ANIME ONE-SHOTS (mostly HUALIAN)

A DAY OFF (Xie Lian x Hua cheng)

"San Lang?" called out the white-clad cultivator. 

Dawn had broken, and the rays of sunshine that entered through worn walls woke up Xie Lian. He slowly rose, his hand reaching for the person who lay next to him. But he wasn't there. Xie Lian got up, his hair still perfect, and went outside. Surprisingly, he couldn't find his friend anywhere. 

'He probably went away on some business' thought Xie Lian. It wasn't unusual for his friend to disappear randomly or appear suddenly at his Puqi Shrine, so Xie Lian went out for a walk. He didn't have any particular case assigned by Jun Wu that day, so Xie Lian was free all day. 

Walking down the mountain path, Xie Lian decided to take a bath in the river that ran down through the forest nearby. Enjoying the silence of the early morning, he made his way to the river. It wasn't long before he found the perfect spot where the water wasn't flowing too fast. Although it was still cold, Xie Lian dipped into the water. He found it rather relaxing and realised that it had been nearly a week since he had last bathed! Chuckling, he washed.

Suddenly, he felt a presence walking toward him. He quickly turned and was flustered to find Hua Cheng grinning at him. 

"San Lang! I-I thought you had left!"

"Apparently not Gege, I just went to get some food for us!" Hua Cheng laughed. He offered his hand and Xie Lian took it, fiercely trying to hide his red face. He definitely didn't want Hua Cheng to know that his face had become a bright red. Facing away, Xie Lian grabbed his clothes and with a lot of self-resistance, he slowly walked behind a tree. Once hidden, he heaved a great sigh before burying his face into his hands. Knowing that Hua Cheng would come over if he delayed any further, Xie Lian dried up quickly, put on his clothes and fixed his straw hat to cover his strawberry tinged face. Once ready, the two men walked back to their Puqi Shrine in comfortable silence.

Once back, Xie Lian slumped on the mat, finally over his embarrassment.  

"What do you want to do today?" Hua Cheng asked, entering the modest shrine and settling down near the other. Although Hua Cheng had supreme authority in the ghost realm and all the wealth in the world, he still came to Xie Lian's rundown shrine. The thought made Xie Lian warm.

Now that he had an entire day off, Xie Lian couldn't think of anything to do. "I really don't know San Lang," he admitted. "All I do is wander or collect scraps," Xie Lian shrugged. 

"Then let's do just that!" exclaimed Hua Cheng. Xie Lian was confused and when he saw Hua Cheng taking a pair of die he understood what the Ghost King wanted to do. They were going to roll the die which will take them to different places. 

"Sure, why not."

Xie Lian rolled the die first. As always, his luck was bad. He ended up with a two and a three. Chuckling nervously, he opened the door. When he stepped outside, he found himself in the midst of a morning market.

Shop mongers were calling out their wares; people were bargaining; children ran among the crowds, their laughter pure and innocent. Xie Lian smiled. "Would you like some rice Gege?" asked Hua Cheng. He was now disguised as San Lang now. Although Hua Cheng was a tad shorter in this form, he was still very tall. Xie Lian had to crane his neck to meet the prior's charming red eyes. "Sure San Lang," he replied with a smile.

They got their breakfasts in a little stall. After a hearty meal, Hua Cheng gave the die to Xie Lian. This time, the latter rolled an eight! And they landed in a beautiful garden. Both friends played their little game all day long. By evening, they found themselves amidst a festival. They walked through the place, bought some fried fish for dinner and made their way back to the Puqi Shrine. Xie Lian enjoyed all day long and Hua Cheng couldn't feel any better. They chatted all day, fell asleep beneath sakura trees in the afternoon and joked all evening. 

When they both reached home, they ate and spoke for a while longer. The Ghost king was giggling at Xie Lian's story of his time as a chef! Hua Cheng's laugh was so cute!

That night, they fell asleep on the same mat as they always did. All of that day's events rushed to Xie Lian's mind and a smile formed on his lips. And just before he let slumber take him, he felt a soft touch on his forehead, but he was too tired to wake up and let slumber take over.

Hua Cheng smiled. After 800 years, he was finally with his prince. He wanted to spend more time with his prince, but his realm called him. And as dawn broke the next day, Hua Cheng touched him one last time before disappearing into the shadows...

hello! that was my first one-shot! i really enjoyed writing! hope u liked it!
have a nice day~!!!!!'