming is the one to be concerned about right now—but then his gaze shifts upwards and his throat runs dry. He can only mutely allow Hua Cheng to inspect his hand as he watches those ears move up close; at first twitching idly, and then flattening backwards against his skull as Hua Cheng sees his burn.
"What happened?" Hua Cheng demands. "How did Eming burn you?"
The sharp, worried note in his voice tears Xie Lian's attention from the strange fox ears for a moment. He finds Hua Cheng staring at him with a crease in his brows.
"Ah, i-it was my fault," Xie Lian assures him. "I think Eming isn't feeling well. It ran into the door, so I reached out to touch it, but the blade was red hot."
The crease in Hua Cheng's brows deepens. "Hot?"
"Mm, like it was held to a flame," Xie Lian says. "It—"
Something moves behind Hua Cheng.
"It…?" Hua Cheng prods.
"It, uh…," Xie Lian stammers. "It was… it wasn't… ah…."
Another movement. Xie Lian is sure of it this time.
"Gege, you don't look good. What—"
"You have a tail," Xie Lian blurts out.
He immediately slaps his hand over his mouth, but it's too late. He can only watch as a myriad of emotions flickers over Hua Cheng's face in rapid succession—first confusion, then uncertainty, then worry. It eventually settles back onto the first of them: pure, genuine confusion.
"A… tail?" Hua Cheng repeats.
"Yes," Xie Lian squeaks out. And then, as a weak afterthought, "And… ears."
Hesitantly, Hua Cheng turns to glance behind him. Xie Lian, anticipating the worst, immediately starts running his mouth in an attempt to downplay what he expects to be a reasonable amount of panic at these new appendages:
"Not that there's anything wrong with having a tail! I'm sure it's perfectly normal. Well, I mean. Not normal. But definitely not something bad. Actually, it's really cute. Not in a weird way or anything, it just looks really soft, like it would be nice to pet. Not that I want to pet it. Or—I mean, I want to, obviously, but— but you don't have to—"
"I," Hua Cheng says, still looking at his tail. "I think there has been a disturbance on Mount Tonglu."
Xie Lian's jaws snap shut so hard it makes his teeth ache.
There is really, truly nothing in the world more sobering than those two words—Mount Tonglu. After all that they had been through together, and all that Hua Cheng had been through alone… it sends a shudder down Xie Lian's spine just to hear its name from his beloved's mouth. A sinking feeling of dread settles in his stomach.
"Oh," is all that Xie Lian can manage.
Something about the tone of his voice draws Hua Cheng's attention away from his new tail. His gaze flicks over Xie Lian's face and then softens slightly. He uses the hand he has wrapped around Xie Lian's wrist to tug him closer.
"Gege doesn't need to worry," Hua Cheng assures him. "It's nothing that I can't handle. It likely isn't serious, considering I didn't even notice myself."
"Okay," Xie Lian says.
"This is actually par for the course in the ghost realm," Hua Cheng adds, seeing him unconvinced. "Far stranger things have happened. Even the smallest changes in the balance of yin and yang energy in the world can have an effect on us. It doesn't mean anything serious."
Xie Lian can't help but wonder what the hell exactly was going on in the ghost realm that something like growing fox ears and a tail could be so flippantly dismissed as "par for the course." But when he thinks about it, he supposed there was an abundance of ghosts with animal appendages there to begin with. And Hua Cheng sounded completely assured in his words; some of Xie Lian's unease subsides alongside it.
"Okay…," Xie Lian says again haltingly. "If you're sure."
"Mm, I am." Hua Cheng brings Xie Lian's hand up to his face and rests his cheek against it with a soft smile. "I'm here. Nothing can take me away from you, your highness."
A flutter of warmth spreads through Xie Lian's chest. He makes a quiet, abandoned little noise of embarrassed assent, and Hua Cheng chuckles, the sound rife with affection.
"Besides," Hua Cheng adds, lips curving into a playful smile, "I find it cute th—mppfh??"
Halfway through his sentence, Xie Lian grabs Hua Cheng firmly by the face, his expression changing. Hua Cheng stares in wide-eyed disbelief as Xie Lian presses his thumb into the corner of his mouth, forcing it slightly open.
I was right, Xie Lian thinks. He also has fangs!
All of Hua Cheng's teeth before him are uniformly the same, except for his upper canines, which extend slightly beyond their usual length. Xie Lian presses the pad of his thumb against the edge of one and discovers that they're also much, much sharper. His breath hitches in his throat, heartbeat picking up rapidly.
"…Gege?" Hua Cheng asks, muffled.
"Ah…" Xie Lian's mind feels hazy; his gaze is fixated on those sharp teeth bared slightly by his ministrations. "San Lang, you… your teeth are also… um…."
That one eye watches him carefully, taking in the way that Xie Lian stammers and goes a bit red in spite of himself. Hua Cheng is quiet for a moment, and when he speaks again, his voice is slightly husky.
"Does gege… like this new form?"
His question sends a thrill of excitement down Xie Lian's spine, which is just as quickly replaced by a mountain of embarrassment as he realizes he's been caught. He quickly retracts his hand as if burned, but Hua Cheng holds him fast by the wrist to keep him from fleeing.
"Th—That's not—" Xie Lian fumbles for an excuse, gaze skirting nervously to the side. "I just… ah, I like all of San Lang's forms, ha ha ha, so…."
Hua Cheng hums slightly, his thumb rubbing against Xie Lian's pulse, which runs at a rabbit's pace. Xie Lian can't help but feel as if summer has suddenly returned to Puqi Village; his skin crawls with a stifling heat.
Ah, this is so embarrassing… this is a serious issue, but here I am blushing and being nervous about it. Xie Lian keeps his gaze stubbornly fixed to the ground, redness creeping up the back of his neck and over his ears.
A slight movement catches his eye; he realizes with a start that Hua Cheng's… Hua Cheng's tail… is moving again.
Rather than lashing in irritation as it had been before, this time the movement is much slower. It sways in a relaxed manner, almost lazy in pace—Xie Lian finds himself hypnotized by it. Swish, swish, swish.
His… fur, Xie Lian thinks, watching it dazedly. I wonder if it's as soft as it looks….
"Would you like to touch it?"
Xie Lian's head snaps up at Hua Cheng's question. He finds Hua Cheng smiling just slightly, as if he's suddenly become privy to the world's most precious secret. Xie Lian blushes fiercely.
"You… you're teasing me," Xie Lian protests, his voice weak.
"Mm, a little," Hua Cheng admits shamelessly. "I can't help but find gege's new obsession rather adorable."
"What obsession… nobody's obsessed…," he mutters.
"No?" Hua Cheng tilts his head. "You don't want to touch it, then?"
"San Lang…."
"This one misunderstood, then," Hua Cheng says with a hum, gently releasing his wrist. "No need to touch, then."
Xie Lian's mind blanks. "Ah, wait, no—"
A sharp whistle interrupts him. Moments later, Ruoye flies into the clearing, circling them frantically.
"Hm?" Hua Cheng watches it. "Your Ruoye seems singed."
"…Singed?" Xie Lian holds out an arm for it to wrap around and notices a black mark of soot on it. "Why would it…."
Hua Cheng seems to remember something. "Wasn't gege cooking just now?"
"AH!"
* * *
The matter is thusly dropped, at least until dinner is finished.
Unsurprisingly, the soup is nearly unsalvageable by the time they return. Similarly unsurprisingly, Xie Lian adapts the recipe accordingly to make something different out of what's left. What is inevitably served could probably qualify as a high-ranking malevolent spirit, and yet Hua Cheng eats it happily all the same.
Quite happily, actually. If the way that his tail wags behind him is any indication.
Xie Lian finds himself yet again transfixed as he watches Hua Cheng eat. Hua Cheng seems completely unpreturbed by his new canines; if anything, they seem to make it even easier for him to tear through the meat that spent a little too long toughening under high heat earlier.
As Xie Lian watches him, Hua Cheng finishes his meal and sets his bowl on the table and drags his tongue over his teeth, offering yet another brief glimpse of sharp white. Idly, Xie Lian can't help but wonder how it might feel to have those teeth dragging over his skin.
