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Hua Cheng kissed Xie Lian’s stomach, light and quick but no less full of love as his hands kneaded at his god’s sides.
Xie Lian squirmed under the feeling. “San Lang, that tickles!” All the same he did his best not to kick off his husband. As much as Hua Cheng probably wouldn’t mind being flung across the room, Xie Lian didn’t actually want him gone.
Humming, Hua Cheng let up on his squishing, sliding his hands to instead rest their warm pressure on the small of Xie Lian’s back and nuzzling his face against Xie Lian’s stomach like a cat.
Laughing, Xie Lian ran a hand through his husband’s hair. It was not uncommon for Hua Cheng to get distracted by some feature of Xie Lian’s and start giving it attention, but it was still quite cute every time. Especially because Xie Lian couldn’t imagine why his stomach of all things would be so fascinating today. His husband could be enthralled by something as simple as the lingering scent of soap on Xie Lian’s skin after a bath and spend hours worshipping a section as small as his pinky finger.
It was very fortunate that Hua Cheng didn’t need to breathe because surely he couldn’t have the way he pressed his face into Xie Lian’s stomach. Like he couldn’t be close enough. Like there was no other way to fill his senses with Xie Lian than to try to burrow as close as possible. Truthfully, even if he had needed to breathe Xie Lian suspected his husband would’ve claimed nuzzling him like this was worth suffocating for.
“Are you looking for something down there?” He asked, fingers trailing through his husband’s hair absently.
“It’s softer,” Hua Cheng explained, looking up at him with unabashed joy. So much excitement for something so simple.
“Softer?”
“I hadn’t been sure before, it’s been happening for awhile but it’s definitely softer. You’ve gained weight,” Hua Cheng explained all this like it was a blessing beyond his imagination, pressing more kisses to Xie Lian’s stomach that fluttered light and quick as butterfly wings.
“I hadn’t noticed. But I suppose I do eat more regularly now that we’re married. I can’t remember the last time I fainted from hunger.”
That little acknowledgment seemed to light Hua Cheng up even more, unfiltered gratitude and love staring up at him before he pressed more kisses to Xie Lian’s stomach. Like he had no other way to express himself than to kiss and kiss and kiss.
“Is that the only place you can tell?”
Hua Cheng shook his head. “It’s just the most obvious one. I first noticed gege may be gaining weight here,” Hua Cheng slid down, wrapping Xie Lian’s thighs to squeeze around his head. He looked so sneaky and content there, a smug little creature who often teased Xie Lian to crush him between his thighs and Xie Lian would be having none of that taunting today!
“San Lang!” He loosened his legs to pull his husband back up, nose to nose with him. Though, admittedly, he did still use them to hug Hua Cheng. Only because he thought his husband deserved to be wrapped up as well as Xie Lian was able.
“And then I noticed it here,” Hua Cheng leaned in to press kisses to Xie Lian’s biceps.
Xie Lian snuck a quick kiss to the top of his head, but it seemed he wasn’t quick enough, Hua Cheng chasing after him to steal his lips for a moment.
The two of them melted like that, content to bask in their kiss until it naturally ended, foreheads pressed against each other and noses brushing as their lips separated just enough for Xie Lian to breathe and Hua Cheng to speak.
“But today it’s official. Because I can’t see gege’s ribs so clearly anymore,” Hua Cheng smiled as his hands slipped down Xie Lian’s sides like the gentle fall of drizzling rain. Soft and sweet. A caress that left behind the afterimage of its touch.
Xie Lian leaned in to catch his husband in another kiss. It wasn’t hard, just a small tip forward and Hua Cheng would never deny him such a thing. Especially not when he was just as eager as Xie Lian.
Hua Cheng’s caress did not cease, a blissful appreciation of the tangible positive effect he had on Xie Lian’s life. It must have been quite important to Hua Cheng, this proof of improving health that came just from the simple fact that with Hua Cheng around, Xie Lian was much more likely to want to cook for him and make regular meals and even when he didn’t cook their penance for splitting meals meant Xie Lian was still eating as he should.
It was true gods did not have to eat if they had enough spiritual power or practiced cultivation that rendered it unnecessary, but Xie Lian liked eating, and his body still could benefit from the effects of not needing to pull spiritual energy to fill that need. Or maybe it still was simply pulling on spiritual energy. Maybe Xie Lian’s cooking gave no nutrients and it was all the “borrowed” yet never returned spiritual energy of his husband that had him flush with health.
Either way, it was thanks to Hua Cheng.
Xie Lian had long ago checked out of his own body, no longer really noticing things like hunger pains or the effects of long term starvation on his body. One of the benefits to being a god the first time had been his ability to no longer need to eat, and though it had been a short amount of time in the scheme of Xie Lian’s life that he’d been able to get away with such a thing, Xie Lian had never quite managed to grow out of that phase. At the start it was because he was so used to not having to eat and he was such a picky eater it would slip his mind. Then, once he’d lost any more chances to be picky with how starving he often was, it was because he often didn’t have the time or means to eat regularly.
But of course Hua Cheng would notice when he needed food or at least enough extra spiritual energy to sustain him. Of course Hua Cheng would care. And of course he’d make it right with just his presence.
Xie Lian nuzzled him. “It seems San Lang has helped me learn a bit of shapeshifting after all.”
Hua Cheng laughed, nuzzling him back. “I’ll teach gege as much shapeshifting as he wants.”
Xie Lian knew he would. After all, he’d already taught Xie Lian how to shapeshift into a version of himself who could smile genuinely again and now one who had gained back the proper meat on his bones. Surely there would be many more versions of Xie Lian Hua Cheng would teach him how to be again. Xie Lian couldn’t wait.