Work Text:
After spending so many years roaming both Heaven and Earth, dates became inconsequential. Days bled together. A bad day, a delicious meal, an hour of entertainment, none of it was memorable when an eternity of them had occurred. Who had the brain width to keep up with everything going on?
It was only recently that Xie Lian realized that, in actuality, he had merely forgotten the significance of the little moments. Or rather it had slipped his mind that they were in fact, worth celebrating. Perhaps he hadn’t had many memories worth commemorating. But this last year had been nothing short of bliss. Every single second that he spent with Hua Cheng was worth remembering, every moment cradled tenderly in his heart. Even their time spent apart was suddenly more noteworthy, if for no other reason than it allowed anticipation to build inside his chest, until it burst upon their reunion, sweetness flooding his system.
More and more his mind had been circling on this train of thought. It was coming up on a year that they’d been together. A year since Hua Cheng had returned to him, lighting up every day with a joy that he was unaccustomed to. It wasn’t so outlandish to want to celebrate. On Earth people gave gifts freely to mark occasions but Xie Lian was a God of Scraps. He had nothing to offer Hua Cheng that could even begin to convey the depths of his emotions. For a man who could acquire anything and everything he could ever possibly want, what did Xie Lian have to give?
Movement to the left caught his attention and he looked up just in time to see Hua Cheng push strands of hair away from his face. Lounging on a chaise that was almost big enough to be considered a bed, he was completely at ease, book propped open. A more handsome face didn’t exist. In every form he chose to take he was always able to capture the attention of the room. Yet like this, the side of him that only Xie Lian was graced with seeing, he was perfect. In every sense of the word.
Once again a hand came up, long graceful fingers tucking errant strands of hair behind his ears. Xie Lian tracked the movement, unable to look away. Instantly a flash of inspiration hit him. Just a few days prior, while working the market to collect scraps, a stall filled to the brim with accessories had caught his attention. More specifically the hair clips had drawn his eye. While the ones on display were too ostentatious and certainly not within his price range, at the present moment he couldn’t help but to imagine one on Hua Cheng. Something smaller, clean lines, maybe with butterflies, as they never failed to delight.
It would be both practical and sentimental, as Xie Lian would be able to make it himself. Rather than mulling over the technicalities, his mind was filled with the thought of braiding Hua Cheng’s hair, slipping the clips into place to complete the look. Clapping his hands together in delight, he unintentionally drew the attention of Hua Cheng.
“What is Gege thinking of?” Hua Cheng asked, dropping the book into his lap as he sent a devastating smile in Xie Lian’s direction. Heat crawled up his face. Even after all this time all it took was one look to set his heart aflutter.
“San Lang is so cute, I can’t help but be happy,” Xie Lian said.
“Gege should join me. To get a better view up close,” Hua Cheng teased, voice high and light. Propping himself up against the back of the chair, he spread his arms in invitation. Xie Lian didn’t even think about denying himself.
“There are no bad views,” he pointed out, closing the distance between them to settle into the open space between Hua Chengs’s spread legs. Leaning back against a strong chest, a sigh of satisfaction slipped out as arms encircled him. The book materialized in front of them, held securely in one large hand.
Lips pressed against the top of his head. Before Xie Lian had a chance to turn and capture the lips in a proper kiss, Hua Cheng started reading again, this time out loud, his voice a quiet murmur in Xie Lian’s ear. The low, deep voice soaked into him, warming every single inch as his muscles turned to jelly and he practically melted against San Lang.
Everything after that was a hazy blur, the only thing remaining was the sure and absolute knowledge that he was loved, wholly and unconditionally.
The next morning Xie Lian woke up buzzing with excitement to get started. That energy manifested itself in cleaning and restacking the fruits that were piled high in the kitchen. Hua Cheng watched the whole thing with an indulgent smile on his face, snacking on the breakfast that Xie Lian had whipped together earlier.
With only a week until the anniversary of their getting together, he was impatient to get started. He’d already mentally gone through the scraps that he had accumulated recently. At the shrine he had sheets of metal, extras that had been donated by the village when they’d been making repairs around the town. Barely scuffed, easily stackable, he’d stored them away for a rainy day. Rough times were only a corner turn away and old habits die hard. Hua Cheng had assured him that he would never have a need for them, certainly not for as long as he was alive (ha!). Today his habits were paying off.