A shiver racks through him. Xie Lian sets his bowl down with just a bit too much force, clearing his throat.
"I, uh," Xie Lian stutters out. "I'll… do the dishes."
"Hm? No need," Hua Cheng replies with a fond smile. "You went through the trouble of cooking. Allow San Lang to take care of the rest."
Xie Lian opens his mouth to protest, but Hua Cheng is already gathering their dishes and standing to do exactly as he says. He can only watch helplessly as Hua Cheng saunters off, ink-black tail waving lazily with each step.
As soon as he rounds the corner, Xie Lian lets out a soft groan and buries his head in his hands.
Ah, this is really bad… he thinks miserably. These new features of San Lang's are so distracting…!
Honestly. It wasn't like Xie Lian had never seen a person take on animal features before; they were a dime a dozen on the streets of Ghost City. Many brothels even marketed them separately due to the appeal of such features. Xie Lian had always figured it was because different people had different tastes; for him, he'd never seen much appeal.
But on San Lang… gah, it was completely different!
He's really… way too cute like this.
This was the king of Ghost City, after all. A man whose figure was so imposing even heaven quivered when he got too close. While Xie Lian had long since known him to be far sweeter and cuter than the rest of the world saw, it was another thing entirely to see him like this. Little sharp teeth, fluffy ears on his head, and a proud tail behind him that wagged so earnestly when he was happy—
"Tired already?"
Hua Cheng's voice is so close it sends a shiver down Xie Lian's spine, breath fanning delicately over the curve of his ear. Xie Lian immediately straightens up with a yelp, but Hua Cheng stops him with a hand curling around his waist, nuzzling into the curve of his neck and shoulder.
"Ah, San… San Lang," Xie Lian greets breathlessly. "Sorry, I didn't realize you'd finished so quickly…."
"Really? But it's been quite a while," Hua Cheng murmurs. "I even took extra time to clean off some of the burn marks from earlier…."
"Ah, is that— is that so…." Xie Lian is finding it a little hard to think.
"Mm." Hua Cheng kisses the back of his neck. "Something is distracting his highness tonight?"
Xie Lian flushes. "N-No, I—"
"No? Are you sure?"
"I— ah," Xie Lian gasps as the hand around his waist slips between the layers of his robes. "You… you aren't playing fair."
Hua Cheng chuckles softly, breath tickling against Xie Lian's skin. His fingers wander brazenly under his robe, drawing soft whimpers out of Xie Lian's throat as he digs his own fingers into the table to steady himself.
"Forgive me," Hua Cheng purrs. "It's just… I couldn't help but notice gege staring at me all evening."
"W-Well, San Lang is very… nice to look at," Xie Lian stammers. "Of course I can't keep my eyes off of him, so— mmph!!"
Something sharp pricks the back of Xie Lian's neck. In a moment of panic, he has no choice but to slap his hand over his mouth to muffle the noise he makes, ears burning so red he feels like they must be steaming.
That's his teeth, Xie Lian thinks dazedly, his breaths coming even faster than before. He's… ah…..
"Careful, gege," Hua Cheng warns softly. "You know how I get when I'm too excited."
The implication makes Xie Lian's stomach flip in equal parts nervousness and excitement. Because yes, he knows exactly how Hua Cheng gets when he's excited: he starts biting. Biting and biting until every inch of him is imprinted with the pattern of his teeth, and Xie Lian is left squirming and begging for mercy.
With those teeth, if he bit me, it would certainly break skin, Xie Lian thinks. It might hurt… but also—
"San Lang," Xie Lian whispers, "can bite as he pleases."
Hua Cheng's breath hitches. "Are you sure? I—"
"I want it," Xie Lian interrupts. "I want you to bite me."
It's a rare thing, for him to say something so brazen—but it's something that needs to be said. As it is, Xie Lian's mind is so hazy with need that he's struggling to find the point of being embarrassed when it would just interfere with the speed at which he might get what he wants.
Hua Cheng takes a shaking breath. Xie Lian can feel it against his back, along with the way that Hua Cheng's fingers tighten where they rest on his waist. After a moment of hesitation, Xie Lian moves to rest his own hand over those fingers, giving a reassuring squeeze.
"I trust San Lang," he says softly.
Hua Cheng makes a broken noise, burying his face in Xie Lian's neck completely. When he speaks, his voice is muffled.
"You… really are going to be the death of me."
Xie Lian opens his mouth to reply, but it's replaced by a whimper when he feels lips against his skin. Hua Cheng kisses an unhurried path from behind Xie Lian's ear down the nape of his neck, each cool press of his mouth sending Xie Lian's heart racing faster and faster.
Just as Xie Lian is about to protest at him dragging it out, Hua Cheng lets out a soft growl and bites.
It's gentle enough to not break skin, but Xie Lian can vividly feel each of Hua Cheng's sharp canines digging fiercely into the soft expanse of his skin. A moan bursts from his mouth before he can think to stifle it, fingers shaking where they cling to both Hua Cheng's hand and the table.
A soft huff of amusement sounds from behind him. Hua Cheng runs the hand that he has under Xie Lian's robe up his side, his touch sending shivers over the bare skin. He releases the bite, pressing an apologetic kiss to the spot.
"Is gege's hunger satia—"
"No," Xie Lian interrupts him, gasping. "Harder."
Hua Cheng's hand stills.
Xie Lian knows that he's asking a lot; even on their most passionate nights, Hua Cheng has been exceedingly gentle to him. He could get rough, and had certainly left Xie Lian with enough marks and bruises from his lovemaking to firmly disqualify him as "harmless." But he had never gone so far as to truly hurt him; to break skin and make him bleed.
Xie Lian was used to pain. He had learned to wield it like a tool, and he had also learned to ignore it. He considered himself fairly neutral about experiencing it; while he didn't hate it, he also wasn't enough of a masochist to crave it. It simply existed as one of many bodily sensations.
But the thought of Hua Cheng sinking his teeth into him—of his lips smeared red with blood, and his hunger so fierce it strips him of his inhibitions….
It makes him ache with want.
"… Gege," Hua Cheng says haltingly. "I…."
"San Lang… San Lang knows that I like when he's rough with me," Xie Lian says, even though his ears burn. "I think… it would feel nice. But that's only if San Lang also wants to. If he doesn't, we can forget it."
In all honesty, Xie Lian was making a gamble.
If he had thought that Hua Cheng was vehemently and entirely opposed to the idea, he would truthfully never have had to gall to suggest it in the first place. It was embarrassing enough on its own, especially so if he'd been confident in a total rejection from the start.
But he'd noticed the way that Hua Cheng looked at him sometimes. Seen the way that Hua Cheng's gaze lingered on the bruises he left, how a flash of something inhuman flickered behind that dark eye of his. He'd felt the way Hua Cheng had restrained himself, time and time again, fighting an urge buried so deep within him it would probably never reach the light of day unless Xie Lian pulled it from him directly.
Over time, Xie Lian had heard whispers about how ghosts held an instrinic craving for violence. It was a craving that existed in humans, too—which was why Xie Lian was able to satiate by self-inflicting it in the Land of the Tender all those hundreds of years ago. In ghosts, though, that desire was amplified exponentially.
Xie Lian was running a gamble on this theory: that Hua Cheng was, as much as he tried to hide it, no exception.
That he would enjoy it.
Behind him, Hua Cheng takes a breath. It trembles on his next exhale, and for a moment, Xie Lian fears that he's lost this gamble—it would certainly make sense, given his luck. He's about to open his mouth to dismiss the idea entirely when Hua Cheng finally speaks:
"I want to."
Xie Lian's breath catches hard in his throat.
In Hua Cheng's voice, he can hear it clearly—not disgust, not uncertainty, not reproach, not even resigned acquiescence. Desire. Hua Cheng's voice is so wracked from hunger that it shakes.
He'd been right.
"Gege has caught this one's impertinence," Hua Cheng continues, his voice soft. "But, if we do this… I don't want you to feel more pain than what feels good. I have… a method to manage that. Is that okay?"
A method to manage pain? Xie Lian's curiosity is spiked, but he tampers in down in favor of reassuring him.
"Whatever San Lang prefers," he replies.
