Body in Flames; Home in Paradise (TGCF HuaLian)

Chapter 2

"It's nothing, it's nothing. You didn't make me uncomfortable." Xie Lian says it quickly, waving his hands a little wildly in denial and reassurance. "Only, it really wasn't your fault so you shouldn't worry about it so much."

Hua Cheng just nods, and even though his eye is still hidden Xie Lian can tell that he's staring at that bloody sleave again.

After a moment he asks, "Your Highness, would you allow me to treat your wound?"

Xie Lian glances down at it again. His first impulse is to refuse. He has hundreds of years of practice treating his own wounds after all, and it's really not such a big deal as Hua Cheng is making it ... Even if it does hurt. But the ghost king really does seem so upset about having done it, even if it was just an accident. Maybe doing this will help him more than it will help Xie Lian.

"Alright."

Xie Lian nods and Hua Cheng bends over him, gently beginning to slide Xie Lian's outer robe off of his shoulder. The god stills beneath the touch, his breath catching slightly. He Isn't quite sure why. This isn't a big deal. San Lang is just treating his injury, that's all. Yet for some reason the feeling of the Ghost King's hands undressing him has his heart pounding in his chest.

Once he's lowered the outer robe Hua Cheng hesitates for only a moment before slipping Xie Lian's inner robe off his shoulder and down his arm as well. Xie Lian's breath catches again but this time it's in pain at feeling of the fabric being pulled free of the still leaking wound. Hua Cheng's face darkens again when he sees it but this time he says nothing, only raises one hand. Butterflies flutter from the silver vambrace on his arm and Xie Lian's eyes widen as they come to rest on his skin, covering his arm wing tip to wing tip until no part of his injury is visible.

"San Lang, your butterflies can heal?"

Hua Cheng nods. "They can. If they bother your highness than try not to mind them too much, they will be done soon."

"Bother?" Xie Lian blinks up at him in surprise. "No, not at all. They are so cute and talented. I like them a lot."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"Only if they can heal then..." Xie Lian hesitates then presses on. "Could they not heal your wound as well?"

Hua Cheng's face snaps up at that and Xie Lian finally gets a good look at his expression. His eye is wide and his lips are slightly parted and he looks both surprised and somehow strangely guilty, as though he's a child who's been caught doing something he shouldn't. Quickly he closes his injured palm into a fist as though reflexively trying to hide the wound but it's impossible and a moment later he seems to realize that. Even if Xie Lian hadn't seen him with the sword in his hand, the hand shaped blood stain on Xie Lian's robes is undeniable evidence.

Hua Cheng looks away again. "It is nothing for your highness to trouble yourself over."

Xie Lian frowns. He still doesn't really understand what's happening but he doesn't like it. He reaches out to catch the wrist of that injured hand in his own and feels the ghost king flinch slightly at his touch. When they first met Hua Cheng flinched from his touch as well and so back then Xie Lian wondered if there was something about himself that the other man disliked. They have grown much closer since then so perhaps Hua Cheng is simply not the sort of man who likes being touched, but that doesn't feel right either, not with the way the ghost embraced him in the armory or insisted on carrying him to this room. Then it had almost seemed as though Hua Cheng craved touch. Xie Lian isn't sure what to make of it but he withdraws his hand anyway, not wanting to make his friend uncomfortable.

Still, he isn't going to drop the topic of the wound so easily, not when Hua Cheng seems to be planning to remain injured and in pain without doing anything to heal himself.

"That isn't right though." He frowns up at Hua Cheng.

"What isn't right?"

"San Lang gets to worry so much about my injuries but I'm not allowed to worry about his?"

Those words seem to catch Hua Cheng completely off guard because he turns back to stare at Xie Lian for a long moment before a soft chuckle leaves his lips.

"Your Highness makes an excellent point. I'm not sure I can argue." Some of the tension seems to leave Hua Cheng's voice as he says it in his shoulders relax a bit.

Xie Lian lets out a soft breath of relief. He still isn't sure why Hua Cheng cut himself to begin with but this is definitely a step in the right direction.

"Then don't argue." He pats the spot on the bed next to him and obediently Hua Cheng settles onto it. He rests his hand in his lap, palm up, and a few more butterflies flutter from his silver vambraces to settle on his palm, closing the wound.

Xie Lian watches with interest. "Your butterflies really are quite amazing." He glances down at the ones padding over his own arm, feeling a slight tickle as they move against his skin. "What other things can they do?" He asks partly because he is genuinely curious and partly because he wants Hua Cheng to relax a bit.

It seems to be working because Hua Cheng's shoulders unlock a little more as they shrug. "All sorts of things. They can gather information, show me things happening in other places, record events so that I can listen to them later, even fight for me."

Xie Lian claps his hands, noticing in astonishment as he does so that moving his right arm no longer hurts. "That's amazing. For them to do so much, San Lang is quite amazing too."

The moment after the words leave his mouth pink rises to Xie Lian's cheeks as he realizes that his words might sound too forward or perhaps a little condescending, but he means them honestly and fortunately it seems like Hua Cheng is taking them that way because he smiles a bit. It's not a large smile but it's the first one Xie Lian seen from him since returning to the armory and the sight warms him.

"It's nothing, merely a few tricks. Your Highness is the truly talented one. No one has ever stopped E'ming so completely before." Hua Cheng's eye darkens a bit when he mentions the armory fight but his tone is still light enough that Xie Lian feels like talking about it may be safe now.

"it was nothing, just a technique I came up with a long time ago."

"Oh really?" Now Hua Cheng looks intrigued. "Gege came up with it? Does it have a name."

A small sad smile curves Xie Lian's lips. "Sort of. I call it Wu Ming."