Work Text:
Xie Lian suggested that Hua Cheng only post inducing wavs, and for a while, that's exactly what he does. Most people are very gracious! A few are less so, disappointed that these recordings are not as long or intense as the old ones. Truthfully, Hua Cheng agrees with them; as an artist, it rankles him to put out substandard pieces. But he doesn't need their approval anymore, not when he has Xie Lian doting on every single sneeze and sniffle (Hua Cheng is becoming rapidly very spoiled).
"Maybe I should just give up posting after all," Hua Cheng says one day, squinting at his notifications. His bad eye throbs and jerks a little; he should be wearing his glasses.
Xie Lian wanders over from the kitchen and strokes his hair like he's a beloved pet. Hua Cheng melts into it and closes his eyes, and Xie Lian rubs gentle fingertips into his temples without Hua Cheng even saying anything. How does he always know?
"You don't have to do that," Xie Lian says. "Didn't you say you liked it?"
"Yes, but I liked posting for gege most of all, and this isn't really... I mean, it's fine, I guess I could do more scenarios, but those take time and we're busy." Xie Lian works less shifts than he used to (two almost every day, sometimes all day driving), but he's still out a lot, and Hua Cheng has a lot of projects and unfortunate online politicking he has to do as a full time streamer.
"Ah," Xie Lian says, tone downturned like he's struck, or guilty. Hua Cheng opens his eyes to see him chewing on his lip, and reaches up to stop him. Xie Lian lips at his fingers instead. Hua Cheng shivers as the heat of arousal flickers to life between his legs at that.
"Well," Xie Lian says, "We could try some other things."
---
Chhinkni was a mistake. Chhinkni is always a mistake. Hua Cheng doesn't know why he never quite internalizes these things! Theoretically it's more under his control-- there's the choice to take it, and how much. In reality, it's just too powerful on him.
"ah! hiIIESXSHHH! ah, aH, AH-- HIESZCHH!! uh, ha-uHh, aUH-? haH'ESSZCHHHIEWw!! Oh by god'dh," Hua Cheng gasps, dizzy and finally able to catch a breath after who knows how long of coughing, breathless nonstop sneezing and hitching. He desperately needs a tissue. He doesn't know how all of the powder hasn't been flooded out by now, with the way his nose has been running. Maybe it's just still irritated. He wishes Xie Lian was here. He shouldn't have done this without him. At least there's the recording.
(Xie Lian clucks over the state of Hua Cheng's throat and nose and makes tea as soon as he's home. Then Hua Cheng plays him the recording, and gets to watch Xie Lian's eyes go very big and his whole body arch and stiffen-- Xie Lian tumbles him very thoroughly and confiscates the file for that one in a panic. So chhinkni is right out.)
---
"What about flowers? People do inducing via allergies all the time, I've seen it," Hua Cheng suggests next. He's never done it, because why would he when he's never lacking for at least a few sneezes to record throughout a day, other than during the winter when he finally catches a break. He's not as allergic to most flowers as say, the birch and oaks, or ragweed, but early attempts to decorate or do life drawings with them prove that they very much do make him sneeze.
Xie Lian hums, considering this with a little worried line between his brows.
Eventually, though, he acquiesces, and Hua Cheng is delighted to get to pick out a bouquet for Xie Lian. He doesn't quite dare to enter a florist, but online ordering is close enough and still better than a grocery store. He picks jasmine and forget-me-nots and white lilies, flowers of sensuality and devotion.
None of them are supposed to be exceedingly allergenic and Hua Cheng isn't usually that sensitive to scents, but they arrive on a day when Hua Cheng has already been sniffly and a little sneezy, and the florist has padded the arrangement with the typical baby's breath filler.
Hua Cheng can't even get through taking a nice photo of it for the caption before he's starting to upset the camera with hitching and trembles. He hands it over to Xie Lian-- he's the pro, anyway ("San Lang! I'm so out of practice, though-- oh, there are so many settings on this?")
Hua Cheng sets up his recording area while Xie Lian fusses (he has a good microphone, why would he not use it?). When they're both ready, Xie Lian brings the flowers over. Hua Cheng memorizes the view of him with the bouquet, flowers lauding and enhancing his beauty, exactly as he should be. Then he hits record and leans in to sniff deeply at the blossoms.
It's wonderful, the lilies and jasmine sweet and strong, until his sinuses slam shut around it and he can't smell anything anymore.
"Ah, oh," Hua Cheng pants, nose itching and tickling in a teasing flutter and spate of sneezes that just don't quite satisfy-- he goes in again and it picks up enough to tease a little bit of a fit out of him. But then it backs off a little and Hua Cheng is so aware of the microphone (and more, Xie Lian's hungry eyes on him) and it convinces him that it's a good idea to put his nose right in the middle of the flowers and just breathe, snuffling through his fast-dripping and completely stuffed nose.
