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One peaceful afternoon, two lovers were relaxing outside in the sun. No one around them, just the two of them. One wearing his straw hat, resting with his head against the other’s shoulder, napping very lightly. The other simply staring ahead, humming a foreign melody with a soothing voice.
It was only short after their long awaited reunion that they’d decided to take the day off without anyone around them to talk to, without anything else to care about.
A comfortable, calm and pleasant moment in which they could silently enjoy each other’s presence. That was until the other quite suddenly filled the air with a most random question.
“Hmm... Gege, are you ticklish?” Xie Lian only opened one eye at that question, and then he closed it again. He gave a small nod.
“Yes, I am.”
Xie Lian looked up innocently when he felt Hua Cheng shift, making quite an abrupt move. His lover had straightened himself and watched him with a surprised expression - the most surprised he had seen him recently. Xie Lian smiled in return.
“What?” Hua Cheng asked, sounding as surprised as he looked.
“What?” Xie Lian returned the question, still smiling and feeling confused as well.
“Why would you admit it like that?” Hua Cheng asked. Rather than copying him again and asking why he would even ask a strange question like that, Xie Lian decided to just give his honest reply.
“You know I don’t like to tell lies. Besides, you already knew the answer,” Xie Lian said. Hua Cheng still looked a little bit surprised, and unsatisfied as well.
“So you are not denying it? Don’t you feel at least a little bit threatened by the question?” he asked.
“Why would I feel threatened?” Xie Lian asked.
“Because you know I’m going to tickle you.” They were now looking at each other, and Xie Lian could tell from Hua Cheng’s serious expression that this was something he had wanted to bring up for a while.
“You would have done it either way,” Xie Lian said. He honestly didn’t feel too threatened, but hearing the casual announcement that it was going to happen from Hua Cheng directly sent pleasant chills down his spine.
“I would, but it would have been more fun for me to tickle the truth out of you. You know, you denying you’re ticklish and all. I expected it to be like that,” Hua Cheng said. Xie Lian giggled.
“Well, sorry to disappoint. I am not cute like that, and I don’t feel threatened by you at all,” he said, though he couldn’t help but feel a blush creeping towards his cheeks. Hua Cheng chuckled.
“But maybe you should be? Come on, at least run from me now and make it a little bit more fun to me,” he said. Xie Lian laughed at this. So his predator lover needed some fun before striking?
“Why would I want to run?” he asked.
“If you don’t run, I will tickle you ten times as bad. You don’t want to know what that is like,” was the smug answer. Ten times. Not even twice or thrice. Ten times. Hmm... He indeed wouldn’t want to know.
“You are unbelievable,” Xie Lian sighed, but still he finally stood up and gave Hua Cheng what he wanted: a chase, so he started running. Looking over his shoulder, he gulped when he saw Hua Cheng was indeed chasing after him.
Not even running as well, just chasing him by walking very quickly with big steps and the most terrifying smirk on his face.
“Eep!” Xie Lian now really started to feel the thrill of this playful chase.
During this entire conversation he had the time to mentally - and as well as he could physically prepare for the fact that Hua Cheng was going to tickle him. From the moment the question left those pretty lips, he knew there wasn’t really anything he could do about it except try to lessen the fun for him.
...That did not quite work. The more Xie Lian was chased, the more he anticipated the attack, and the first giggles even already slipped out.
“Alright alright, San Lang! Hehe, come on. Let’s talk about this, okay? When I am tickled, it feels very ticklish! My laughter cannot stop! You don’t want to do this to me!” he tried to reason unreasonably, and he heard a loud chuckle behind him.
“Oh but I do want to do this, Gege. I’ve been wanting to do it for a long while now, do you really want to stop me?”
He knew it! San Lang had a little bit of taste a long time ago when Xie Lian felt tickled by those cobwebs! Back then he already coped with the slight realization that San Lang might have witnessed this and stored the information of his sensitivity away for later. Who knew it was actually true!
Yet, even after their reunion and whenever they were intimate, Hua Cheng wouldn’t give any reaction yet when he accidentally kissed or stroked a ticklish spot, making Xie Lian giggle.
