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Chapter Text

“Guys,” Pei Ming announced. Literally not caring if he was being heard or not. “I have an idea.”

They were in their usual spot by the school’s courtyard. They were a weird group of people since they had different majors but they somehow ended up spending a little bit of time together. Especially now that everyone had oddly the same time for a vacant spot in their schedule. Well, everyone but Shi Qingxuan and He Xuan.

Everyone, especially Ling Wen and Shi Wudu, had faces of dread the moment Pei Ming opened his mouth but they still let him talk to save their sanity.

Since no one was willing to take the fall, Xie Lian sighed and asked, “What is it?”

Pei Ming turned towards him, face and smile bright, “Why, I’m glad you ask, Xie Lian! At least someone is listening to me.”

The rest of the group looked at him with a deadpan expression, as if saying that they really did not want to hear this but they didn’t shut him up anyways.

The man went closer to Xie Lian, probably the kindest person in their group, and draped an arm over his shoulder, “So, you know my little cousin got himself a girlfriend, right?”

Mu Qing, a childhood friend of Xie Lian, snorted, “Hah, your cousin is way better than you.”

Pei Ming’s eyebrow clearly twitched, even more when he heard his two dear friends Ling Wen and Shi Wudu held in their laughter at the rather poor truth.

Xie Lian tried to shake the arm off to no avail as he asked, “...Yes? What does Banyue have to do with this?”

“She gave me a book,” Pei Ming said, his grin returning. “A very interesting one.”

The other man looked unimpressed, “And?”

“It’s about summoning a demon!” Pei Ming exclaimed. “And not just any demon. This one has a special ritual to summon the strongest one in existence.”

“Do they even exist?” Mu Qing asked, rolling his eyes.

“Sure they do!” Pei Ming said. “We’ll just have to do the ritual.”

“Does it even work?” Ling Wen asked with a raised brow. “I will not waste a night on this.”

“Dunno but we’ll see. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

He then turned towards Xie Lian who looked conflicted, “What do you say?”

“The fuck?” Feng Xin, another childhood friend of Xie Lian, reacted. “That sounds so fucking dumb.”

“I can hear a ‘but’, Feng Xin.”

Feng Xin furrowed his brows, as if he was weighing the choices in his mind about something before nodding, “Yeah, I’m in.”

“WHAT?!” Mu Qing shrieked and looked at Xie Lian, his last hope, “Stop them from doing something idiotic!”

It was silent for a moment that fell upon the group. While they don’t exactly deem Xie Lian the most normal of the bunch, he could be sane at least. Mostly compared to Pei Ming and Feng Xin. So, he should really stop them.

Xie Lian finally reacted with a nervous and awkward laughter as he scratched his cheek, “Ah, well… I’m actually interested in it too.” While he didn’t believe in demons, it might be real and he didn’t want to miss the opportunity to witness it firsthand.

His last hope was a failure and all Mu Qing did was groan very loudly, “Oh my god. I’m surrounded by idiots.”

“It’ll be fine,” Pei Ming said as he threw his bag over his shoulder since it was almost time for their last subject. “If nothing happens, then cool.”

Pei Ming offhandedly said that he would send the details in their group chat that everyone probably muted because of him.

Xie Lian, Feng Xin, and Mu Qing watched the others after they bid goodbye to go back to their building. They themselves have a few more minutes before their own classes, so they stayed behind.

“Are you two really going to go?” Mu Qing asked when they were finally gone.

“Yeah,” Feng Xin said. “Why? You ain’t going because you’re scared?”

It was clear that the man was provoking the other but since it was him, it actually worked.

“I’m going,” Mu Qing seethed. “Just because I don’t want to hear any news of two dead dumbasses for a failed demon summoning ritual.”

Xie Lian laughed, “It’s nice to know that you care, Mu Qing.”

The said man’s eyebrow twitched, saying nothing.

Xie Lian then rummaged in his bag to get a small snack that they all could probably share. He only agreed to join the dumb idea of Pei Ming since he got nothing to lose. Well, physical things at least. He only got a ratty and probably unsafe apartment to himself, a little money tied to his name, and all the junk he managed to collect whenever he was free. He refused to intrude in his friends’ dorms when they didn’t have any contact with each other years ago until lately. He would feel like a bother, so he’d rather hole up in his questionably safe apartment.

Okay. Maybe the only thing he didn’t want to lose was his pet white snake, Ruoye.

“I’m sure it’ll be safe,” Xie Lian said and offered the bread that he found to the two of them. “I don’t think it’s actually real to begin with.”

Feng Xin took his share of bread first since he knew that Xie Lian didn’t make it and Mu Qing soon followed.

“If you knew,” Mu Qing said as he took a bite. “Why bother?”

“Memories,” the other replied with a shrug.

Feng Xin elbowed Mu Qing, “Why the hell are you so uptight? We should make good memories while we’re young.”

“We’re 21,” Mu Qing said flatly. “And I don’t think doing something dangerous is fun-”

“Why, you-”

“Now, now,” Xie Lian raised his hands and tried to keep them from lunging at each other. “Stop it or you guys will make poems here.”

The two of them paused and their faces slowly scrunched up in distaste at the weird yet effective punishment that Xie Lian would always make them do at any place. At first, it was reciting idioms but now, he just wanted them to suffer while he had that stupid kind smile plastered on his face.