Oh, that did it, Hua Cheng thinks, eyes closing involuntarily. He can open them just enough to check on Xie Lian watching him, avid and a little worried, and then he needs to sneeze so bad he simply can't keep them open anymore, the entirety of his nose trying to itch off his face.
The ensuing fit is long, messy, and more than a little embarrassing. Xie Lian takes the flowers away after the first couple of minutes, and then outside entirely when it's clear that Hua Cheng is continuing to react to them even being in the room. He keeps coming over to stroke Hua Cheng's hair and make tiny repressed noises when Hua Cheng curses and gasps for breath, silently handing him tissue after tissue. Not a recording for the noseblow unenthusiasts.
"Ahhhh, San Lang, San Lang, poor boy," Xie Lian bursts out as soon as Hua Cheng has turned off the recording. He's still sneezing, but it's gone long enough already and it's finally starting to slow down with the flowers banished to the apartment hallway and the air purifier turned on high.
"Gege, uh! ehHh'ddtCCHHIUuu!! ah, huh-ah, ehh-- huHh'rESSZCHhhiew!! How was that, was that too-- too mu-uhhhch hHh! nGKT'CHHhiiiuuhh! Ugh."
"Hmm," Xie Lian says, hesitating in that way that means, 'yes.' "I don't want to be--" ("hh'nNGDtt'chhiuhh!") "I don't know, controlling..." he says.
"No, gege, I love it, though."
Xie Lian getting all possessive-- over him! It's beyond Hua Cheng's wildest dreams. Hua Cheng sneezes again and this time it makes his blocked up nose overflow, backed up from the stifles. He makes a noise of dismay and Xie Lian reaches around him to grab him tissues and help him clean up without dripping on his shirt. Oh, Hua Cheng loves him.
After that he blows his nose and sneezes again and blows his nose for ages while Xie Lian curls over the back of his chair to kiss the top of his head and coo sympathy and encouragement until Hua Cheng is as done as he's going to be. There's a crawling, grinding ache in the back of his nose and behind his eyes, now, everything feeling sandy and sore.
"Gege, my sinuses feel ...bad," Hua Cheng complains.
"Well what did you expect, silly boy, you just put your face in the flowers on top of how stuffy you've been today."
The gentle admonishment makes Hua Cheng's face heat and something swoop between his legs, already worked up from sneezing for Xie Lian. It crystallizes the idea that had been murkily occurring to him as he watched Xie Lian literally bite back whatever he wanted to say while Hua Cheng was recording.
"Gege, what if... you were in the wav with me?"
"What? I think it would be disappointing, compared to Wu Ming," Xie Lian laughs.
"No, no, not-- gege is never disappointing!" Hua Cheng cuts himself off, indignant. "This San Lang likes making him sneeze very much."
Xie Lian blushes and stammers, denying, like his whining the whole time Hua Cheng tickles his stubborn nose until he's gasping and whimpering after the violence of the sneeze that finally escapes him isn't obviously peak erotica. Compared to Hua Cheng, who is just a constant mess that Xie Lian somehow finds appealing.
"But anyway," Hua Cheng continues, after he's gotten that sorted out (and they are laid out on the couch panting together about it). "I meant, just saying stuff like that. Like you always do when it gets really bad." He hesitates, before admitting, "...Taking care of me. You could do that during recording, too. That way everyone could hear that I'm yours."
"Oh," Xie Lian says. Squirms nervously under Hua Cheng. "I could-- we could try that."
===
"Ooh, S- Wu Ming, that was a big one--"
"hih-hih-hiih- hiiiiEHXSShhiew!! ih- iH-heh-- eHhh- Oh god, aH-- gege, it tickles so bad--"
"Mmn,"
"hIH! hhAH'ESXCHHhiuuh! Ow."
"Bless you, oh, my poor boy,"
"h-h-hh-uhh?! huHESSCHhuh- EXSSCHhuh- eSsXcHhuh-- ah? Ok, I'm okay--"
*Panting, wordless cooing noises*
*Rustle of tissues being pulled, then a short, very wet noseblow, gasp, and a longer blow*
"There you go, that's better,"
"hHH! aH'nNhEtCCHHiew!! fuck! eh-heh- eh-hih- eh-h-h-h-!"
"Don't hold back."
"'Mn not- ah- I- iih- cahh- hih! hih! can't--"
"Oh, is it stuck?"
*Continued panting, irregular hitching, beginning to become vocal*
"hH-! hi-AHHH?! HIIETSCHHiewh!! hh- ah- aH'eTSCHHhiuh-iiETSCHhuh- hhIESZCHHHuhh!!! Mmn, gege, thank you."
"Thank you, sweet boy, that was so good..."
Xie Lian is turning a fascinating new shade of crimson that Hua Cheng is delighted by. He hopes Xie Lian is okay with this one because this is, in Hua Cheng's opinion (NOT biased), the hottest wav ever made.