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The lunar new year is an especially festive time for Ghost City, where the undead and dead alike come together to celebrate without reserve. There’s constant music being played, the citizens cheer and sing along, and street vendors and prostitutes calling out for prospective clients, never a moment of quiet. This is a place of sin, and the celebrations bring out the people’s depravity.
And tonight, instead of spending his new years with the other gods in heaven along pristine marble halls, Xie Lian is instead sat within the Gambler’s Den, a home of twisted bets and wagers owned by none other than Ghost City’s lord- and more importantly, his dearly beloved- Hua Cheng.
Xie Lian and Hua Cheng watched from atop a golden dais as desperate souls trade their lives away in doomed bets, and as the night passes along the more Xie Lian shifts to sitting in his husband’s lap, feeling as if even a fraction of space between them is a crime.
The building is packed more than usual, so much so that the chatter drowns out the possibility of anyone hearing the couple’s quiet conversations.
Xie Lian rambles on about everything and anything, new swords he’s seen, recent missions he’s been on, and interesting people he’s met. But soon the distance between the shrinks, Xie Lian leaning in to kiss Hua Cheng, as his husband wraps his arms around his waist. Usually the curtains are drawn when Xie Lian is daring enough to initiate anything, but he doesn’t even flinch as a few cheers ring out in the crowd below.
All he knows is that he was to touch his husband, and he wants Hua Cheng to touch him, right now. He feels bold enough to roll his hips against Hua Cheng’s.
Hua Cheng’s hands still his hips, “We can move back to the bedroom if you’d like, gege.”
But- Xie Lian doesn’t want to go back to a private, quiet place like usual. He likes it here in Ghost City, where the people revere Hua Cheng. Up in heaven they do not speak too loudly, but all the other gods have to say about him are complaints. No one knows truly how sweet, compassionate, and utterly perfect his husband is except for his citizens.
“That’s,” Xie Lian pecks Hua Cheng’s lips, “not… it’s not necessary.”
“Oh?” Hua Cheng asks with interest.
Xie Lian feels his face heat up and his eyes wander everywhere avoiding Hua Cheng’s direct gaze. But when Hua Cheng leans down he can’t deny giving his husband another kiss, this one more desperate than before.
Hua Cheng parts from him, making Xie Lian whimper at the loss, “And so gege is so desperate he can’t wait a moment longer- even with a crowd? Should we even close the curtains?”
His husband’s words embarrass him- but isn’t that the point? Hua Cheng knows his mischievousness is endearing to him, but Xie Lian is chasing this feeling. For so long, Xie Lian has felt devoid of anything. He refused to acknowledge his own pain, discarded his pride, and folded up himself to live small.
Now, though, life is vibrant. Everything he feels, he feels with his whole heart. He embraces his newfound joy alongside every sadness, and every other emotion there is to feel. Including his embarrassment.
He’s different from the crown prince he was eight hundred years ago, who threw away his pride after falling from the highest heights. And then as a wandering scrap collector, he didn’t bother with feeling things like humiliation when he was constantly in dire straits.
Pride and humiliation were suppressed lest the emotions overwhelmed and destroyed him.
But even those feelings have returned now in the safety and warmth of his husband’s companionship. He trusts his pain with Hua Cheng, knowing he’ll heal him, and he shares his shame knowing Hua Cheng won’t judge. He lets himself feel humiliated by his husband because he knows Hua Cheng worships him more than anything in the three realms.
“Show them how talented you are- show them how well you love me,” Xie Lian says.
And their lips lock together again, this time Xie Lian opens his mouth to let Hua Cheng’s tongue dive into him, exploring him, devouring him. Hua Cheng’s cold hand slips under Xie Lian’s outer robe, pushing it off his shoulder.
Most of the crowd is still focused on their gambling, but there are whistles and jeering that spring up. It makes Xie Lian start to tremble- from excitement, from being overwhelmed, from humiliation, who’s to say? Whatever it is, it warms him up.
“Strip him bare, Chengzhu!” A ghost shouts, others chiming in to agree while snickering with each other.
Hua Cheng glowers at them, but Xie Lian grapes his sleeve, “Ah, but…”
“But?”
Xie Lian is almost too embarrassed to say his next words, but why is he so concerned? What reputation is he trying to preserve, when the only person’s opinion that matters is Hua Cheng and Hua Cheng loves him flaws and all. So he barrels past the knot in his throat to say, “You should listen to them.”
Hua Cheng watches him closely, examining his red cheeks and glassy eyes. His husband knows him so well, sees the fire burning underneath his skin, and smirks. “A performance, then? You do have the loveliest singing voice, it’d be a shame for others to never get to hear it.”
Xie Lian nods. And then his husband starts to methodically undress him, layer after layer that was meant to protect him from the winter’s chill, until he’s naked. But Xie Lian is already sweating, he feels like he’s burning up.
The crowd starts to slowly shift, noticing the actions of their lord and their lord’s husband. Though plenty aren’t interested, there are still many voices shouting out obscenities that make Xie Lian blush. The warmth of his cheeks feels good though, even as he flinches at the jeers of the crowd. Just thinking too hard about how so many people can see him on full display makes his dick twitch in interest. It feels good to indulge in this depravity when it’s in the safety of his beloved’s arms.