Seeing that they settled down, Xie Lian clapped his hands with a grin, “Great! Now, did any of you do the homework?”

Only Feng Xin tried to escape from him.

Pei Ming

Martial Avenue. Warehouse 201C

It’s owned by my family so it wouldn’t be a bother.

Xie Lian stared at the message before glancing at the building before him. It was nothing like the usual tropes of an abandoned warehouse in those supernatural or horror movies. It actually looked like it was in pristine condition. Well, he should’ve expected that Pei Ming wouldn’t do it in a dirty area.

Feng Xin and Mu Qing were behind him, gazing up and down at the building as well. He could hear them cursing if Pei Ming fucked them up and gave them the wrong location. They must’ve assumed that they would go to an abandoned warehouse as well.

“I think it’s right,” Xie Lian said and pointed at a very familiar black car that was parked from a distance. “Look, they’re already here.”

“They could’ve given us a ride, too,” Feng Xin grumbled as he rubbed his forearms.

The three of them were only wearing thin shirts and jogging pants. Only Mu Qing was smart enough to bring a jacket to prevent himself from getting too cold due to the cool wind of the evening. 

“Let’s just go already.”

They then made their way towards the building and noticed that the door was slightly open, light escaping from the small crack between the two large doors. Xie Lian was right that the others were already there.

Shi Qingxuan and He Xuan didn’t go because of the latter telling them it was a waste of time and since Shi Qingxuan was his lover, they didn’t go either. It might’ve made Shi Wudu very infuriated.

Before they got to knock on the door, Pei Ming already slid the door open to greet them with a grin. “Welcome! Here I thought you guys backed out.”

Both Feng Xin and Mu Qing pushed him out of the way, grumbling things like they would fucking never do that. Even over their dead bodies. Pei Ming simply chuckled before ushering Xie Lian inside.

The warehouse was plain and looked bigger compared to outside. On the left were filled with items that were covered in a simple white cloth, presumably items that Pei Ming’s family owned. To the right was surprisingly clear, the only things that occupied the space was a blanket that had three bags, a book, and Ling Wen and Shi Wudu sitting on the blanket with an unimpressed look on their faces.

“Finally,” Shi Wudu said. “Took you all long enough.”

Xie Lian had to hold Feng Xin back from beating Shi Wudu up.

Pei Ming walked towards the blanket and grabbed the black bag. He opened it and started unloading the items in it. Candles, some paint, a red string, something silver, a lighter, a fucking knife, and a small piece of wood. The newly arrived three went closer to inspect it.

“Why do we even need wood?” Mu Qing squinted at the offending item on the blanket.

Pei Ming grabbed the book nearby and gave it to them, “Banyue said to follow it. Everything I got is listed there.”

The three stared at the book for a bit. It was a bit of a plain looking thing with its purple cover. It was clean and not like those blood-stained ones in movies. The pages inside were in good condition and the words could be easily read. They checked the page where Pei Ming bookmarked at and it showed how to draw the circle, the needed items, and the procedures.

The title held the name “Hua Cheng”. Probably the name of the demon that they were trying to summon.

“Are we really doing this?” Feng Xin squinted. The circle looked a bit complicated but still rather simple compared to the ones they saw online.

“Hm, the demon’s name is rather pretty,” Xie Lian murmured to himself, earning weird glances from the others.

“Don’t worry about your pretty heads!” Pei Ming said and swiped the book from their hands. “Noble Jie here will draw the circle for us.”

“When did I agree to that?” Ling Wen glared.

“The moment you came here!” Pei Ming gave the book to Ling Wen, not deterred by her icy glares. “Come on, let’s set up. We don’t have all night!”

They all started to get to work. Feng Xin and Xie Lian were trying to tie the red string to the wood and silver together, Ling Wen did the circle with the bucket of red paint on the clear floor, and Shi Wudu and Mu Qing set up the candles as instructed in the book.

“Why do you have to light this on fire?” Feng Xin asked as he adjusted the red string. “Wouldn’t this be a waste?”

“Demons are flashy,” Xie Lian shrugged.

“You’re not really helping, Xie Lian.”

Pei Ming was reading the incantations in his mind, memorizing it. It was only three lines and the others needed to repeat it after he said it. It wasn’t a problem, really. His eyes then wandered to the last thing that they needed.

A drop of blood on the wood.

He looked up from the book and saw that everyone was done with their tasks. He looked at each of them, thinking who would be willing to sacrifice just a tiny bit of their blood. If he simply asked, would someone volunteer? Or did he have to do something else instead?

He cleared his throat to gain their attention and surprisingly, it did, “There’s one more thing we need to do.”

Shi Wudu furrowed his brow, “This is already a lot. What else do we need?”

“Blood.”

Everyone froze and Pei Ming quickly added, “It says here we just need a drop! A little cut should do it.”

“Of fucking course,” Mu Qing rolled his eyes. “What kind of demon doesn’t need it?”

Xie Lian looked around and no one was willing to really do it. Even Pei Ming himself was hesitating even if he was the one who brought the stupid ass idea to them. He was about to volunteer that he would do it until Pei Ming suggested another dumb idea.

“Let’s play rock-paper-scissors for it. Loser gets to give blood.”

“Are you fucking serious?”

“We aren’t kids.”