"Mm. In that case," Hua Cheng murmurs, pressing another kiss to his neck, "shall we head to bed?"
Xie Lian gives a little nod, his heartbeat picking up. They briefly disentangle, which allows Xie Lian a moment to stand and straighten out his robes a little.
No sooner after he manages that is he interrupted by hands covering his own, and then Hua Cheng's mouth is on his, firm and insistent. He gives a slight gasp, stumbling in surprise, but Hua Cheng pursues him relentlessly, hands working to quickly undo the work Xie Lian had just done at redressing himself.
Just as Xie Lian is about to stumble back into a wall, Hua Cheng bends slightly to pick him up by his thighs. On reflex, Xie Lian wraps his legs around his waist and clings to his shoulders to support himself. There's a pleased sound from Hua Cheng's throat in response, and Xie Lian feels something soft brush against his ankles.
His tail, Xie Lian realizes in a daze. He's… wagging his tail!
A blush spreads over his cheeks even as Hua Cheng licks eagerly into his mouth, hands roaming eagerly over his sides. Distantly, Xie Lian is aware of them moving through the shrine to the bedroom expanded upon it in the last year. Hua Cheng strides so gracefully that it's hard to even notice they've moved; within a few moments, he's bending over and lying Xie Lian down carefully on their bed.
"San Lang," Xie Lian gasps as he leans back, watching as Hua Cheng climbs over him. "Can I touch your fur?"
"Hm? His highness wants to pet me?"
The playful lilt in Hua Cheng's voice is not lost on him. Xie Lian lets out an aggrieved sigh, although his eyes are full of fondness. He reaches up to cup Hua Cheng's cheek.
"Of course," Xie Lian replies. "I can't help but feel like it must be very soft, just like the rest of San Lang."
Hua Cheng's eye squints with mirth. "Then be my guest."
Xie Lian hums, his fingers shifting to push upwards into Hua Cheng's hair. It spills like water over his fingertips, and Hua Cheng leans into his touch on instinct, eye sliding shut like a pleased cat. The sight emboldens Xie Lian, so he reaches up further, until his fingers wrap carefully around the outside edge of Hua Cheng's fluffy ear.
Abruptly, Hua Cheng's eye flies wide open.
"Hm?" Xie Lian blinks up at him. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Hua Cheng says, although his gaze is much more intense than it had been a moment ago. "Gege can keep touching."
Humming, Xie Lian does exactly that. He watches closely as he runs his fingers gently against the edge of Hua Cheng's ear, pinching it lightly as he goes. The fur is exactly as soft as he'd imagined it to be; it feels almost like velvet, especially near the inside.
Even though he tries to hide it, Hua Cheng's next breath shudders slightly on his exhale. The ear between Xie Lian's fingers feels warmer than before, and not just from his own body heat.
"San Lang," Xie Lian presses quietly. "Does it feel good?"
Hua Cheng's eye widens slightly, almost guiltily, and that's all the answer that Xie Lian needs. It does feel good, he realizes. So good that Hua Cheng is embarrassed to even show it, which makes Xie Lian feel like he's drawn the longest straw of his life.
"… Gege is too perceptive," Hua Cheng says after a beat, abashed.
"Hmm, how cute," Xie Lian says with a little smile, scratching his fingers over Hua Cheng's ear more boldly and appreciating the way it makes his lover's breath hitch again.
Suddenly stuck by an idea, Xie Lian moves his hand from Hua Cheng's ear to instead slip around the back of his neck. With a firm tug, Hua Cheng is forced to bow his head until it hovers just over Xie Lian's shoulder.
"Gege?" Hua Cheng asks, confused. "What are—"
Xie Lian doesn't allow him to finish. He tilts his head until his lips are just shy of Hua Cheng's fox ear, and then lets his breath fan against it as he whispers: "San Lang."
In an instant, Hua Cheng's entire body goes stiff.
"San Lang," Xie Lian says again, his voice intentionally breathy. "Exactly how sensitive are these ears of yours?"
Because of how close they are, Xie Lian can feel the shiver that rips through Hua Cheng's body.
"Y-Your highness," Hua Cheng whimpers. "Are you taking revenge on this believer for his beh— hah…."
Whatever ridiculous thing Hua Cheng is about to say quickly disperses into a moan as Xie Lian pulls him closer and brushes his lips against the side of his fluffy ear. It flicks instinctively, tickling Xie Lian's nose, and then twists backwards slightly as if to demonstrate his immense embarrassment.
"Mm, San Lang really is sensitive here," Xie Lian says, beyond pleased with himself. "In that case…."
Pulling together all of the brazenness he can manage, Xie Lian pulls Hua Cheng just a little bit closer and catches the edge of that soft ear gently between his teeth.
Hua Cheng makes another embarrassed sound. He presses his face into Xie Lian's shoulder as if to try and muffle it, but much to his dismay, it then peters out into what can only be best defined as a pitiful whine—high and breathy and utterly unlike any noise Xie Lian has ever heard him make before.
"His highness bullies this humble one," Hua Cheng complains, barely audible against his shoulder.
Xie Lian laughs softly, slipping his fingers through Hua Cheng's inky hair to soothe him. He continues to nibble softly at his ear nonetheless, appreciating the way that it sends shivers down Hua Cheng's spine, face burying even deeper into Xie Lian's neck.
"How cute," Xie Lian praises, his tone sweetened with the affection brimming in his chest. "My San Lang really is the most ad—hah, ah!"
The teeth that sink into his neck are sharp enough to completely distract Xie Lian from his doting. He doesn't even get the chance to lean back a bit, thus moaning breathily directly into Hua Cheng's ear. Hua Cheng shudders and growls, teeth digging in just a little harder.
"San Lang, San Lang," Xie Lian gasps, fingers tightening in Hua Cheng's hair—but only to pull him closer. "You—hah, are you punishing me for calling you cute? Showing your teeth at the smallest provocation?"
Hua Cheng releases the bite (to Xie Lian's dismay) but follows it with a series of kisses to Xie Lian's neck. The press of his mouth is warm and clumsy.
"No," Hua Cheng confesses. "It's just hard to hold myself back much longer."
A flush of warmth spreads over Xie Lian's face at his honesty. Usually, Hua Cheng was overwhelmingly patient in bed, perfectly content to torment Xie Lian for hours without release on occasion.
Now that he thinks about it, though, it's possible the effects of Mount Tonglu's supposed tremble aren't just limited to bestowing ears, a tail, and sharp teeth. Hua Cheng's skin, which is normally rather cool, seems to burn a little where it met Xie Lian's. His breaths come quicker, too, and his lips tremble where he presses them into Xie Lian's throat. It's nowhere near the state that the kiln's impending opening inflicted back then, but it's still clearly having some kind of effect on him.
Deciding to test that theory, Xie Lian reaches up with his free hand and gently curls it around the arm that Hua Cheng is using to prop himself up by his head. His fingers press gently against his pulse, feeling for the flow of his spiritual energy.
The force of it nearly blinds him.
Xie Lian's eyes widen. "San Lang," he says. "You…."
"Gege doesn't need to worry," Hua Cheng deflects, nuzzling into his throat. "It's nothing I can't handle. No need to overextend yourself."
Xie Lian doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. After all this time together! And Hua Cheng has the audacity to hold up a front like that. Still, he knows that he's not going to be able to make Hua Cheng yield with just his words.
So instead, he tightens his grip in Hua Cheng's hair, pulls him hard against his bared throat, and summons his most authoritative tone:
"Bite."
Hua Cheng, struck by both his overwhelming hunger and his overwhelming desire to please, is helpless but to obey. With a pitiful whine, he parts his lips and then sinks his teeth down properly into the soft skin of Xie Lian's neck.
The sensation rips through Xie Lian like wildfire.
Due to his prolonged and intimate familiarity with it, he had a funny way of processing pain. He had learned to wield it as a tool; with the right state of mind, pain could give him more than it took—such as during his experience with the Land of the Tender. If he wanted it to, "pain" could be retranslated into "pleasure."
But that pleasure never felt anything like this.
