Chapter Text
"San Lang!" He bursts into a fit of giggles as his husband spins him around by the hold of his waist while he himself holds his husbands neck peppering kisses in between giggles. He loves the freedom of everything, the love he shares with his husband as despite being over two thousand years old they still love each other like the very first moment they reunited.
His husband shares the same feelings as he begins to slow down to a halt beaming with happiness as he hugs his beloved. They still are practically attached by the hip with everything they do even when they are apart often times they will talk in their communication array at any moment, they can despite the busy lives they still live.
It had been years since Xie Lian had been appointed an emperor of sorts, though no longer holding the title as the years move forward, he was still seen as a great figure and most likely god to respond to those in need. Hua Cheng on the other hand still ruled ghost city with the larger number of ghosts joined from when He Xuan's island closed after his dispersion, a lot had to be built bigger, and more ghosts were given guard roles to try take of the strain of him ruling such a large number of ghosts and the gamblers den growing with the city often left him swamped.
"Ah San Lang I might have to go out for a few prayers tomorrow shall we spend the day together?"
“My beloved, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”
“San Lang look! Our flowers are in full bloom!”
Smiling towards the modernised Puqi Shrine, his husbands butterflies brought him a basket before he began to pick a few for inside decorations leaving one behind his husbands ear as they continued onwards.
“Ah my Gege, how would you feel if I had painted you again?” His husband had moved towards the small room they had kept to the side for his paints and as he continued to paint the one he loved the couple talked about everything and nothing, it was as if they were in their own world carved by their love for each other one that he hoped would never break and only expand.
“Ah San Lang I love you so much…” pressing a kiss to his husbands cheek as he was handed his new portrait.
“Beloved… I love you more than I could in any number of lifetimes brought together.”
Going back and forth the two moved around their routine nostalgic in a way that others would have been brought to tears by, a love story that never ends.
Butterflies danced in the garden out the front, bees buzzing through each flower, a stray cat chasing one of the butterflies as its own partner sunbathes in the summer warmth.
He kissed his husband as he began unwinding his body from the octopus like man next to him, yawning lightly as he moves to go grab his robes before starting on a small amount of congee for a breakfast to share between them. Like always it doesn’t turn out perfect the rice to soggy and burnt at the same time but it was made with love either way before a man almost bolted out of the bedroom towards him giving him a hast goodbye,
“Gege, I apologise beloved, Yin Yu said his spiritual energies were depleting again I must go I shall be home before you know it but let me know should you need a hand with anything? This should only take an hour at maximum should everything else be running smoothly.”
“See you soon San Lang, wish Yin Yu strength from myself I’ll leave some congee simmering for once you’re done.” Pressing a firm kiss to his husbands cheek bone he moved back to the pot as his husband rolled a dice away from their small shrine.
The sun was bright in his eyes almost illuminating his white robes as he crossed over a bridge towards a small abandoned town, it’s always sad when what once was an imperial city becomes nothing more than a small town after so many years.
There are no sounds from any wildlife near by.
A door blows in the wind as the dust picks up. And not long after humming fills the eerie silence a sort of mechanical hum coming from above him that makes his eyes catch on the object not too far from himself.
He doesn’t even know how to describe the shape of it. Let alone the fact it can make light despite there being no lanterns insight. Some thing jumps out and stands across from him.
It’s not very tall but it’s arms are long, its not very colourful yet it’s eyes hold more than what the earth he stands on can hold but its also not very human.
He rolls the dice in his pocket before he can think of what else to do.
He lives with ghosts yet that is no ghoul, no demon nor spirit.
He almost misses the slight jingling of familiar boots. He has been hit?
His arm glows ominously not a colour far off than what is in that beings eyes.
“Gege!” A swarm of butterflies is passing him attacking the thing that shot him but the glowing spreads.
He grabs E-Ming and cuts off his arm yet the glowing continues to spread, his arm slowly fading.
“San Lang… San Lang… SAN LANG! I’M SORRY I’M SORRY I’M SORRY I’M SORRY I’M SORRY!!” He can tell he’s being hysterical. Arms wrap around him chanting Gege as he turns and uses his single arm to clutch his husbands ashes close to his heart and faces his beloved,
“San Lang I don’t know what’s happening but I will find you even if it takes a millennia please wait for me!”
“I’ll wait, I won’t stop looking beloved I will find you!”
He can feel himself fading as he gets his last words out.
“I love you, San Lang.”
Is this what his husband felt?
To feel like you’re floating with no purpose?
He doesn’t know what's happening.
Why.
Why.
Why.
Why.
Why.
Why.
Why.
Why.
Why?
Why did someone decide to break part his life with his San Lang, his Hong-Honger, his Wu Ming, his Hua Cheng, his husband, his beloved, his own reason to still live every day with a smile.
All he can see when he wakes up again is someone’s face, he doesn’t recognise them. He thinks he sees another person, but they are standing too far away from him, their hair is purple? They walk away and he thinks he can hear the other person cry a bit before they pick him up chanting through the tears
“It’ll be okay Keith, your mother will return, I’ll look after you pa is here.”
He misses his San Lang.
But part of him also misses the person who just left. He doesn’t know why, he doesn’t know who either of the people are.