Pei Ming raised his hands defensively, “It’s the only thing I could think of that won’t end up in a fight!”

Surely, anything would devolve into a fight if Feng Xin and Mu Qing were involved in one thing. But he was right. Xie Lian sighed and told them that they should do it to just finish the night already.

They all formed a reluctant circle, a bit away from the array. Pei Ming counted from three to one to reveal their results. Everyone but Ling Wen was rock and she was paper. They started again and this time, Mu Qing and Shi Wudu won, leaving Xie Lian, Feng Xin, and Pei Ming.

“I kind of expected this,” Xie Lian laughed dryly.

“I didn’t,” Pei Ming said, looking at his own hand. Was there something wrong with it or was it karma getting to him already?

Xie Lian was looking at the other two and he saw how there were beads of sweat forming on their foreheads. He didn’t understand what they were so nervous about. The book said it required a drop of blood and not a limb. What’s there to fear? Although, his self preservation was so bad that he couldn’t really relate to them.

They did another round and this time, Xie Lian was the clear loser. He really should’ve offered earlier if the results would be the same anyways.

The said man sighed and shook his head, “Okay, let’s get on with it.”

They made it to the spots like in the book suggested as Pei Ming set down the wood at the middle of the circle. Xie Lian was beside him with a knife in hand.

“Is that thing clean?” Feng Xin asked, protective of his friend.

“It is,” Pei Ming reassured, then turned towards Xie Lian. “If you would?”

Xie Lian nodded and crouched beside the small wood. He hovered his left index finger over it before he finally cut it without even flinching. It was enough to draw blood and a drop or two fell on the wood, staining it. Since a drop was all it needed, Xie Lian immediately withdrew his hand and stopped his bleeding by sucking on his finger as he handed the knife to Pei Ming.

Mu Qing’s face scrunched up, “Shouldn’t you get a band-aid instead? I’m sure Pei Ming has one.”

Xie Lian waved his hand dismissively as he went to his spot, “It’s not bleeding anymore! I’ll just apply medicine later.”

Knowing that he wouldn’t budge, his friends let him be. Shi Wudu was asked to kill the lights after Pei Ming lit up the candles. Once they were standing in their respective spots, Pei Ming cleared his throat, ready to say the incantations.

Xie Lian was looking around, everyone was surprisingly quiet. He could barely see them when the only source of light was from the candles flickering around. Now, the warehouse had the ominous aura that it was missing earlier.

Pei Ming soon started, quite slowly so everyone could repeat what he said. Most of them had an uninterested tone in their voice but Xie Lian was genuinely liking the experience even if they did use his blood for it. He then wondered if there were any consequences to that?

Surely not.

They repeated the incantations two more times just because the book said so. It almost looked silly that college students were doing some things that were for curious kids or teenagers that didn’t want to sleep immediately. But alas, here they were.

Once they were done with the last sentence, the whole building was eerily silent. Nothing happened at first, saving the whistling wind from outside. Then, the candlelights flickered, some died while some were flickering wildly. They all wondered if it was a sign? None of the wind was entering the warehouse, after all.

But they waited for a minute or two, the wood was still burning in the center and nothing still happened.

“This is getting ridiculous,” Shi Wudu grumbled. “Nothing is happening.”

“Let’s wait a bit more,” Xie Lian said calmly.

……

And they waited. The wood was already black and the red string was long gone but nothing happened after the flickering candles. Xie Lian had to admit that he was pretty disappointed about it.

Eventually, Pei Ming caved in and sighed, “Welp, this was a failure.”

Mu Qing snorted, “What did you expect? That the big bad demon to show up?”

The other man’s face, along with Feng Xin and Xie Lian, held a tinge of guilt. It was like they had been caught red handed. They were curious and they didn’t want to think that it was a waste of time but hearing a huff from Ling Wen and Shi Wudu indicated that it was.

They ended up cleaning up the floor as Shi Wudu opened the lights for them. The circle didn’t look as ominous as when it was only the candles bringing it light. Now, they have to blow each candle out, try to clean the circle and toss the wood somewhere. Xie Lian had to sigh to himself, he was actually looking forward to it and hoped he was proven wrong.

His little blood probably brought them bad luck to not summon the demon or it was really all a farce.

Pei Ming apologized to them, promising that he’d treat them once they had another free time and that seemed to appease the rest of the gang. Xie Lian, however, didn’t mind. It was a good but slightly disappointing experience. The free food was just a bonus.

They bid their goodbyes after the clean up, Ling Wen and Shi Wudu were already shouting for Pei Ming as they entered the familiar car that was parked outside. Pei Ming was shutting the doors of the warehouse and locking it as he talked to Xie Lian and the others.

“See you tomorrow?”

“We don’t have a choice, really,” Xie Lian said lightly.

“Ouch, you wound me, Xie Lian,” the other man said but he still laughed. “I hope you guys have a good night!”

“You’re still not gonna give us a lift?” Feng Xin asked, glaring.

“No more space in the car. Next time!”

Before any of them could fight the dumb man, Pei Ming made a dash for it, leaving them alone right in front of the warehouse.

The three looked at each other before sighing. A walk back wouldn’t be too bad, maybe.

Mu Qing and Feng Xin bid Xie Lian goodbye when they arrived at an intersection. The college dorms were to the right while Xie Lian’s cheap apartment (which was cheaper than the dorms), was straight ahead.