It's as if some switch in Xie Lian's brain has been flipped in a way that makes it impossible for him to feel anything but pleasure from it. All he can feel was the heat of Hua Cheng's breath and the shape of his mouth and the deep, aching pull of his teeth buried under his skin. Dimly, he's aware of his own blood rushing up towards the surface, but the sensation is no different from the heat of a flush warming his cheeks. If he had to compare it to anything, it was a bit like hot wax dripping on the skin; it burned for only a moment, before ebbing away into numbness.
Just as quickly as the teeth come, they slip away. Xie Lian doesn't even have time to mourn to loss before he feels something hot and wet soothe over the bite, lapping carefully at the broken skin.
San Lang's tongue, Xie Lian thinks, his mind hazy with pleasure.
That tongue works diligently against his skin, as if intending to clean the wound that his teeth had just inflicted. Xie Lian's breath comes fast and heavy as his fingers tighten in Hua Cheng's hair, warmth spreading through every inch of him. The pinpricks of pain in his neck quickly subside into a something almost ticklish.
Oh. Xie Lian's breath hitches under the next drag of Hua Cheng's tongue over the bite. This is San Lang's "method," isn't it?
In the lust-addled recesses of Xie Lian's mind, he realizes that the place where Hua Cheng had just bitten him felt different, and not in the same way a normal injury would. In fact, there's no pain left there at all, and Xie Lian can sense that the wound has already healed almost entirely.
But it's not the same as the skin from before. It feels softer, fresher—and much, much more sensitive.
The next sweep of Hua Cheng's tongue sends a shiver through Xie Lian so violent that he gasps out loud, arching upwards.
"S-San Lang, you— ahh," Xie Lian whimpers under his tongue. "This trick of yours is really—is really—"
"Does gege like it?" Hua Cheng murmurs. Even just the stir of his breath is enough to send Xie Lian into a frenzy.
The state of himself is almost embarrassing, and Xie Lian is confident that his enjoyment is plainly obvious. In an effort to preserve his dignity, Xie Lian attempts to squeak out a strained "It's… n-not bad—," but no sooner after opening his mouth does Hua Cheng nip at the newly sensitive part of his throat.
His words instead escape as a strangled cry, and Hua Cheng's lips curve in a pleased smile.
"Is his highness's appetite satiated now?"
Not trusting his voice, Xie Lian squeezes his eyes and mouth shut and shakes his head firmly. Hua Cheng hums, nosing upwards to kiss the spot behind his ear.
"Gege needs to use his voice," Hua Cheng purrs, nipping at his ear lobe. "This humble one daren't presume."
"More," Xie Lian pleads immediately, voice strung out. "More, San Lang, please—mmm, hah, please, bite more—"
He can practically feel the way that Hua Cheng's spiritual energy surges around them, yet he still teases him: "Hm? How much more? Just one, right here?"
"E-Everywhere, San Lang, I'm begging you, ple— hah!"
This time, there's no warning at all. Hua Cheng's teeth sink into the soft flesh at the junction of his jaw, ripping a gasping breath from Xie Lian's throat. He feels the briefest hint of pain somewhere deep beneath his skin before it's quickly settled into a pleasant ache.
Xie Lian grapples clumsily at Hua Cheng's back to pull him even closer; even with his teeth buried in his neck, he's still not close enough. A moment later, the teeth disappear, yet again replaced by the lapping of a warm tongue. Something hot slides down his throat, and Hua Cheng quickly dips his head to chase it. Sparks burst across Xie Lian's new skin under Hua Cheng's attentiveness.
"You're doing so well," Hua Cheng praises, his voice husky as he moves to slip his fingers through Xie Lian's above his head. "Let me know if it gets to be too much, okay?"
Xie Lian babbles out a consenting response, far too eager to feel those teeth pierce his flesh again.
With all of the patience of a man savoring his last meal, Hua Cheng takes his time mapping out Xie Lian's body like that. He kisses languidly down the column of Xie Lian's throat before sinking his teeth into the dip above his collarbone, pulling out another hoarse cry from Xie Lian's lips.
Overwhelmed, Xie Lian squeezes his fingers around Hua Cheng's and tries to steady his breathing as his lover retreats and licks that wound clean as well. Through the tears in his lashes, Xie Lian can see that honest tail of Hua Cheng's wagging fiercely without pausing.
"I-Is it good?" Xie Lian asks, his voice ragged from moaning. "Does it feel good for San Lang, too?"
"So good," Hua Cheng rasps, giving one last lick to his collarbone before nosing along his shoulder. "To dine upon one's god is the highest of honors."
His words are so thick with reverence that it makes Xie Lian feel dizzy from the weight of them. With the hand that isn't tangled in Xie Lian's, Hua Cheng pulls down the collar of Xie Lian's robe down to expose his shoulder. A moment later, he sinks his teeth into the soft skin there.
He does not stop there, though. At the exact same time that his canines break flesh, Hua Cheng's hips roll forward, and the hard outline of his cock presses firmly against Xie Lian's own.
Something between a yelp and a moan bursts out of Xie Lian's mouth as pain and pleasure crash into his mind with equilateral force, tangling up into something entirely unfamiliar. A rush of blood hits both northwards and southwards simultaneously, and Xie Lian is helpless but to gasp and writhe in place beneath him, desire licking at his stomach so fiercely it makes the world spin around him.
"San Lang, San Lang, San Lang," he pants, arching upwards. "Don't let go, please, please—hah, stay there—"
Hua Cheng obediently keeps his teeth buried in Xie Lian's shoulder. His hips cant forward again, driving his clothed erection against Xie Lian's heat. The moan he makes into Xie Lian's shoulder reverberates through his body, and Xie Lian thinks dimly that it's a good thing he's already a god—otherwise he might have ascended on the spot.
Unable to voice his desires, Xie Lian wraps one thigh over Hua Cheng's hip and presses him down to bring them flush together. Hua Cheng understands his intent without hesitation. Xie Lian gasps as he rocks forward again, tugging clumsily at Hua Cheng's silky hair and dragging his nails over his back. The friction of his lover's cock dragging against his own through his clothes feels almost as good as having it buried inside of him; the tease of its length fitting against him is intoxicating.
"Right there, right there," Xie Lian babbles as Hua Cheng nudges under the swollen head of his own cock. "Don't stop, San Lang—ah, haah, it feels so… so—"
Each clumsy thrust of Hua Cheng's hips pitches Xie Lian further and further from rationality and closer and closer to orgasm. His head swims as the teeth in his shoulder bury even deeper, Hua Cheng's breaths coming hot and heavy with each thrust. He ruts into Xie Lian with a kind of abandon that betrays just how drunk he is on the aphrodisiac of both excess spiritual energy and the taste of divine blood bathing his tongue.
"Hah, hah, San Lang—" Xie Lian cries out, turning his head to bury his face in Hua Cheng's hair. "I can't—mmm, hah—"
The friction is so good that it reduces Xie Lian's mind to a series of base impulses. In his haze, he feels something velvety soft tickle his cheek. He doesn't even think before twisting his neck and burying his face in that softness, his next moan spilling directly into Hua Cheng's ear.
In the next instant, Hua Cheng's hips falter, his entire body goes rigid and then—teeth still buried in Xie Lian's shoulder—he comes with a shuddering groan.
Xie Lian's breath catches in his throat; he feels each wave of Hua Cheng's orgasm rip through him from where they're pressed together, his cock twitching and a damp warmth seeping through their thin layers of clothes. The realization that he's made Hua Cheng come just by moaning in his ear and rutting against him fully clothed sends a flare of heat through him, chest swelling with a mixture of equal parts awe and admiration.
Once he's recovered, Hua Cheng lets out a shaky whine, retracting his teeth from Xie Lian's shoulder. The sparks of pain recede almost instantly, and Hua Cheng's tongue works almost guilty over the skin until not a trace of the bite is left behind. His entire body trembles, and Xie Lian can't help but wrap his arm around those shaking shoulders and pull Hua Cheng close, nuzzling affectionately into his soft hair.
"Oh San Lang, my San Lang," he breathes, pressing his lips to his fuzzy ear gently. "You did so well. So beautiful."
"This one was selfish," Hua Cheng murmurs, his voice almost sullen. "I wanted to make his highness feel good, yet I failed to service him before myself."