“What does Gege have planned for today?” Hua Cheng asked, waving his hand to clear away his bowl as he gracefully rose, intercepting Xie Lian in his journey across the kitchen. An arm snaked its way around his waist and his lips were occupied before he had a chance to respond. One kiss turned into two, then three. Slow and languid. If he allowed him to, Hua Cheng would keep him occupied the whole day with kisses.
“I haven’t been to the shrine in awhile,” Xie Lian said. Which was true. Between Hua Cheng, collecting scraps, and his exploration of Ghost City, his last visit to the shrine has grown further and further away.
“Would Gege like company?” The question was asked with zero expectations attached.
“No, no. San Lang has his own things to take care of,” Xie Lian waved it away. True enough, the night prior they’d been strolling through Ghost City, hand in hand, only to be bombarded with complaints. A glance from Hua Cheng had silenced them; a glance and a promise that their concerns would be addressed immediately. “He’s so popular.”
“You’re teasing,” Hua Cheng accused, not sounding in the least upset by the prospect.
“San Lang is the most popular,” Xie Lian insisted. Not that he could blame people. Hua Cheng had a pull that was hard to ignore, though why anyone would even try he couldn’t fathom.
“Only one peron’s opinion matters to me,” he said, hand coming up and sweeping along Xie Lian’s forehead, twirling a strand of hair around his finger. There was mere inches between and butterflies erupted in Xie Lian’s stomach. That San Lang could say something so embarrassing with such sincerity.
“I will be sure to let Qi Rong know the next time I see him,” he offered, watching in delight as San Lang’s expression turned sour. The laughter that spilled from him came with an ease that was becoming more familiar with each passing day.
“For that you only get one kiss before leaving.” True to his word, Hua Cheng dropped a single kiss on his mouth, one that was entirely too short for Xie Lian’s liking, before pulling away.
Irrationally a stab of yearning hit Xie Lian hard and he couldn’t help but miss Hua Cheng, despite the fact that he was still standing within arms distance. Suppressing the urge to reel him back in, Xie Lian promised to himself that that night was going to be filled to the brim with physical affection.
“I’ll be waiting for you,” Hua Cheng said quietly, scooping up Xie Lian’s hand to press a kiss into his palm. Then he was gone, pausing in the doorway to throw back one last smile. That made him more determined than ever to make something that San Lang would love.
A week later and Xie Lian’s hands were covered in cuts and abrasions. Every night he came back sporting a new battle wound. The first night he hadn’t even realized until Hua Cheng was crowding into his space, gingerly grasping his hands as he fretted over him. Despite the fact they had healed not long after that, he insisted on making dinner for him. A similar pattern had followed the remainder of the week. Xie Lian couldn’t help but feel guilty at enjoying the attention. There was even a day or two when he consciously slowed his healing in order to be greeted at the door with a worried frown and have salve rubbed into his hands, despite the fact Hua Cheng knew as well as anyone that he would be fine.
“Gege needs to be more careful,” Hua Cheng had scolded, for at least the fifth time in as many days. “ You should let me come and help with the clean up. I don’t like seeing you hurt.” It took a few seconds to remember that he’d blamed all his injuries on his clean up effort around the town. A storm had razed through a few weeks prior and there was still a lot of work to do. Rather than getting to spend time fully focused on making Hua Cheng’s gift, Xie Lian found himself dedicating hours to helping with the clean up effort.
Still, the hair clips were finished. Three clips, each with an array of butterflies attached to the top. During the clean up of the town he’d even found a few pretty stones he was able to shine and include in the design! It had turned out to be quite fortuitous. Currently, they were residing in an empty jar in the kitchen, carefully wrapped to ensure they didn’t get damaged.
Now that the day had arrived, one year ago exactly San Lang had come back to him, he found himself nervous over actually presenting the gift.
“Gege has been very distracted this morning,” Hua Cheng commented from behind him, nearly causing Xie Lian to jump in surprise. Turning towards the source of the voice, it was to find his husband leaning against the doorway of the kitchen. Xie Lian didn’t even remember coming into the kitchen to begin with. Laughing quietly at his own ridiculousness, the sound immediately resulted in a smile from Hua Cheng.
“I have a surprise for San Lang,” he confessed. Originally he had intended to do his gift giving after cooking a special dinner but with hours to go until then the anticipation was too much. Straightening, concern settled over Hua Cheng’s face and Xie Lian rushed to reassure him, lest he get the wrong idea. “A good surprise. A gift!”