“Let’s meet at the usual cafe?” Feng Xin asked.

“Let’s,” Xie Lian replied.

With another wave, they started walking away from each other. Xie Lian was glad that none of the lamp posts' lights were out and the convenience store that he just passed had enough light to make the street look less dangerous.

Soon, he arrived at an apartment complex. Well, that was an overstatement. At first glance, one would think a simple blow of the wind would knock the whole building down to dust. It was sturdy, surprisingly. Sure it had some holes here and there, creaking sounds on some steps of stairs, but it was enough.

He made his way to the second floor, his room was the third door from the stairs. He wasn’t sure if he actually had neighbors living in the first two doors. Either they were the shady kind or the kind that would hole up in their apartment their whole life.

He fumbled for the keys in his pocket when he passed by the second door.

When Xie Lian stood in front of his door, he paused. Something felt wrong but he couldn’t put a finger on it. Shrugging off the feeling, he inserted his key and unlocked the door. He entered his rather small apartment.

The feeling that something was wrong felt stronger when he stepped inside and closed the door. Unconsciously, he grabbed the bat that was reserved for situations like robbing. That couldn’t be the case since the door was locked. Maybe through the window?

His free hand looked for the light switch and turned it on. The apartment still looked slightly dimmed. He knew the reason for it though since he was staring at it with wide eyes.

In front of him was the living room but the…. thing sitting (?) on his couch made it look even smaller than it really was. He didn’t know how he did it but he managed to drink in the features of it.

Red maple cape and clothes, black boots planted on his poorly carpeted floor, its tail was swishing calmly left and right, the tip of it looking like soft black fur. Its back was facing him but he could see the black clawed hands, color reaching to its elbows, and was there something white slithering around it?

The thing Xie Lian noticed the most was how big it was.

The couch might be broken by now and the boots were very big. Its head that had inky black hair was almost reaching the ceiling and two (two?!) sets of horns were scraping on said ceiling. It heard the clicking sound of the door and the light opening, so the creature turned his head to look at him.

It was pretty, handsome, and striking. Its eyes were unnaturally black but it was somehow shining as it stared at him. There were noticeable fangs peeking through its lips.

It moved, trying to rise up from the poor couch and ironically, the intimidating figure paused in its tracks when it heard a crack from above. Xie Lian looked up and saw that the creature’s horns got stuck. On the ceiling. It had holes now.

Xie Lian would’ve laughed if he wasn’t so fucking scared right now.

The thing tried to speak, opening its mouth. The fangs were very present. Xie Lian couldn’t understand it because the only sound it made was… well… demonic.

Xie Lian also really tried to avert his eyes to avoid staring at the now evident defined chest of the creature, its skin smooth and pale.

He raised his bat when he finally had the courage to move, pointing at it while shouting, “What the hell are you?!” He was sure that he was trembling but it didn’t matter. He forced himself to take a few steps forward.

Before the creature could even do anything, Xie Lian swung.

Chapter Text

Sharp nails thrummed on the armrest of his throne in boredom. His dark eyes raked over the grand hall with unamusement as multiple demons tried to plead to him for mercy. He shifted his position slightly, making the demons jump in fear.

“Yin Yu,” his deep voice echoed in the hall. “What do these filth need?” He hasn't really bothered to hear their cries since earlier.

A demon approached him, both his build and height was smaller than the other demon. He had an air of normalcy and no one would take second glances at him, but he still held a bit of power due to his energy.

“Your Majesty,” Yin Yu said. “They requested that you spare them for their actions. They will sign a contract to keep their word to never do it again.”

“Hm.” The demon sitting at the throne looked at the shackled and beaten up demons at the corner of the hall. They were of different kinds and were captured by the pleading demons at his feet to either sell them to humans or other fellow.. monsters . Sickening.

“Unnecessary,” he said. “Behead all of them and treat the wounds of the victims.”

The demons cried even more but it was no use when they saw Yin Yu already giving the commands to the guards and other staff to do their respective work.

Hua Cheng simply watched with bored eyes as he watched the demons being dragged by the guards thrash around to no avail. He was cruel and ruthless to the creatures that deserved it. He would never inflict punishment among the innocents.

Lately, however, life in the Demon Realm has been boring. Contrary to popular belief, the life of a demon wasn’t exactly exciting every single day. Perhaps the demons with adventurous and more unhinged life were busy everyday. Even as the king, it was still rather dull.

Today only had one measly event. Some of his guards captured a group of demons that locked their fellow men away for profit and since he couldn’t handle creatures like that, he had no hesitation to decide the punishment.

It was still boring.

Then, he suddenly felt a pull that made him frown and his brows furrow. What in the world…? His sharp gaze darted around quickly. There wasn’t any spell in the hall and there wasn’t any trap present. His alertness made Yin Yu wary.

“Is there something wrong, Your Majesty?”

Hua Cheng looked at him, “I feel a pull.”

Yin Yu blinked at him. Those words were enough to make the air cold. If he felt a pull, there was someone trying to summon him in the Human Realm. No one had ever succeeded in trying before, he knew. He hadn’t felt a pull during his ruling over the Demon Realm for centuries.

Was someone strong enough to? Or was it their cursed luck to succeed?

“Strange,” Hua Cheng muttered to himself. “It feels strong.”

Yin Yu looked at him worriedly, “Would you like me to stop it?”