Xie Lian’s suspicions of Hua Cheng ever abusing his weakness swiftly slipped away at those times, and Xie Lian had forgotten about it. Until today. Caught off guard, Xie Lian was being chased, and he could see that even without running fast... Hua Cheng was catching up!
“Nohoho!” Xie Lian giggled. During the chase, he lost his hat which was caught elegantly by the one chasing him.
“Don’t come closer!” Xie Lian warned, but because of his early giggles, this didn’t sound threatening at all.
The clumsy Crown Prince then even tripped in his flustered flight, and rolling through the grass he went. Pretty soon after landing on his back, Hua Cheng came crashing down on top of him. His fingers instantly sought after his sides first, digging in viciously.
Loud laughter boomed from Xie Lian’s mouth right away, surprising the both of them.
“Such a sweet laugh you got there, Gege,” Hua Cheng commented fondly. He drilled his fingers against Xie Lian’s sides and ribs, making him squeal and squirm around. His hands tried to pry Hua Cheng’s off, but to no avail.
“I knew it would be rewarding, oh? Does it tickle here too?” Hua Cheng’s fingers found Xie Lian’s tummy despite his efforts to cover up with all his might, and they struck gold. Xie Lian threw his head back.
“Nohoho! Don’t! San Lahahang!” Hua Cheng hovering over him with that beautiful satisfied smile didn’t help at all. Blushing furiously, Xie Lian felt how the grass got tangled in his long hair as he writhed and squirmed at the Ghost King’s mercy.
“Would there be anything else? Hmm... Here?” Xie Lian’s eyes went from squeezing shut to opening wide when those evil fingers found their way to his armpits. He gasped loudly and tried to sit up, but Hua Cheng retaliated by catching one of his arms, and he pinned it above his head. With his free hand, he tested the overly sensitive place of his armpit.
"Aahahah! Wahahait!” His legs kicked out. What a sight it must be if anyone happened to be around.
“Not thehehere!” Xie Lian cried finally. Hua Cheng looked adorably amused.
“Not there? Then what about... Here?” From high to low, Xie Lian suddenly felt that ticklish feeling go from his armpits down all the way to his hips, and he arched his back and thrashed hysterically.
“Eeehehehehe!”
The two of them fooled around like this until the sun set. Hua Cheng tickled Xie Lian anywhere he could, teased him, kissed him, and eventually both of them were squeezed together, making out in the grass.
“You really are the most beautiful when you laugh,” Hua Cheng muttered against Xie Lian’s hot lips after a long passionate kiss. Both of them were breathless from the struggle and intimacies. Xie Lian tightened his embrace and giggled softly.
“Don’t say that~” he whined, but Hua Cheng responded with a teasy squeeze on his side, making Xie Lian jerk slightly and giggle louder.
“I love all of Gege, but I love most of Gege when he laughs. I kindly ask your permission to tickle you like this, many many times. It will make San Lang, no, both of us very happy.”
Xie Lian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. How could Hua Cheng say something so embarrassing? And ask him for permission to do that again? Really? Xie Lian shuddered and giggled already.
The first thought that entered his mind was positive: that chase and those merciless tickles, they were pretty fun after all.
“...If it makes San Lang happy, then, by all means.. Go ahead. Do it to me whenever you want. You’re right, seeing San Lang happy makes me happy.” Hua Cheng already brought his hands back to down, aiming for his hips this time to strike, when Xie Lian hurriedly held up his finger-
“But!” he cried, and Hua Cheng looked at him with that beautiful eye, cocking his head.
“B-b-but! If I say the safeword!” He thought quickly- “Eh... Mantou...!” Hua Cheng blinked.
“Mantou! If I say that word, I hope that you will stop and give me a break. That’s all I’m asking.” The sweetest smile, not fake, appeared on Hua Cheng’s face.
“As Your Highness wishes.” He then resumed the ticklish onslaught, and Xie Lian was surprised that even after laughing his head off for minutes long, that word Mantou still wouldn’t leave his lips.
After all, he hadn’t laughed like this in so many years. There was a need to catch up.