Work Text:
Xie Lian gasps into Hua Cheng’s mouth as Hua Cheng pushes closer to him. Hua Cheng’s thigh brushes against… an unmentionable place, and Xie Lian instinctively breaks away to start chanting the Ethics Sutra. This is a poor choice, he realizes within a moment, as it frees up Hua Cheng’s mouth to kiss and bite at his neck - who knew a neck could be so sensitive?!
“San Lang,” he gasps, but Hua Cheng only seems to be spurred on by the noise. His hips move closer, bumping up against Xie Lian’s thigh. And then… he starts to rut against Xie Lian, hips moving sensually, teeth scraping against Xie Lian’s neck, a muffled jingle from below…
Wait. A muffled jingle? And it sounds familiar. Xie Lian’s heart aches, trying to remember.
Centuries ago:
“You’re mine,” Xie Lian tells Wu Ming firmly, threading the last metal loop through his ghost’s labia. Above him, Wu Ming hisses in what should be pain, but Xie Lian can see the slick dripping from him. He takes a moment to run a finger through it, eliciting a shudder. “You’ve chosen me. Forget that beloved of yours.”
“I’m yours,” Wu Ming agrees, sounding blissed out.
Xie Lian nods, producing a strip of fabric from his sleeve. Concentrating, he pours the last of his spiritual energy into it, rendering it unbreakable. “Only I get to be inside you,” he says, beginning to thread the fabric through the piercings.
“Only you,” Wu Ming echoes, no trace of regret in his voice.
Now:
Horror washes over Xie Lian as Hua Cheng continues to grind against him, moaning into his neck. Hua Cheng can’t possibly be Wu Ming, can he?! Wu Ming is dead. Dispersed by Xie Lian’s failure.
Hua Cheng has always felt familiar.
Hua Cheng seems to know him.
Hua Cheng’s accent holds hints of Xianle.
Hua Cheng wears the curse Xie Lian bestowed on Wu Ming.
There’s only one way to be sure. Xie Lian whispers “Forgive me” and slides his hand down Hua Cheng’s stomach.
Three things happen at once. Hua Cheng gasps and shudders, pushing his hips into Xie Lian’s hand. The “unbreakable” strip of fabric (surely, a ghost king could overpower the spell?) recognizes Xie Lian’s touch and unravels, slithering up to wetly, affectionately rub against Xie Lian’s face. And Xie Lian’s stomach turns as he stares at his beloved ghost, the man he’s wronged so many times… his Wu Ming.