They both knew it was impossible. The best they could do was delay the inevitable. With that suggestion, the king shook his head. It wouldn’t be a problem if he ended up going to the Human Realm. If they were pieces of trash, he could always burn them alive with no remorse.

“I’m rather curious about the foolish person who summoned me,” Hua Cheng said with a smirk. “Summoning a demon king isn’t an easy feat, after all.”

In reality, it was unheard of.

The pull was getting stronger and he could taste a drop of blood in his tongue. It… tasted sweet. Was it supposed to taste that way or was the human special somehow? Regardless, he would like to see the person’s face.

He closed his eyes as he leaned back on the throne. Maybe this event would color his days with excitement. Hua Cheng could hear the silent chatters outside the hall along with the worried huff from his attendant. He sighed as he tapped his temple lightly.

“I’ll be contacting you soon,” he addressed the other demon. “Once I’m done dealing with them.”

Before silence engulfed him, he could hear Yin Yu say, “Be careful, Your Majesty.”

Soon, everything was silent. He couldn’t feel the presence of his attendant nearby, the silent chatter was dead, and the thing he was sitting on was now uncomfortable compared to his luxurious throne and made a large cracking sound. It gave in to his weight and dropped him down just a tad lower.

He slowly opened his eyes and was unsurprised when the area was dark. What’s surprising, however, was the lack of human presence as well as the things he heard from Yin Yu in the past. Humans tend to do rituals with small light and weird inscriptions on the floor, right? As far as he could see, none of those was in sight.

Hua Cheng’s eyes easily adjusted in the dark and could clearly see his surroundings. Luckily, he was slightly caught up with the modern times (but not fully) as he recognized some items. A television that might be broken, a bookshelf over there, and a weird glass thing over at the other side. Was that a… tank? He couldn’t recall.

He tried to move but grunted in dismay when he felt his horns tap something above. Was the room too small? Perhaps for a human it wasn’t but he was nine feet tall and was built. A normal building wouldn’t fit him. He also noticed that the place was rather… rundown. Even the small hideouts of demons that he destroyed in the Demon Realm had a better condition than this place.

Hua Cheng then wondered if the human that summoned him created the contract just because they wanted the money. Considering the poor living conditions, it was most likely. He clicked his tongue in annoyance. Humans could be greedy and the thought of burning said human alive to immediately break the contract sounded enticing.

Then, he noticed that there was some movement inside the tank. Curious, he eyed it for a moment. He was a patient... demon. He could wait for whatever will come out of it. After a while, something white slithered out of the makeshift cave within the tank. He blinked in surprise. It was a white snake and its beady red eyes were looking straight at him.

It didn’t look poisonous and wasn’t that long but it was a snake . He had never met a human that would actually take a snake as a pet. The one who summoned him was really interesting.

Since he didn’t want to damage the tank, Hua Cheng snapped his fingers and the snake teleported, coiling itself around his arm. The snake, despite its lack of facial expressions, felt surprised and tightened its hold around the demon’s arm in shock.

“I won’t harm you,” Hua Cheng said quietly, in something that the snake could understand. “What’s your name?”

The snake hissed, its tongue peeking out. Hua Cheng nodded, “Ruoye, ah. What an intriguing name. Your human is quite interesting as well.”

Ruoye hissed again in a different tone and Hua Cheng nodded along. It simply said that his human was the best and it was happy being with him. The demon suddenly thought that the human didn’t sound so bad if the snake was this happy.

“What’s your human’s name?”

The snake hissed. Xie Lian.

“I see.” What a nice name. “My name is Hua Cheng.”

They talked for a bit more and Ruoye immediately took a liking to the demon king. Perhaps it helped that Hua Cheng could understand it so well. It looked very happy. Even Hua Cheng liked the company since he might destroy the building in boredom if he waited in the dark for too long.

After a while, there was a resounding click of a door right behind him and a light nearby flickered open. With his huge stature, he ended up blocking it, preventing it from illuminating the area.

With Ruoye still wrapped around him, he looked back and saw the most adorable and good looking human he had ever seen. Most of the humans that he saw were plain, despicable looking, or slightly attractive. Nothing compared to what was right in front of him, however.

The human looked scared, his mouth agape as he stared at him. It wasn’t surprising but it somehow stung when he received a usual stare from this specific person. He tried to move and turned towards him and raised himself. It was a bad idea.

Hua Cheng stopped in his tracks when he felt his horns get stuck in the ceiling, some dust dropping due to his carelessness. Here he was. A demon king. Feared by all. Getting his horns stuck in a fucking ceiling in a run down apartment. Great.

The moment his eyes landed on the human, however, he knew that it was him who summoned him. He could practically smell the blood that he tasted earlier from him. Seeing who summoned him now made Hua Cheng change his mind. He won’t burn this beautiful being to a crisp.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something but he didn’t change his tone in time. Whatever sound he let out was normal to him but it was most likely demonic in the human’s ears. Oh dear.

Hua Cheng watched as the human unconsciously grabbed the bat that was leaning on the wall and he pointed it at him with obvious trembling hands.

“What the hell are you?!”

The demon king was dumbstruck. No human ever dared to point something at him. They were always at their knees already begging for mercy the moment they laid their eyes on him. It was both amusing and annoying at the same time. He wanted someone to have a bit of guts for once.