Hua Cheng had always held a complex about making sure Xie Lian was the first to come; Xie Lian found it rather ridiculous. If anything, he felt a surge of pride at being able to bring Hua Cheng to completion despite all of his careful restraint. He presses another kiss to his ear.
"Don't be silly," Xie Lian chides. "I want to service San Lang just as much as he services me. Come, let me see you."
Hua Cheng reluctantly lifts his head from his shoulder; the sight of him knocks the wind straight out of Xie Lian's chest. Aside from the soft flush of his cheeks and the disheveled state of his hair, his lips are also stained a faint, blushing crimson. A darker hint of red sits at the corner of his mouth, and Xie Lian recognizes it belatedly as his blood.
Abruptly possessed by the sight, Xie Lian drags Hua Cheng back down by the collar. The sudden forcefulness causes Hua Cheng's lips to part in surprise, and Xie Lian uses this to his advantage, lifting his head to lick eagerly into his mouth.
A metallic taste immediately bathes his tongue. Xie Lian lets out a strangled moan, and this seems to snap Hua Cheng out of his startled daze—first, he goes stiff in surprise, and then he's bearing down on Xie Lian with twice the enthusiasm as before. His lips move hungrily against Xie Lian's as he pours wave after wave of spiritual energy into his mouth, and Xie Lian laps it up hungrily, the heat of Hua Cheng's bloodied tongue in his mouth sending him spiraling further and further into insanity.
He manages to get one more taste of his own blood before Hua Cheng breaks their kiss with a quiet gasp, sharp teeth catching gently against Xie Lian's lower lip as he goes. They pierce the flesh just enough to draw a whimper from Xie Lian before the spot is soothed closed with a stroke of Hua Cheng's tongue.
"Gege has been so patient," Hua Cheng murmurs, giving the hand above his head one last squeeze before letting go. "Allow me to service you with this blasphemous tongue of mine, hm?"
Xie Lian's breath hitches as Hua Cheng's shifts lower, lips trailing lazily down his chin before skirting over the dip of his collarbone. Warm fingers work deftly to undo his robes as Hua Cheng sinks lower, peppering kisses down the smooth expanse of his chest. Every so often, he grazes his teeth against the supple skin—not enough to break, but enough to pitch Xie Lian's breathing faster and harder as he makes his way over his stomach down to his hips.
When Hua Cheng grazes his teeth over his hip, Xie Lian can't help but feel teased. "San Lang," he whines breathily.
"Mm?" A dark eye flicks up towards him, glittering.
"You…" Xie Lian's breath catches as Hua Cheng gently nips at the skin there. "You really are a fox, you know…."
Hua Cheng fixes him with a perfectly innocent expression, but behind him, his honest tail wags playfully behind him. "You wound me, gege. Since when have I been anything but earnest? And yet you accuse me of mischief."
"You—"
Xie Lian intends to make some kind of witty remark about foxes inevitably showing their tails, but before he can, Hua Cheng lowers his head and sinks his teeth into the soft divot of his hip. A strangled cry leaves his mouth instead as ecstasy blooms from the spot, and Xie Lian instinctively bites down on his fist to muffle it.
The teeth retract a moment later, and Hua Cheng murmurs a command into his skin: "Ruoye."
The silk band trembles excitedly at being summoned; while it primarily looked towards Xie Lian for instruction, Ruoye had grown all-too-comfortable with being bossed around by the Ghost King himself in recent years, especially in the bedroom. With a soft whistle, it winds itself around both of Xie Lian's wrists and then raises them above his head, holding him in place and wrapping the rest of its silken length around the headboard as bracing.
Xie Lian whines, feeling rather slighted. "Ruoye, you obey San Lang too easi—haaah—"
Leaving no time for further complaints, Hua Cheng returns his attention to ravaging him. His tongue drags languidly over the bite on his hip, and Xie Lian watches with glazed eyes, trembling as sparks of sensitivity dance beneath his tongue. That sinful mouth drifts even lower, where Hua Cheng presses a featherlight kiss to the crest of his pelvis before dropping to nip and suck at the pale skin of his thighs.
This time, when he bites down, there's no pain at all. Or perhaps it simply gets lost in the wave of pleasure that tears through him; in an instant, Xie Lian is gasping and writhing, held only in place by the hand that Hua Cheng steadies flat against his hip. Those teeth are yet again quickly replaced by his ever-attentive tongue, a pleased growl rumbling in Hua Cheng's chest as he cleans him up. Xie Lian notices somewhere in the back of his mind that more and more of the sounds Hua Cheng makes border on animalistic, as if driven to beasthood by the simple taste of his blood, and the thought sends shivers running down his spine.
Hua Cheng's lips brush only a fraction lower before he bites down once more. And thus does a vicious cycle begin: Xie Lian thrashes, a wet tongue soothes the wound, Hua Cheng moves again, and another bite soon follows.
Within the matter of a few minutes, Xie Lian is teased to the point of being a complete wreck, shivering and whimpering and thrashing weakly as he's bitten over and over. His thighs, which were already fairly ticklish to begin with, become a canvas of overwhelming sensitivity; each bite feels even more intense than the last.
By the time Hua Cheng leans back, even the soft stir of his breath is enough to bring tears to Xie Lian's eyes.
"San Lang," he pleads, voice warbling in his desperation.
"Mm, San Lang is here," Hua Cheng soothes him. "His highness is so beautiful like this. I haven't even touched you there yet, and you're already in such a state."
"P-Please," Xie Lian whimpers. "Please, I need your mouth—"
If his mind wasn't clouded and delirious with lust, Xie Lian might never have been able to say something so shameless. But he has no care for saving face right now—he's desperate to come, to release the tension that's been building in his stomach for what feels like an eternity.
"Whatever his highness desires," Hua Cheng purrs, and then he dips his head between Xie Lian's legs.
The first brush of his tongue against Xie Lian's entrance is almost kittenish, as if sampling a fine delicacy for the first time and doing everything to savor it. His breath puffs hotly alongside it, and Xie Lian's fingers spasm from where they've been bound tightly.
The next lick is a little bolder, dipping further into that wet heat, and the one that follows even more so. Even now, Hua Cheng is teasing him—but Xie Lian knows, in spite of how torturous it is, that he won't manage it for long.
Sure enough, Hua Cheng only manages a few more teasing laps before his restraint finally crumbles. With a soft moan, he tightens his grip around Xie Lian's thigh to tug him closer, and then he buries himself into his god's aching cunt in earnest.
After all of the time they'd spent entangled with one another, Hua Cheng was well-familiar with how best to please Xie Lian. His tongue drags over Xie Lian's entrance and slips inside of him with ruthless precision, stroking languidly against the inside of his walls and pulling a hoarse cry from Xie Lian's throat. Soon after, one of his fingers slides easily into its place, pressing in deep and curling upwards as Hua Cheng's mouth moves to instead wrap around the swollen head of his cock.
Xie Lian wails, tugging fiercely at Ruoye's binds in futile as that finger works him relentlessly open, quickly joined by a second once Hua Cheng finds no resistance. He continues to suck and lick messily around Xie Lian's cock as he stretches him open, fingers scissoring apart as he thrusts them in and out of him.
Each drag of both tongue and fingers sends Xie Lian spiraling closer and closer to the edge. He's desperate to bury his fingers in Hua Cheng's long hair, but Ruoye is unrelenting, only growing tighter with each tug he gives.
"S-San Lang," Xie Lian pleads between heavy pants. "I want—I need to—please, San Lang, ahh, hah, I—let me—"
One dark eye flicks up to meet his, almost predatory in the way it fixes upon him.
For a moment, Xie Lian fears he's about to be ignored, if only for the sake of Hua Cheng drinking in the sight of him so desperate. But then his gaze shifts slightly upwards, narrowing, and just like that, the silken band around Xie Lian's wrists loosens and slips away, leaving him free to move as he pleases.
Soon after, Hua Cheng redoubles his efforts—still watching Xie Lian with that predatory gaze, he increases the pressure of his sinful tongue and the speed of his blasphemous fingers. Xie Lian cries out, hands immediately burying in Hua Cheng's hair as he'd wanted to, tugging so harshly that it clouds over Hua Cheng's vision.