“Pin him down!” Another ghost shouts.
Hua Cheng looms over Xie Lian, still fully dressed in his jewelry and fine red silks, and raises a brow at him. Hua Cheng moves completely at ease, the same as he does in the bedroom, unfazed by the eyes on them- or perhaps emboldened.
His husband grabs Xie Lian’s hands and holds down his wrists above his head, sprawling out the sedan.
“You,” Hua Cheng points to a random women in the crowd, “how do you think I should fuck my husband?”
Though she’d been an enthusiastic member of the crowd, she blushes and stammers, “I- I- Chengzhu, I wouldn’t dare-”
“Fuck his ass until he passes out!” A man screams.
“Well?” Hua Cheng tilts his head.
“Ah- ah- that, what he just said!” The woman covers up her face.
The crowd grows boisterous, laughing at her, laughing at the situation, laughing at everything. On the other side of the room, a human rolls snake eyes and curses his luck, crying out in despair unlike the other denizens.
Hua Cheng leans down to say quietly, “You heard what the people want, gege.”
Xie Lian shakes under him, “Yes.”
Hua Cheng tares down at him with hunger. Then, Hua Cheng pulls a jar of oil from his bag, slicking up his hand and pulling out his dick from the confines of his pants.
“Fuck him raw!”
“Make him bleed!”
Hua Cheng follows along dutifully, pulling apart Xie Lian’s legs and roughly thrusting in two fingers before taking them out again. Barely prepped, if it could even be called that, Hua Cheng has to force his dick into Xie Lian’s tight hole a little bit at a time. Above, where Hua Cheng's free hand still pins Xie Lian down, he’s grasping tight enough to brush.
The violence makes Xie Lian moan. His husband has so much power, he could hurt him so badly, but here they are making love. He relishes the too-much stretch as Hua Cheng sinks deeper into him, as Hua Cheng’s nails dig into the skin of his hips hard enough to draw blood.
“Make him cry!”
Hua Cheng breathes roughly- something that, as a ghost, he doesn’t need to do- and he stares at Xie Lian with bright eyes. It's similar to the look he gets before a good spare, or before he’s ready to kill someone. Hua Cheng is excited, too, like a predator on the prowl.
Hua Cheng draws his hips backward until the tip of his cock tugs at Xie Lian’s rim, and then he slams his hips into Xie Lian hard enough for the sound to resound throughout the building. And he keeps up the brutal pace, quickly reducing Xie Lian to a mewling mess as his cock hits the sensitive place inside of him over and over. Xie Lian doesn't hold back his noises, even moaning louder than usual so that everyone can hear how good Hua Cheng makes him feel.
The voices of the crowd blur together in Xie Lian’s haze, all he can focus on is the point of contact where Hua Cheng penetrates him. He wraps his legs around Hua Cheng’s waist to keep him close, encouraging his roughness. He can feel Hua Cheng’s nails drag across his chest, painting lines that leave sparks of pain and red blooming across his pale skin.
Hua Cheng leans down to kiss him, biting his lip hard enough to split it and the taste of metal hits his tongue. The shock makes Xie Lian shudder and come all over his chest.
That makes the waves of people roar in approval, congratulating their lord's talents. Of course, Hua Cheng doesn’t stop. He hasn’t made Xie Lian cry yet, after all.
The continued movement sparks pain-pleasure as overstimulation kicks in. Each drag of Hua Cheng’s cock against his walls is too much, but he doesn’t uncurl his legs, if anything Xie Lian tightens his thighs around Hua Cheng to draw him in closer. Hua Cheng moves to wrap his hand around Xie Lian’s spent dick, pumping it and forcing more unbearable amounts of pleasure onto him.
Xie Lian shakes but it’s too soon to be able to come again. He simply rides the waves of when the good feelings crest and when pain settles in its place.
Hua Cheng doesn’t relent, not when he’s able to work Xie Lian to full hardness again and not when he wrings yet another orgasm out of him.
It’s after his third- or was it fourth? Xie Lian stopped being able to keep track- that his voice breaks, “San Lang, San Lang, San Lang.”
Xie Lian babbles, not aware of what words he’s even saying. His whole body feels like a roaring fire or a bolt of lightning, it’s so much. Tears well up in his eyes and fall down the sides of his face. Hua Cheng kisses them as they fall, and he finally sinks into Xie Lian and comes.
This makes the crowd break out into celebration the most energetic it’s been all night, as people scream and shout in delight. Xie Lian can hear pleasured grunts and sighs, from people so inspired by their own display.
The weight of come inside of Xie Lian makes him smile, especially as Hua Cheng pulls out of him and the mark of Hua Cheng's pleasure drips out onto the sedan below. His body still buzzes from energy but he feels thoroughly content and worn out. Xie Lian curls into Hua Cheng’s arms as his husband wraps a cloak around him, picking him up to hold him close. He smiles and rests his head against Hua Cheng’s shoulder.
His husband walks into the crowd, who keep a reverent distance from their lord, but shout ever-increasing lewd things. They can get to see how good of a lover Hua Cheng is, but only see, not touch or he’d cut off their hands.
Xie Lian dozes off as he hears the sounds of fireworks going off. To think, he could’ve been bored and lonely up in heaven but tonight, he chose to be with his beloved and got to spend the time so splendidly!