And finally, finally someone was like that. Hua Cheng wasn’t sure if he was very lucky to meet such a unique and interesting human. The said human could summon him, had a pet snake, and even had the guts to try and fight him even if he was trembling in fear while doing so.

Hua Cheng never got to say anything when Xie Lian took a few steps forward and swung. Now that was a huge surprise for the demon king. It was already unusual that a weapon was pointed at him and even more wild that the human tried to attack him.

He loved it.

The demon king hummed as he stopped the bat with a single finger, rendering the attack useless. He saw the human widened his eyes with more fear than ever. Hua Cheng was impressed. He felt that Xie Lian was physically stronger than the humans he met before.

Xie Lian let go of the bat and it fell unceremoniously on the floor. He stepped backwards towards the kitchen without turning his back on the demon and this time, he grabbed whatever was the nearest item to him.

A fucking frying pan.

Hua Cheng was thoroughly amused when Xie Lian tried to swing the thing at him once more, not giving up. Like before, he stopped it with a single finger. The human gaped at the scene as he dropped the frying pan as well.

Xie Lian looked like he wanted to scream for help but was unable to. Instead, he stepped backwards and gripped his hand on the kitchen counter, away from the demon. Hua Cheng frowned at the movement. He didn’t want to hurt the human but he was clearly scaring him.

Was it because of his appearance? Maybe, since it was a lot to take in for any normal being. Seeing the scared look on the other’s face made him consider shifting into a… less intimidating form.

Remaining eye contact, Hua Cheng slowly shifted his form after teleporting Ruoye back to his tank. His build and height were lessening making him have the height of a rather tall human, the sharp claws slowly taking form into pale hands, and his clothes were still as red as ever. His hair mostly fell freely on his back with a small braid on his right side, and a new black eyepatch was covering his right eye.

Hm. He also hid his horns to avoid any more… accidents.

He looked around, the room was still small but it was definitely bigger than it was when he was in his original form. He noticed that he had indeed broken down the couch, snapping it in half and breaking its legs. In his defense, it was already in a bad condition and it was probably waiting to be broken in a few months or so. He just ended its misery faster.

He should replace that.

Hua Cheng then reverted back his focus to Xie Lian, who was now gaping even more at him. And…. was that a blush on those cheeks? Adorable.

The demon king raised his hands and remembered to speak in a human tongue, “Relax, Xie Lian. I won’t hurt you.”

Well, he planned to at first, but he changed his mind.

Xie Lian’s eyes widened, “H-How do you know my name?!”

Hua Cheng vaguely pointed towards the tank, “Your precious snake, Ruoye, told me.”

That seemed to be the last straw of information since Xie Lian never responded. The demon watched as the human fainted, his body slowly falling. Hua Cheng didn’t let that happen as he quickly teleported in front of Xie Lian and wrapped his arms around the human’s waist so he wouldn’t fall. He held onto Xie Lian close and discovered that he really was out cold.

“Well, Ruoye wouldn’t want you to be injured,” Hua Cheng murmured in the air as he studied the features of the human in his arms.

He was more beautiful up close. His hair was disheveled, fair skin, and sharp yet soft facial features. He could be considered royalty, in Hua Cheng’s opinion. But, there was no one as beautiful as Xie Lian even in the past.

Hua Cheng took a moment longer before he carried Xie Lian properly by bridal style and made his way to what he assumed to be the human’s bedroom. He opened it with his energy and entered the room.

It was surprisingly clean but it only held a few items and furniture. The demon involuntarily scrunched up his nose when he saw the state of the bed. Cheap dark blue sheets couldn’t hide the way the bed could give it at any moment like the couch outside.

Seriously, how did this human live without getting into too many accidents? His house alone was a health hazard.

He strode his way to the bed (while noting that he should replace that as well) and set Xie Lian down on it. Hua Cheng saw how peaceful the other was while like this even if he did faint.

Hua Cheng silently removed the human’s shoes and tucked him better in the horrible bed. He stepped back and eyed him one last time before leaving the human alone in his room. He didn't want to be a creep and watch him in the corner of his room.

He sighed as he took around the surroundings in his human form. It really was bad. He snapped his fingers again and Ruoye was snuggling up to him once more.

“It appears I scared your human,” Hua Cheng said. “I apologize.”

Ruoye hissed and bumped him with its snout, telling that it was fine.

“You two are living in such poor conditions. I think I’ll fix some things here.”

The cute snake agreed, even telling him that Xie Lian had an accident with one of the floorboards somewhere before. Hua Cheng hummed as he listened to Ruoye and picked up the bat and pan. He set the bat in its original place and he walked towards the poorly kept kitchen to set the pan aside.

Ruoye was moving around his arm and Hua Cheng had to admit that he grew fond of it already. He patted it before raising two of his fingers to his temple and waited for the connection to hold.

“ Your Majesty? Is everything alright?”

“Yin Yu,” Hua Cheng replied. “Listen carefully because I will only mention this once so be ready. I need you to bring-”

“Why does His Majesty need things?” The confusion was evident in Yin Yu’s voice. “Are you planning on staying?”

“Yes, I am staying. This human is… quite interesting. And Yin Yu?”

“....Yes?”

“Interrupt me one more time and I’ll remove one of your horns.”

“....What are the things you need, Your Majesty?”