"Haah, hah, San Lang, my San Lang," Xie Lian stammers, reduced to babbling nonsensically. "You feel so good—it feels so good, so—ah…. hah!"
His orgasm barrels towards him so intensely that it nearly blinds him. As his pleasure crests upwards, Xie Lian's hands fumble without direction, fingers brushing against those soft black ears on Hua Cheng's head. Without thinking, he grabs onto them and tugs.
It rips a sound from inside of Hua Cheng's throat that Xie Lian has never heard before, stuck somewhere between a snarl and a low whine as his ministrations stutter clumsily. That's all it takes to push Xie Lian over the edge; with a gasping moan of Hua Cheng's name on his lips, he comes so hard that his vision goes white.
Each wave of it crashes over him like the ocean tide, thighs shaking uncontrollably and breaths coming in ragged pants. Hua Cheng gently coaxes him through it on his fingers, lightening his tongue to instead stroke soothingly around his sensitive cock.
Only when it reaches a point of being too overstimulating does Xie Lian finally push him weakly away. Hua Cheng obediently reclines, and as Xie Lian gazes breathlessly down at him he realizes the rims of his lover's eyes are slightly red and unshed tears cast a hazy look over his normally intensely bright irises.
"A-Ah? San Lang, you're crying," Xie Lian stammers, the sight sobering him as he sits up to take Hua Cheng's face in his shaky hands. "What's wrong? Was I too rough? I'm so s—"
"Not too rough," Hua Cheng interrupts, his voice especially raspy. He presses one last kiss between Xie Lian's legs before climbing his way carefully back up his body. "It felt good. It always feels good when his highness uses me."
Struck with such a way of phrasing things, Xie Lian can't decide whether to laugh or cry. "Using you… that's a bit…."
"I mean it," Hua Cheng murmurs, leaning down until his lips brush over Xie Lian's. "When you're rough with me, it's because you feel too good to stop yourself. I want to make you feel so good you forget how to be gentle altogether."
The low, husky tone of his voice coupled with the warmth of his breath against Xie Lian's mouth makes it hard to argue much further. Xie Lian parts his lips in a soft 'oh' of acceptance, and Hua Cheng smiles a little before leaning down to kiss him properly. The taste of his own blood, sweat, and come spills through Xie Lian's mind like honey, leaving him feeling warm and heavy and content.
For a while, they get lost in each other like that; Hua Cheng takes his time kissing and doting on him, lazily licking into his mouth while Xie Lian's hands roam through his hair and down his back. Finding the obstruction of his robes to be bothersome, Xie Lian carefully slips it off his shoulders and down his back. The bare skin beneath his hands is slightly feverish and damp with sweat; desperate to taste him, Xie Lian tugs Hua Cheng closer and lets his lips wander over his jaw and along his bared throat.
Hua Cheng shivers but allows it, lowering himself down to his elbow and bending his neck as Xie Lian kisses his throat. When Xie Lian replaces his lips with the careful sweep of his tongue over the soft skin, Hua Cheng moans, his tail swaying eagerly as it brushes Xie Lian's ankles.
San Lang's new ears and tail really are much more honest, Xie Lian thinks to himself, nipping gently at Hua Cheng's throat to pull another whine from him. It's too cute… I can't help myself.
Inspired by the burst of affection that line of thought brings with it, Xie Lian wraps one leg around Hua Cheng's waist and then easily flips them over, so Hua Cheng is pressed flat beneath him instead. Xie Lian drinks in the sight of him, sprawled with his inky hair spilling beneath him and his one eye dark with want. Hua Cheng's ears twitch back a bit at losing his point of advantage, but his tail still sways eagerly beneath him, happy to oblige.
"San Lang is so beautiful," Xie Lian praises, leaning down to rest his forehead gently against Hua Cheng's. "Ruoye, come."
Hua Cheng, whose eye had gone soft with affection, blinks in surprise—and then that eye widens as Ruoye encircles the wrists he has draped over Xie Lian's shoulders and raises them to be pinned above his head, perfectly mirroring Xie Lian's position earlier.
Hua Cheng squirms a little. "Gege?"
"Stay there," Xie Lian says. "Let me dote on you a little."
Helpless and confused, Hua Cheng has no choice but to allow it. Xie Lian praises him again, leaning down to brush his lips over Hua Cheng's once more before dipping lower. He takes his time and maps every inch of Hua Cheng that he can with his mouth, from the dip of his collarbones over his smooth shoulders and down his chest, which heaves as his breath picks up under Xie Lian's careful attention.
With each kiss, Xie Lian draws in a bit of his spiritual power, feeling it surge through him like a river current. Hua Cheng manages to keep quiet for about three minutes before he starts squirming again, restless.
"Gege, can't you let me—"
"Ruoye, pull him up," Xie Lian interrupts, leaning back.
Eager to oblige and eager to manhandle the Ghost King himself, Ruoye goes taut as it yanks itself upwards. Hua Cheng has no choice but to scramble back into a half-sitting position, eye flashing in confusion.
"Good, Ruoye," Xie Lian praises. "Keep his arms tied behind his back for me now."
Ruoye whistles, guiding Hua Cheng to do exactly that. Pleased, Xie Lian smiles to himself—and then, with all the audacity of a man who has done this sort of thing countless times, he climbs over Hua Cheng and seats himself firmly in his lap.
Hua Cheng's breath catches a little. Like this, they're nearly eye-to-eye. Feeling rather satisfied with this pliant and kiss-drunk version of Hua Cheng beneath him, Xie Lian leans forward to kiss him, fingers scratching gently through his lover's long hair. Hua Cheng makes a soft noise in the back of his throat, twitching a bit in his restraints as he licks eagerly at the seam of Xie Lian's lips.
When Xie Lian reaches up to run his fingers over those fuzzy ears, Hua Cheng's hips jerk up subconsciously beneath him. He freezes immediately after, but the damage is done; Xie Lian's lips curve into a self-satisfied smile against Hua Cheng's mouth.
"… Gege," Hua Cheng whines plaintively.
"Mm, I'm here," Xie Lian assures him, tugging gently on Hua Cheng's ear to make him whine again. "You really are sensitive here, huh?"
"You're teasing me…."
Now that he has to correct. With his right hand, Xie Lian brushes his fingers gently down Hua Cheng's chest before dropping down between them to press against his cock through his pants.
Hua Cheng stutters on a moan, bucking reflexively into his hand.
"Not teasing," Xie Lian assures him. "Just trying to rile you up."
Hua Cheng seems to not have the wherewithal to complain about that; with another whine, he presses his hips upwards once more, chasing the warmth of Xie Lian's palm. Xie Lian nuzzles at his jaw as he strokes him languidly through his clothes a few times, before reaching down and freeing him from the confines of his pants completely.
As soon as his hand wraps around Hua Cheng's bare cock, Hua Cheng's ears flatten to his skull. A whimper bursts through his clenched teeth as Xie Lian's fingers work gently around him, spreading a sticky mixture of come and precome with each glide of his hand.
"San Lang is already so hard," Xie Lian purrs, emboldened by how needy the Hua Cheng beneath him is. "Does petting your ears really feel that good?"
"Good," Hua Cheng confirms breathlessly. "Feels so good when gege touches me, no matter where—haah…."
Hua Cheng's honesty makes his head spin. Suddenly, Xie Lian has no mind to keep playing games; he leans back and meets Hua Cheng's gaze.
"I'm going to put it in now," he declares.
Hua Cheng's eye widens, but before he has the chance to react, Xie Lian is lining himself up and pressing the head of Hua Cheng's cock against his entrance. It's so slippery between them that it takes a few attempts to line up properly, but as soon as it catches, Xie Lian's breath seizes. Even after all this time, Hua Cheng is still overwhelmingly large; with an angle like this, he's bound to go deep, much deeper than he would horizontally.
"Gege," Hua Cheng says, tone soft despite the strain of lust beneath it. "Don't force yourself, I—"
Xie Lian silences him with his mouth. And then, inch by inch, he lowers himself down into Hua Cheng's lap.