“A gift?” Hua Cheng repeated, as if testing out the words in his mouth.
“A present,” Xie Lian agreed, nodding enthusiastically.
“For me.” If Xie Lian didn’t know any better, he would attribute the complete bewilderment in Hua Cheng’s tone to a lack of experience in gift receiving. That couldn’t possibly be the case though. In charge of Ghost City, well liked, surely he was swimming in adoring gift givers. Perhaps his confusion came from the reasoning behind the gift giving?
“It’s silly,” Xie Lian said, laughing again, this time from self depreciation. “Did San Lang know that I love him very much? It’s been one whole-”
“-Year since you welcomed me home,” Hua Cheng finished for him. Oh. The way he said it, the soft smile, had emotions clogging Xie Lian’s throat. An indeterminable time passed as he got lost in the prettiest eye, the prettiest face, that he could had ever had the pleasure of gazing upon. He could never tire of this. Shaking himself out of the trance, he hurried over to the counter, scooping up the jar before presenting it to Hua Cheng.
“Your Highness is giving me my own jar? How did you know this is exactly what I wanted,” Hua Cheng said with a straight face, closing the distance between them to accept it with an air of seriousness.
“If you don’t want it…” Xie Lian said, trailing off as he moved the jar out of reach. All that did was succeed in having Hua Cheng step into his personal space, practically flush against him as he used his superior height to his advantage. Easily plucking the jar from his hand, he didn’t bother to step back before opening it and fishing out the carefully wrapped bundle, placing the empty container on the counter.
Holding his breath, Xie Lian scanned Hua Cheng’s face as he slowly opened the package, memorizing every twitch, every scrunch. A myriad of emotions flickered in his eyes before delight settled on every inch of his face. The slight curling of his mouth, eyes soft with emotion, relief flooded Xie Lian at the knowledge that Hua Cheng genuinely liked his gift.
“You made this for me?” Hua Cheng asked quietly, gaze flicking up to lock onto his own.
“Do you like them?” Xie Lian asked, wanting to hear the words.
“I love them,” he assured, fingertips tracing over the detailed butterflies. Rather than giving the kiss that Xie Lian had been anticipating, he moved away as a swarm of his own butterflies appeared in the room, dropping a bag into the open space now between them. Instincts alone had Xie Lian catching it before it hit the floor.
“What - “
“You didn’t think I’d forget did you?” It wasn’t so much that Xie Lian thought he would forget, more than he wouldn’t have seen the significance of commemorating the date. Which, upon proper reflection, was foolish. Of course Hua Cheng would not only remember, but also want to do something for the occasion. Inexplicably misty eyed, Xie Lian tugged at the strings holding the sack closed, giving it his full attention.
Pulling out a new bamboo hat, Xie Lian marvelled over it’s sturdiness. It was somehow lighter than his current one (one that he had been meaning to replace but hadn’t found the time), yet felt stronger than the standard hat. During his inspection it was impossible to miss the intricately carved flowers that wrapped their way around the hat. At a glance it would have been easily missed yet the attention to detail was exquisite. Flowers of all kinds, vines connected them in rambling flowing lines. It was perfect.
“Did San Lang carve this himself?” He asked, despite the fact he already knew the answer. Despite his lack of writing skills, Hua Cheng was talented in many other ways when it came to using his hands, particularly when it came to sculpture and carving.
“I did,” he confirmed.
“So talented,” Xie Lian acknowledged, full to bursting with love.
“Gege deserves the best,” Hua Cheng said. It was a sentiment that he could often be heard touting. After a year of hearing it every day, Xie Lian couldn’t say that he’d readily agree but he had come to accept (and enjoy) the fact that Hua Cheng believed it wholeheartedly.That in itself was enough to bolster his spirits.
“Then it’s a good thing I have San Lang.” Without giving him a chance to wave away the words, Xie Lian leaned up, capturing Hua Cheng’s lips in a quick kiss. “Can I braid San Lang’s hair?”
Thus they spent the day celebrating each other. A day filled with hair braiding and kisses; hand holding and soft embraces. And in those moments, in that day, Xie Lian acknowledged that he truly did have the best of everything. It made all he’d gone through worth it, knowing that this is where he ended up, knowing that no matter what he was blessed with having San Lang by his side for the rest of his life.