“It’s a lot. You better write these.”

Xie Lian groaned softly as he stirred in his bed. Wait, his bed? He couldn’t remember eating dinner or feeding Ruoye last night…. Although, everything might be just a fever dream and he was out cold all this time and he ate dinner and gave Ruoye food.

He blinked slowly and he squinted immediately when a ray of light hit his face. It’s morning already? He reached for his desk to get his beat up phone. He frowned when he didn’t feel anything on it.

Xie Lian opened his eyes and his phone wasn’t in sight. He slowly looked down and saw that it was on his bed. Huh, so he didn’t charge it at all. He struggled a bit to get ahold of it since it was almost at the edge of the bed.

He sighed in relief when he finally held it, “Okay, then…” He opened it and was surprised when there were a few missed calls from both Feng Xin and Mu Qing.Why would they even call him? He blinked even more and he landed his gaze on the clock.

He was thirty minutes late for his first subject.

Xie Lian bolted up, “Oh my god! I’m late!”

He frantically stripped off his clothes and replaced them with fresh ones. A white hoodie and some jeans that had seen better days. He didn’t care, however, since he was so fucking late and might get reprimanded from his professor and friends.

He grabbed his phone and bag along the way as he tried to put on his socks. He wasn’t sure if he was wearing the right pair of colors but he didn’t notice it. Xie Lian opened the door to his room, mind only spinning with “I’m late, I’m late. I need to run. Why did I wake up so late?”

He cancelled out everything around him that he didn’t notice some movement in his kitchen.

“Gege, there’s some coffee to go on the counter.”

Xie Lian was wearing his shoes quickly when he responded, “Okay, thanks!” How did his shoes end up in his room earlier, anyways?

Once he was done, he grabbed the coffee that was on the counter and made a dash for it. He wasn’t even sure if he even locked the door. Oh well. There wasn’t anything worth stealing in his apartment.

He ran down the flight of stairs and was surprised that the coffee hadn’t spilled anything on him yet. There were already a few passersby that looked at him like he was crazy. Maybe he did look crazy and disheveled as hell.

Soon, he finally arrived at the campus without even breaking a sweat. Doing morning runs and exercise actually did the trick. He didn’t dwell on it too much since he still needed to go to their building as fast as he could. His classes were on the third floor as well.

Students were looking at him in surprise. They never saw Xie Lian being late in class. He was known to be on time or early with his classes and was always with his friends. So, this was an interesting sight to them.

He didn’t pay them any attention as he practically skipped up the stairs so he could go there faster. Soon, he was right in front of the door to his first class. He was…. Probably almost an hour late to his two hour class. Maybe there’s a chance…?

He slowly opened the door and eyes were immediately on him. Even the professor paused in his presentation to look at him.

“Xie Lian,” the professor said. “You are quite early for your next subject.” His tone wasn’t too harsh but Xie Lian felt guilty nonetheless.

The said student apologized profusely, cheeks getting red from the run and embarrassment. The professor waved at him, telling that they’ll discuss it later and told him to sit down already so they could resume classes.

Xie Lian sighed as made his way towards Mu Qing and Feng Xin who were giving him questionable looks. When he slumped down at the available space beside them, he smiled weakly at them. A sign that they’ll just talk later. He took a sip of coffee that still hadn’t spilled yet. It tasted really good. That didn’t reduce the feeling of defeat that he would have a horrible day today, though.

He really had the worst of luck.

Xie Lian sighed again as he set down the tray of food and the coffee cup on the table. The three of them were at the cafeteria after their first two subjects. Mu Qing was glaring at the cup while Feng Xin was eyeing his friend instead.

“What happened? Did you sleep at the crack of dawn?” Feng Xin asked.

“I… I don’t know. Maybe,” the other replied.

Mu Qing raised a brow, “How could you not know? Didn’t you check your phone or something?”

Speaking of phones, Xie Lian checked his phone and the battery was at fifteen percent. Right. He didn’t charge it.

“Anyways,” Mu Qing continued and gestured at the cup. “Where did you get that? You still had time to get coffee when you were running late?”

Xie Lian was staring at the now empty cup and tried to rack up in his brain for an answer. Where did he get that? He didn’t make coffee at home because he didn’t have a coffee machine for that and he didn’t stop by a cafe either.

Huh.

Feng Xin was now glaring at the cup then back at Xie Lian, “...Did the ritual last night affect your brain or something?”

“Ritual?” Xie Lian asked dumbly. Suddenly, the events from last night flooded his mind..

The said ritual, the big… thing in his living room that broke his couch and ceiling, the information that the said thing knew his name and could talk to snakes. Even the failed attempts of attacking the surprisingly handsome thing-turned-human in his horrible living room.

Wait.

Did that one make the coffee for him?!

….Wait.

HE HAS A DEMON IN HIS APARTMENT?!

He stood up abruptly, surprising his companions.

“What-”

“I NEED TO GO,” Xie Lian almost screamed hurriedly. “I- I FORGOT TO TURN OFF THE STOVE AT HOME!”

“You don’t make breakfast at home, though?!” Feng Xin shouted back confusedly. “And weren’t you late?!”

But Xie Lian wasn’t even listening to him anymore, “You guys can have my lunch! I’ll see you later!”

People were staring, both of his companions were calling out to him, and he ignored them all. With the cup in hand and his bag haphazardly thrown over his shoulder, he made another run for it. This time, he wanted to go back to his apartment.

