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It was probably the fifth time he took a deep breath in the few seconds they had been there, but he couldn’t be blamed - the refreshing and slightly burning smell of the cold salty water and the warm sand felt like it was purifying his lungs. His toes were curling inside his white boots, his feet too hot and so desperate to feel the sand against his delicate skin.
“Gege looks really happy,” Hua Cheng said with a bright and teasing smile, and Xie Lian could only roll his eyes fondly.
Of course he was happy. Not only was he at one of his most favorite places, but he was with the person he loved the most and they sure would have lots of fun together because Xie Lian was ready for this; he had everything carefully planned to enjoy an unforgettable summer day at the beach with his Demon King.
“Woah, Your Highness! Isn’t this watermelon too big?” Hua Cheng said as they both kneeled, placing the basket Xie Lian was easily carrying around into the sand and started to take out everything Xie Lian had prepared.
Xie Lian’s eyes lighted up when he saw the fruit. “It is! Watermelon at the beach tastes wonderful!” Xie Lian patted the watermelon as if it was his own child, “You can dig the watermelon into the sand while I take care of this.”
Xie Lian pulled out a white blanket, but he frowned when he didn’t hear Hua Cheng’s childish ‘yeeees’, the one he always said when Xie Lian asked him to do something.
“What is the matter?”
“What do you mean dig the watermelon into the sand?” Hua Cheng looked extremely confused, it took Xie Lian off guard.
Xie Lian looked at Hua Cheng, then the watermelon, then the sand and then, for some strange reason, he looked back behind him before turning to look at Hua Cheng again. “Well, I mean… dig the watermelon into the sand… it’ll keep it fresh!”
“Is that so?” Hua Cheng asked as he left the watermelon aside and started to dig a hole into the sand with his bare hands. Xie Lian only chuckled and he extended the blanket. “Ah, it is fresher the more I dig!”
Xie Lian covered his mouth to hide a soft laugh as he kneeled on top of the blanket and, as Hua Cheng finished his task, he carefully pulled out a folded piece of paper from his sleeve. He noticed Hua Cheng’s attention back at him and Xie Lian smiled.
“San Lang, on this list I have our perfect day at the beach,” he explained, unfolding the paper. “We already did the first point - dig the watermelon and put the blanket.” Xie Lian nodded to himself. “Next step is take off our shoes.”
That wasn’t so hard. Both of them freed their feet from their shoes, and Xie Lian let out a happy sigh as he could finally feel the sand between his toes.
“What else is on that list, Gege?” Hua Cheng asked kindly as he mimicked Xie Lian’s motion of sitting on their blanket and stretching his bare feet out in the sand.
“Well,” Xie Lian started.
“We will first take our lunch from this basket and eat. It has also fresh fruits in it and I want to make us a delicious juice! After that, we can put this on each other-” he said while not taking his eyes off the note, and he blindly fished the a bottle out of the basket, something he bought at the Ghost Market that should have the effect of skin not getting burnt in the bright sunlight if it is put on well. Hua Cheng took the bottle from him, and he continued to read.
“We can then relax in the sun. Read each other stories from this book I bought-” he also got that out of the basket, “...and after that we should definitely go swimming.” Xie Lian hadn’t even read 1/4 of the list when he felt Hua Cheng playfully smear some of the liquid of the bottle on his skin.
Trying not to get distracted, he continued to read, “We should ahahalso not forget to dig up the- dig up- ahaha San Lahahang!” Xie Lian turned and twisted when Hua Cheng’s teasing fingers continued to put the lotion on his skin, teasing his neck and sneaking under his clothes near his collarbone. It tickled!
He heard the soft sound of Hua Cheng putting the bottle aside, and his stomach flipped when he felt how Hua Cheng pulled him close and went to tickle him for real this time.
Ten fingers found his exposed sides, and he let out a yelp and a giggle- “San Lahahang!” and pressed his elbows against his sides, yet held firmly onto the list.
“Yes. Dig up what, Gege? Please continue,” Hua Cheng said teasingly and Xie Lian, still laughing, brought his list up to his face, trying to keep reading.
“D-Dig up the w-wahahahatermelon, c-cut it a-and eat ihihihit," Xie Lian jolted and nearly ripped his list when he felt Hua Cheng's fingers digging into his ribs. "S-Slohohow down! Th-Thihihis is not on the lihihihihist!"
Xie Lian collapsed in a fit of giggles against His Cheng's chest when the tickling came to a stop. "O-Okahahay. A-After eatihing, we should put on some more of that lotion and then we can make a s-sand c-c-castle… S-San Lang, what are you doing?!"