The stretch is indescribable. His thighs start trembling immediately, so he braces his free arm over Hua Cheng's shoulder to balance himself, head drooping as his breaths come fast and shallow. Despite how wet and open he is from their playing before, it feels as if he's being stuffed to the brim—so full he can hardly breathe.
Something soft brushes against his hip. He glances down to see an inky black tail wrap itself around his waist, soft and soothing against his heated skin. When he looks up, Hua Cheng's gaze is pouring out affection.
"Gege is taking me so well," Hua Cheng praises breathily, tail stroking along his side. "It feels so good inside, so warm and tight. You're doing so well. Don't rush."
"F-Feels good?" Xie Lian confirms, eyes watering.
"Mm, the best feeling in the world," Hua Cheng says, the words spilling from him freely at his encouragement. "It's so hard to keep from pushing myself up inside of you, just to fill you up with my c—mmph…."
Xie Lian doesn't allow him to finish, surging forward and pressing their mouths clumsily together as his ears burn red. It was one thing to do such depraved things, and entirely another to hear Hua Cheng talk about it in such filthy words; his heart is pounding in his throat.
It does, however, stoke his desperation to be filled up just as Hua Cheng described. So, fingers digging fiercely into Hua Cheng's nape to ground himself, Xie Lian exhales hard into Hua Cheng's mouth and then sinks down onto his cock all in one go.
Hua Cheng immediately breaks away from the kiss to pant and groan heavily, hips jerking against his will to bury himself even further in his heat. Xie Lian lets out a quiet squeak that he quickly bites down on, shifting his hips to make sure he's properly full and sheathed inside.
"Fuck," Hua Cheng breathes out; a rare word from him, and one that sends a thrill down Xie Lian's spine. "Fuck, it's so— mmm… gege, look."
The tail around Xie Lian's waist tightens almost imperceptibly, the tip of it brushing over Xie Lian's stomach. Xie Lian looks down as instructed and sees a slight bulge where it rests, and he has to blink several times to convince himself he's not seeing things.
Is San Lang… bigger than usual?
Somewhat delirious, Xie Lian takes the hand he'd been using to guide Hua Cheng inside of him and uses it to press gently against that bulge. His breath catches, and Hua Cheng sucks in a sharp breath of his own, twitching.
"Oh," Xie Lian exhales. "Oh, god."
"Mm," Hua Cheng agrees softly, leaning up to trail his lips reverently over Xie Lian's jaw. "My god. Use this believer as you wish."
Xie Lian needs no further encouragement. Steadying himself, he slowly rises his hips a few inches off of Hua Cheng's cock, and then just as slowly sinks back down with a trembling exhale. His breaths come out fast into Hua Cheng's mouth as he starts a careful rhythm, weight bearing on Hua Cheng's shoulder to brace himself.
He's so full. It feels hard to even think.
The tail that Hua Cheng has wrapped around him wanders just as his hands would have if they weren't bound, snaking over Xie Lian's waist and brushing soothingly over his heated skin. His one eye burns as he watches Xie Lian slowly fuck himself open on his cock, soft moans spilling from his mouth, as if commiting the sight to memory.
It doesn't take long to find a rhythm; after the number of times they'd done this, fucking himself comes almost as a second nature to Xie Lian. Tangling his fingers in the hair at the nape of Hua Cheng's neck and resting their foreheads together, he uses the strength of his thighs to bring his hips up and down, each drag of his lover's cock inside of him stoking the flames in his belly higher and higher.
It takes all of his mental fortitude to keep his eyes open, if only to see the way that Hua Cheng watches him, lips parted around shallow moans and eye blazing with hunger. The longer that Xie Lian rides him, the more that Hua Cheng struggles in Ruoye's restraint—if it weren't for the fact that the silk band was a divine instrument, it would have surely been torn to shreds ages ago. But its grip remains steadfast, even as the moans in Hua Cheng's throat shift gradually into low whines and growls, hips jerking clumsily upwards to chase Xie Lian's heat with each laborious rise of his hips.
A thin sheen of sweat has settled over Xie Lian's upper body from the exertion, and his thighs tremble as the pleasure hazes his bearings. Hua Cheng makes a pitiful sound, nosing into the curve of Xie Lian's jaw and nipping softly at the sensitive skin of his throat.
"Gege, gege," he whispers hoarsely, pleading. "Let me. Let me take care of you, hm? I'll make you feel good."
Xie Lian opens his mouth to reply, but a sharp thrust of Hua Cheng's hips beneath him punches out a gasp instead, sinking even deeper inside of him than Xie Lian had felt him before.
In the end, Xie Lian only manages to babble something incoherent—something that must register as an agreement, because soon after he feels Ruoye slide back into place on his wrist. The world spins as Hua Cheng pins him under his weight again without another word.
In an instant, Hua Cheng's hands are all over him.
As it trying to make up for being deprived of it for so long, he touches every inch of Xie Lian's body he can reach, stroking down his neck and over his chest and digging his fingers into the flesh of his trembling thighs. A warm mouth collides with his in the same instand that he feels Hua Cheng's cock splitting him open again—he hadn't even noticed him slipping out earlier.
The sob Xie Lian makes is quickly swallowed by Hua Cheng's mouth, and he can only scrabble clumsily at his shoulders as Hua Cheng takes on a punishing pace, hips rolling and cock pushing into him so deeply it makes Xie Lian see stars. Sharp teeth catch against his lip as Xie Lian wraps his legs around Hua Cheng's hips to pull him even closer, and a brief coppery taste bathes his tongue before Hua Cheng just as quickly laps the wound closed.
There's an almost animalistic urgency in the way Hua Cheng thrusts into him, clumsy and bruising and chasing his own pleasure. Xie Lian can tell that his affliction from Mount Tonglu is reaching its fever pitch. He cards his hands shakily through Hua Cheng's hair to sweep it out of his face and then runs them over the soft rise of his fuzzy ears, which are pressed flat against his skull from exertion.
One red eye watches him hungrily as Xie Lian pets them over and over, and then something soft but strong wraps around Xie Lian's waist and pulls them flush together—his tail. Hua Cheng growls low in his throat, chest rumbling against Xie Lian's, and then he buries his face in Xie Lian's neck without warning and bites.
Perhaps coincidentally or perhaps not, the place that he sinks his teeth into is in the same location as one of his bites from before. The skin is therefor significantly more sensitive, and Xie Lian makes a noise somewhere between a sob and a scream as he arches into it, the pinpricks of pain sending waves of pleasure coursing down his spine. Encouraged by the sound, Hua Cheng fucks him even harder, the ruthless snap of his hips growing clumsy in his haste. Xie Lian can tell that he's getting close, and that knowledge brings him spiraling rapidly towards completion as well.
"G-Give it to me, San Lang," Xie Lian gasps, tilting his head so that his lips brush against Hua Cheng's soft ear. "You've done so well, now f-fill me up—haah, hah, please, San Lang—I want it, I want all of it, give me your come—"
Hua Cheng snarls, the grip he has on Xie Lian's hips bruising. It's all the warning that Xie Lian receives before Hua Cheng buries his cock deep inside of him and comes with a sob, pumping an endless amount of both come and spiritual energy into him. The feeling of that warmth spilling inside of him and the throb of Hua Cheng's length pressing against his walls is all it takes for Xie Lian to follow after him, pulling him close and clenching around his cock to milk every ounce of his orgasm he can get.
The aftershocks roll through them both in heavy waves; dimly, Xie Lian can feel the wet heat of Hua Cheng's tongue dragging itself tiredly over his throat to seal his bite, but even the heightened sensitivity doesn't get through the satisfied haze that settles over his mind. It takes several minutes just to catch his breath, and several more to settle the spirtual energy that rips through him violently in waves.
When he finally manages to crack open his eyes, he finds Hua Cheng gazing down at him, soft with adoration.
"Ah," Xie Lian says, his voice raspy. "Shoot."
Hua Cheng blinks. "Hm? Is something wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong," Xie Lian assures him, reaching up to brush some of Hua Cheng's hair out of his face. "I was just mourning the fact that I didn't get to confirm a theory."
Now Hua Cheng looks properly confused. "A theory?"
