He presses his forehead on mine. I was taken by surprise, but I don't mind.
'Visit more often,' he whispers as if someone would hear him. I took a deep breath. He smelled like soap and lemon and fresh grass.
'Definitely. You stay careful too,' I wh...
There were no words. Both started walking toward the other. A step, another step, each step faster than the next, then finally, they started running.
He ran forward whilst tears fell and stayed behind him. Xie Lian voiced this in his heart: he believed.
He believed that this man would die for him again and again, and would be reborn for him over and over. Even if he fell into the depths of hell, he would break through the abyss for his"belief".
Last time, they spent eight hundred years running toward each other. This time, it only took an instant to fall into each other's embrace.
~~~
'San Lang, San Lang, San Lang...' That was all Xie Lian could say as he held on tight to his love, afraid to let him go. It had been a painful year of waiting, but Xie Lian never lost faith. He believed. He believed that Hua Cheng would return to him and never wavered. It was the only thing that held him together. Now that he was here, Xie Lian finally let out his feelings and cried in joy.
Hua Cheng held on tight to Xie Lian, stroking his hair as his God cried into his chest. They tumbled near the flowering trees but Xie Lian refused to let go. It pained Hua Cheng to see his lover crying. How much did Xie Lian suffer in the past year? He had sworn to protect his God, keep him safe, but he had failed to do. Again.
'I'm sorry gege,' Hua Cheng whispered. Xie Lian hugged him closer than he already was before. He felt something dripping on his head. It felt like a thousand knives pierced his heart when he looked up to see the tears escaping from the Ghost King's eye.
'No. No. Don't cry San Lang. You don't have to be sorry. You did nothing wrong. Please, don't cry' Xie Lian said as he wiped all the tears away. 'I'm just so happy that you're back.'
Hua Cheng gazed into the other man's eyes with love and admiration. Even with his tear-stained face, he looked handsome. Even after enduring so much suffering, he still had the kindest smile. Hua Cheng chuckled. 'I promise gege to never leave ever again,' he said.
Fresh tears fell from his eyes as Xie Lian nodded with a huge smile and pulled Hua cheng and kissed him deeply. Obediently, Hua Cheng's hands snaked around the other. The kiss was filled with passion and love and the need to be together. Xie Lian's heart was thumping so hard and he was afraid that Hua Cheng might notice, but he didn't know that even if Hua Cheng did not have a pulse, his heart was racing too.
They sat there, beneath the cherry blossoms, wrapped in each other's arms, kissing till they were out of breath, as they watched the Blessing Lanterns float to heaven. The night was young, people were celebrating the Shangyuan Festival, cicadas cried, fireflies appeared like little balls of light, and the Gods were excited about the Lantern competition but were stumped by Hua Cheng's 3000 lanterns. But the reunited couple couldn't care less.
Hua Cheng listened to all the things Xie Lian was up to in the past year, kissing him whenever the Prince mentioned that he had missed him. As they spoke and laughed and spilt more joyous tears, Xie Lian gathered his courage to ask something which had been in his mind all through the year.
'San Lang...how...how did you survive the past 800 years?' He didn't hide his face, but rather faced his partner, needing to know. He suffered the past year without his beloved by his side. Constantly afraid that he would not return. Blaming himself for what had happened. He held it all together with one thought, that San Lang would return. He promised me and I believe him. He had faith in Hua Cheng. His dear love Hua Cheng. His most devoted believer. And Xie Lian believed him.
Hua Cheng was taken back at first, but then he cupped the Prince's face, his other hand never leaving Xie Lian's shoulder. 'It hurt gege. Very much. But it didn't matter. As long as I was able to protect you, it didn't matter. And whenever I see you smile, truly from your heart, it was enough for me. I could wait a thousand more years for you Your Highness...always by your side.'
A fresh round of tears dripped from Xie Lian's eyes as he smiled at Hua Cheng. Hua Cheng kissed his tears away and pulled Xie Lian into his arms. Both of them knew then, that they could go through anything with the other by their side. Finally, they were together as one. Forever and always.
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(CREDITS TO THE RESPECTIVE ARTIST)
hello! I just love these two together. i finished tgcf yesterday, with a lot of smiles and happy tears. today i found myself going through a book hangover. i feel horrible because the story had ended. its almost as if i'd lost a good friend. So yes i wrote this one-shot to get some closure. hope you liked it