Xie Lian wanted to dig himself into the sand when he found out that his torso was suddenly bare. He shivered, a blush spreading across his cheeks and around his ears when Hua Cheng talked against his ear.
"Your Highness, I think we should move that step of putting this lotion right on top," he explained and Xie Lian could hear his smirk. "The sun is too intense, after all. Don't you think?"
Xie Lian blinked and he looked at his list intently - Hua Cheng was right. The sun, still with its morning rays, felt too warm and a bit aggressive to the skin, he did want to get a bit tanned, but he didn't want to get burnt, so moving it up sounded about ri-
"Eeek! It's cold!" Xie Lian flinched away, almost falling face first as he turned around to see his teasing boyfriend smiling at him, his hand up, showing the black liquid against his palms. "S-San Lang is teasing me too much today."
“Am I now?” It was a mere taunt to introduce another round of tickling. While putting the lotion on Xie Lian’s skin, Hua Cheng scribbled his fingers rapidly, making the poor god cackle and squirm in his hold.
“San Lahahang noooo!” He struggled and giggled, turning and twisting and making an overall big mess.
“Well, that’s about right,” Hua Cheng judged after a brief session of laughter from both of them. The liquid was carefully spread all over Xie Lian’s skin to protect him from the sunlight, but they had also made quite a mess.
“Next on the list is?” Hua Cheng wondered. Xie Lian blinked, still breathless. His eyes then widened in excitement.
“We make a fire and roast these,” Xie Lian said, showing some of the fruits, vegetables and nuts in the basket.
“And then... Fireworks! When it gets dark, I would like to light these things I brought. I got them right here…” Xie Lian leaned over to dig in his basket again, but gasped when Hua Cheng made use of his vulnerable position to again tease his ticklish sides.
“San Lang, not again~” Xie Lian warned, biting his lip to control his voice from doing weird things again. He heard Hua Cheng chuckle.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about Gege!”
Xie Lian started to giggle uncontrollably when Hua Cheng ‘not having idea what Xie Lian was talking about’, squeezed up and down his sides, making sure to deliver some mean tickles against Xie Lian’s bare lower ribs, causing the god to double over the basket, cackling all over again, this time trying to escape the hands of his mean lover.
Since his skin was slippery thanks to the lotion, he was able to make a run from Hua Cheng, almost falling face first against the sand.
“Thihihis- This is not on the l-lihihist either!” He giggled out, letting out a squeak when Hua Cheng started to chase after him.
Xie Lian giggled nervously as he ran around the beach, turning his head just to see Hua Cheng closer and closer until he was just three steps away.
He squeaked again and he tightened his fist around the list in his hand, making a little paper ball, and threw it to Hua Cheng, but as soon as he let go of it, he gasped, widening his eyes and, miserably, trying to catch his list back, but it gracefully swirled around the fresh air until it found its end into the sea, the paper immediately dissolving into the water.
“Oh no, San Lang,” Xie Lian lamented, staring as his sacred summer list disappeared into the waves. “I lost our list. I am sorry.” Xie Lian felt so terribly upset about losing the list. He just wanted to have the perfect summer day at the beach with Hua Cheng, but he messed up horribly.
He sighed, but let out a yelp when he felt Hua Cheng’s cold hands against his bare waist; unwanted giggles poured out of his lips, expecting another tickle attack, but instead, he was lifted and he yelped again, hurriedly holding onto Hua Cheng’s shoulders.
“Wh-Wha, What-”
“You don’t have anything to worry about, Gege,” Hua Cheng said with a breathtaking smile. “This humble believer remembers every single point of that list.”
“San Lang!” Xie Lian cried fondly, digging his fingers in Hua Cheng’s shoulders as he was carried back to their spot.
“And I promise, we will do them all,” Hua Cheng panted, and he lowered Xie Lian back onto their blanket.
“But first…”
Xie Lian expected more tickling again, but was met with a pair of lovely lips, and he smiled as they kissed, his arms moving up and wrapping around his lover’s neck. Their lips moved against each other’s, feeling and tasting, sending warmth throughout all of Xie Lian’s body to accompany the sun’s heat.
Then, when he expected it the least, “PFft!” he laughed into Hua Cheng’s mouth when those fingers curled onto his skin, tickling him again.
“But first, I tickle you,” Hua Cheng finally finished with a smirk on his attractive face, and Xie Lian made a fake upset noise, gasping, “San Lang! But you already did!” yet he did end up rolling in the sand again, a lovable Ghost King on top of him making him laugh and feel himself burst with happiness.
Oh yes, this summer day at the beach was definitely going to be perfect, even without his little list!