If you think about it, it was probably his fault.

He was thinking about all the cuts that had pierced his abdomen 800 years ago.

Hua Cheng was not trying to make himself sad, or reminisce something painful. On the contrary, he was trying to find relief, calm.

He was trying to find the sensation that he could rest, that he could lower his guard and bathe in the bliss that Xie Lian's warmth around him always provided.

Xie Lian. His Highness. His Prince. His Husband. His Gege.

He was probably unaware of that habit of Hua Cheng's.

While he buried his face in Hua Cheng's chest and hugged his neck tight, Hua Cheng liked to hold his waist closer and let his mind wander.

It wasn't easy to let go of his concern for Xie Lian's safety and wellbeing and just enjoy a very much safe, sound, happy, cuddly Xie Lian.

After all, he had lived with that concern for 800 years.

In the warmth of their bed, Xie Lian rested his hand at the top of Hua Cheng's head, lazily and lovingly rubbing his thumb through his locks.

Hua Cheng could feel his breath against his chest, how he squeezed his neck

when he held his waist tighter.

Even this relaxed and unthreatened, Hua Cheng couldn't let go of his concerns, so he let his mind go to places where he his worry for Xie Lian had been sickening, to force himself to realize how none of that was real anymore.

It amplified the feeling of having Xie Lian in his arms, it made it more real, more valuable. It made him not ever take Xie Lian for granted, which was a thing he was scared to do. It calmed down all his past anxieties.

“He's here. I got him. It's alright in the end.”

That day he was thinking about Xie Lian's body after being stabbed a hundred times, how he had treated him and had touched every open wound, how he had cleaned them everyday, how Xie Lian didn't react.
( https://twitter.com/xStalKey/status/1314694710083158016?s=19)

It was healing to run a finger by the line on the

abdomen where one of the worst cuts had been, and touching soft, tender, tight and clean skin. It made him full with joy and relief to see Xie Lian react to that with a shiver, and try to get closer to him.

So, if you think about it, it was kinda his fault that he dreamed of his screams.

[this is a part 2 to this thread! https://twitter.com/xStalKey/status/1314694710083158016?s=19

We're gonna get them to talk abt it and heal from it. I'll continue tomorrow!]