"Mm," Xie Lian says sleepily. His mind his heavy.
"And what was gege theorizing about?"
"Your tail," Xie Lian mumbles. "I was wondering if it would stick straight up in the air when San Lang came for me."
Silence yawns in the wake of his response. It takes Xie Lian a few seconds of dozing off to finally realize what he's just said out loud, and then he's wide awake.
"I-I mean! I wasn't—" Me and my stupid mouth! "Not that I was experimenting on San Lang! Obviously it's not important! It was just—I was just—it's a silly thought I had, San Lang please don't think too hard about it, I really don't know where the heck that thought even came fr—"
"Pfft."
The soft snicker above him effectively cuts off Xie Lian's panicked excuses at the stem. He dares a glance and sees Hua Cheng gazing down at him with mirth sparkling in his eye, lips twitching as if he's trying really hard not to laugh out loud. Trying, and ultimately failing when they lock gazes—with a choked laugh, Hua Cheng collapses on top of him completely, his entire body shaking with laughter as he rolls onto his side and pulls Xie Lian close to him. His cock slips out of him with the motion, but Xie Lian is too embarrassed to notice it much.
"Gege is too cute," Hua Cheng manages between fits of restrained laughter. "I'm sorry—I promise I'm not laughing at you—it's just… you're really way too cute!"
Xie Lian can't help but feel a little slighted, even as he melts into Hua Cheng's sticky embrace with a whine. "San Lang…."
"Mm, I know, I know," San Lang soothes as he slowly recovers himself, leaning in to pepper hundreds of featherlight kisses over Xie Lian's face and neck. "Gege's mind always wanders so much when we play. He can't help it."
It's the honest truth. They're both well-aware of the fact that Xie Lian has a mind that tends to run faster and faster the busier that the rest of him gets. He truly couldn't help himself, and that fleeting thought of his had haunted him for a good part of their entanglement.
Ultimately, though, pleasure had won—he'd completely forgotten to check!
Dismayed at both being teased and at his failure to satisfy his curiosity, Xie Lian wraps his arms around Hua Cheng's middle and buries his face in his chest. Once he's settled himself down, Hua Cheng rakes his fingers soothingly through Xie Lian's hair, working out all of the tangles from their rolling around and pressing his lips to the crown of his head. He murmurs soft platitudes until Xie Lian's embarrassment finally settles down.
Dimly, Xie Lian notices there's a soft thumping sound coming from nearby. He blinks, going still, and listens for a moment. Thump, thump, thump. Like somebody patting the bed, or rather—
Xie Lian wiggles out of Hua Cheng's grasp, ignoring the confused noise his lover makes to crane his neck and look over Hua Cheng's shoulder.
Sure enough, there it is. That long, fluffy black tail—wagging against the bed so fiercely that it audibly thumps with each movement. It halts when Xie Lian catches sight of it, almost sheepishly, and a burst of affection wells through Xie Lian so fiercely he has no choice but to collapse into Hua Cheng's arms again, whining.
"San Lang," he mumbles into Hua Cheng's chest.
A brief pause, and then the thumping slowly returns. "Hm?"
"You need to change back quickly."
"I thought gege liked this form?"
Xie Lian squeezes his eyes shut. "I can't take it anymore. It's too cute. San Lang is too cute to handle, so he has to change back."
A rumbling laugh trembles in Hua Cheng's chest, and the thumping of his tail picks up even faster. "That won't do."
"Please, I'm begging you…."
"Mm, as much as I love hearing you beg, it's still a no," Hua Cheng tells him, fingers running down Xie Lian's bare spine.
Xie Lian shivers at his touch. "Why not?"
"Gege said it himself," Hua Cheng murmurs, voice growing huskier as he lowers it. "He hasn't confirmed that theory of his yet, has he?"
* * *
And thus, they spend the rest of their night experimenting.
By the time all of the excess spiritual power in Hua Cheng—and Xie Lian's curiosity—is exhausted, dawn has nearly broken on Puqi Shrine. Xie Lian falls asleep bundled in Hua Cheng's arms, littered in mostly-healed bites and bruises and a soft tail curled around his waist like a blanket.
When he wakes up, Hua Cheng remains. His tail and ears and sharp canines, however, are decidedly gone.
Xie Lian does his best not to let it show that he mourns it, just a little bit. He peppers Hua Cheng in kisses and pets until the growling of his stomach drags them out of bed, and then Hua Cheng picks him up and sits him down on the kitchen counter to watch as he prepares breakfast for them both.
Evidently, Xie Lian must cast too many mournful looks at the the empty top of his head and uninterrupted smooth bend of his spine, because Hua Cheng casually asks them once they've finished eating, "Does gege miss them?"
Xie Lian blinks, snapping out of it. "Hm?"
Hua Cheng, seeming to have already received his answer, lets a smile play over his lips. He steps forward into Xie Lian's space, crowding him against the kitchen counter.
"I said," Hua Cheng repeats, placing one hand on the counter behind Xie Lian to cage him in, "does gege miss them?"
Xie Lian can only form one rational thought in response: this fox really has shown his tail! From the sly curve of his lips to the sparkle in his eye, Hua Cheng didn't even need those extra appendages to show off his foxishness—it was written all over him!
"S-San Lang, you…" Xie Lian swallows around his heartbeat thrumming nervously in his throat. "Why don't you… back up first…."
Hua Cheng hums, apparently displeased at the thought. Instead of backing up, he leans even closer, dipping his head to ghost his lips over the curve of Xie Lian's jaw. When he bites down, Xie Lian yelps, flattening his hands on Hua Cheng's chest and weakly pushing him back.
Normally, such a feeble attempt would just result in Hua Cheng biting him even harder. This time, however, he allows himself to be pushed back, licking his lips and looking at Xie Lian with a wounded expression through his lashes.
"How heartless," Hua Cheng whines. "Now that I'm back to normal, gege doesn't want me anymore."
The display is so pitiful that it makes a pang of guilt sink into Xie Lian's heart. He quickly moves to comfort him, taking Hua Cheng's face in his hands and pressing a kiss against his pouting lips.
"Don't be silly," Xie Lian chides. "Of course I want you, San Lang. When have I ever not wanted you?"
Hua Cheng's eye brightens. It takes Xie Lian a moment too long to recognize that mischief that glimmers behind it.
"You want me?"
"Mm, always," Xie Lian assures him with a soft smile. "I love all of San Lang's forms equally, so—"
Thump. Thump. Thump, thump.
Xie Lian falls silent. The thumping speeds up: thump, thump, thump, thump thump thump thu—
When he lifts his gaze, he finds two black ears pricked high and alert on Hua Cheng's head. As soon as he lays eyes on them, he realizes that he's been thoroughly played with.
"San Lang," Xie Lian says sternly.
"Mm, I'm here," Hua Cheng replies happily, stepping forward to bundle Xie Lian in his arms again. "How does gege like them? No Mount Tonglu needed this time. If I'd known that gege liked this kind of thing so much earlier, I would have started wearing them back when we first met."
"You—" Xie Lian is about to chastise him for the sake of saving face a little bit, but then the thump thump of Hua Cheng's tail picks up and he can't bring himself to do it. Instead, he sighs. "I was being honest just now, you know…."
"I know," Hua Cheng assures him, kissing his forehead. "Gege is always so honest. He doesn't need ears and a tail to show his real feelings at all; he wears them so plainly on his sleeve."
Xie Lian makes a helpless noise, but it's quickly swallowed by Hua Cheng's mouth covering his. Whatever else he has to complain about is quickly discarded to worry about later; his concerns are quickly swept aside by the tail that wraps around his legs and the sharp teeth nipping playfully at his lips.
By the time that they finish rolling around Puqi Shrine that day, Xie Lian is far too tired to care about maintaining his dignity anyway. He simply pulls Hua Cheng's head into his lap and strokes his ears until his lover's soft laughter melts into pleased moans, long tail curled languidly around his own body.
Henceforth does Hua Cheng come to understand himself to be in possession of one of the most lethal weapons in his endlessly expansive armory to date, and probably the only one he would ever dare to yield against his highness—two fluffy black ears, sharp teeth, and one long, mischievous fox's tail.