Archive of Our Own

"Gege, want to get married?”  

Xie Lian was struck dumb. “...Huh?” 

Such an intent gaze, such words; they were in such close quarters with nowhere to run. Colors exploded in Xie Lian’s vision, and his mind went completely blank. His entire body was frozen, stiffer than a corpse.

Seeing his reaction, Hua Cheng withdrew his arm and let out a snicker. “It’s a joke. Did I shock gege?” 

Xie Lian only snapped out of it with concerted effort. Then his eyes crinkled at the corner, and his mouth curled into the faintest semblance of a smile. "No, it just caught me off guard-" There was no lie in his voice. "But I would like San Lang to repeat his question."

It was Hua Cheng's turn to be surprised. He rubbed his neck, his voice uncertain: "Um, I just thought..." He trailed off, his gaze focused on everything except Xie Lian's. "I just thought that....well...you know...if the topic ever arose...that it would be good if that person was me?" His voice rose an octave or so with the last few words, and his visible eye returned to Xie Lian.

He paused, presumably so that Xie Lian could consider his words.

"Well, don't stop now," Xie Lian said, allowing himself to draw the smallest inch closer to Hua Cheng. "I don't quite follow San Lang. Please be clear."

Xie Lian suppressed a smile in an attempt to appear genuinely confused. Hua Cheng fidgeted but remained silent, so Xie Lian offered in a suggestive tone.

"Was San Lang offering to marry me?"

He was rewarded with an intense blush that turned Hua Cheng's ears pink. 

The Ghost King sputtered out a response. "I...Yes? No! Maybe?" He paused to bury his head in the palm of his hand. His dark hair fell in waves, obscuring any further embarrassment. 

Xie Lian couldn't help his curiosity and, with feather-like touches, used his hand to lift the curtain of obsidian locks to reveal a positively red face, hidden in the crook of an arm.

"Gege is teasing me, isn't he?"

Xie Lian laughed and withdrew his hand. "How did San Lang expect me to react when asking such an unexpected question?"

The words seemed to halt Hua Cheng's actions, and his embarrassed splutters were replaced by pure silence. The Ghost carriage rumbled onwards, a soft clacking of the wheels against the earth being the only sounds in the vicinity.

Xie Lian chided himself internally and quickly rushed to rectify his mistake. Had he gone too far in teasing Hua Cheng, scared him away, and ruined the moment? He fumbled with what words he could say, anything at all just to get that adorable flush back again. But he was cut off when a very red, very silent Hua Cheng moved closer, erasing any sense of personal space they would previously had.

A hand rested on Xie Lian's cheek, and Hua Cheng began with the most intense, yet fragile, expression:

"What I meant to say is. I want to go on dates with Gege. Be with him every moment of the day. Hold his hand, give that telltale blush, and silly stammer when Gege says something cute." Hua Cheng leaned closer with each confession, and Xie Lian met his gaze without hesitation.

Hua Cheng continued, his gaze fixed on Xie Lian's. "I want to have our fingers laced. I want to see Gege dressed up in his finest. I want to buy him trinkets to adorn him with; nothing beats his radiant light, but it is nice to treat someone once in a while. And to kiss his forehead in the cold hours of the day when he requires warmth."

Hua Cheng touched their foreheads together with a aching, sweet gentleness and his lips quirked up in the smallest of ways that Xie Lian fought an inescapable urge to kiss it. Just like how he was fighting the surge of heat that exploded throughout his body, but it had already spread from his heart to the tips of his toes.

"So, I ask, will His Highness marry this humble one?"

Xie Lian used every scrap of strength he had to hold still. Hua Cheng wasn't the only one blushing now. His body thrummed, filled with pure warmth that made his heart ache. He felt a rush of fluttering emotions in his chest all at once. It was so intense and uncontrollable that he thought it might burst at any moment.

What could Xie Lian say in response to such a sweet confession, especially one from his San Lang?

Xie Lian paused for dramatic effect before leaning into Hua Cheng, pressing them flush against each other and closing the smallest gaps between them. He asked jokingly, "Will San Lang be able to handle marrying this unlucky god?"

Hua Cheng had a loving expression on his face, and the gentlest of caresses brushed across Xie Lian's face, leaving the slightest touch on his lips as a whisper that Xie Lian could not understand.

"Gege can never be unlucky. And of course San Lang would treasure him everyday."

"Every hour?"

"Every minute."

"Every second?"

"Every-"

Xie Lian interrupted, taking the moment into his own hands. The distance between them, even if it was such a scant measure, was simply too much. So Xie Lian shifted to pull their lips together and relished the soft noise that slipped from Hua Cheng.

The kiss held a lifetime of emotions. Their previous kisses paled in comparison to this. Xie Lian snaked his arms up, around a cold but inviting neck, attempting to pull himself closer - if that was even possible. 

His San Lang wholeheartedly reciprocated, wrapping his arms around Xie Lian's waist and pulling him into his lap without breaking apart. It made Xie Lian feel weightless, and his stomach fluttered. Their lips fit perfectly against each other as if they were always meant to be entwined, like two pieces of a puzzle finally coming together. 

When they finally parted, Xie Lian spoke in raspy tones, his cheeks flushed red, and his lips kissed thoroughly. "San Lang."

The man holding him hummed. "Your Highness?"

"Yes, I'll marry you."