Because there was a fucking demon in his house.

He wasn’t even sure if he was dreaming it or not.

The run to his apartment felt surprisingly shorter compared to the one this morning. Maybe it was because he was more conscious of his time while doing so earlier. He was still freaking out though because there was a literal inhuman being in his apartment. He wasn’t sure if it was destroyed or not while he was gone.

When he arrived at his door, it was intact. Wow. Now that he was here, he gulped a lump in his throat. Would the already shitty apartment be even worse? He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry about the thought.

With enough bravery, he finally unlocked his door with the key with shaky hands. He slowly opened it with one eye closed, afraid to see broken down furniture and walls. His mouth went agape when the sight that greeted him was the total opposite.

While the house still looked bad, there was a sleek black and red couch in the living room. It looked so out of place. Then, there was a new television. His eyes looked up at the ceiling and there were no holes in sight. What in the world….?

Then, a head poked out of the kitchen area and Xie Lian could feel the blush creeping in again. The… man was beautiful. Sharp features and a dark gaze was on him that he couldn’t help but slightly shiver. It was odd seeing the intruder (?) smiling at him.

The man stepped out to his full view and he was wearing all black clothes that fit him so well…. and the frilly pink and white apron that Xie Lian used from time to time. His black nailed hand held a spatula and waved it a bit.

And was he wearing an eyepatch?

“Gege, you’re back early,” The man said and wow was his voice deep and smooth. “I made lunch if you haven’t eaten.”

“What….” Xie Lian was speechless.

He didn’t know whether he wanted to faint again or not but he did fully enter the apartment and finally closed the door. The other was still looking at him, expecting something.

“Who…” Xie Lian started. “Who are you?”

The man blinked before giving him a smile. Was that a fang peeking out..? “Take a seat first and then we’ll talk.”

Xie Lian knew that he should be cautious around the other and maybe grab the bat again. But, the memory of the other stopping him with just a finger made him realize that he had no chance. With a sigh, he moved and walked towards the counter while dropping his bag along the way.

He set down the cup and the noise made the other man turn, “Would you like more coffee?”

Xie Lian felt complicated that the conversation was so normal but he shook his head, “I’m fine.”

The man nodded and went back to the stove to cook whatever he was doing. It smelled good, Xie Lian confirmed in his mind. While waiting, his eyes wandered around. The apartment looked cleaner than before and the new things stuck out like a sore thumb. How in the world did it happen?

He was snapped out of his reverie when something was set down in front of him with a light sound. Xie Lian dropped his gaze down and it was a hill of mantous in one plate. 

“Eat,” the man said. “Don’t worry, it’s safe to eat it.”

Well, Xie Lian really didn’t think that. He actually thought it looked nice and it really really smelled good that it made his mouth water. He didn’t eat what he bought in the cafeteria, after all.

He nodded and grabbed the one at the top to start. Xie Lian blinked in surprise that it actually tasted good. He looked up and saw that the man was right across from him without the apron anymore. Behind him, everything was already washed and cleaned.

“Is it good?”

Xie Lian licked his lips as he looked down on the mantou and back up again at the man before nodding, “It is. Uh, thank you for the food.”

“Pleasure is all mine,” the man responded with a small smirk on his face.

What was he being so handsome for?!

Xie Lian coughed and looked away so he could eat the mantou without thinking of… things. He could feel the man’s eye was on him, mirth swirling in it. He felt like he would burn under such a heavy gaze.

After his third bun, the man was still across from him, patiently waiting for him. Xie Lian felt like he stalled this long enough, so he lifted his gaze at the man.

“Who are you?”

“My, for the human that summoned me to not know my name is a surprise.”

Xie Lian froze for a moment. Wait… Were they successful in summoning the demon king Hua Cheng? Why was he here then and why didn’t he appear when they were in the warehouse that night?

Was it because they used his blood? Fuck.

“I…”

“Hua Cheng,” the demon said, a smirk now on his lips. “But gege may call me San Lang.”

Why was the demon king calling him gege?! Wasn’t the demon king centuries older than him?!

“Okay, San Lang…” Xie Lian said slowly. “May I ask why you are here instead of…”

Hua Cheng tilted his head, understanding, “The circle wasn’t strong enough to summon me there. I was drawn to your blood instead.”

“...Oh.”

Xie Lian felt like he was really unlucky enough to summon the demon king right at his apartment. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea that they used his blood for things like these..

The demon leaned in slightly, making Xie Lian’s breath hitch, “You summoned me for a reason, Xie Lian. Would you like to tell me what you desire?”

“I.. I don’t have any.”

Hua Cheng blinked in surprise, “Nothing at all? Not even riches?”

Xie Lian shrugged, “I’m pretty fine.”

The demon raised a brow. They both knew that they were in a human hellhole right now.

“Well, you have a year to think of what you want,” the demon finally said. “Since it’s a blood contract, it cannot be broken.”

Xie Lian gaped, “Wait, you’ll be here for a year?” That.. how could he hide a demon for a year?!

Hua Cheng nodded, “That or until you finally tell me what you want.”

The other eventually sighed, “I have no choice, do I?”

“Not really.”

Xie Lian sighed again. Well, what’s the worst that could happen? “Well, alright.”

The demon watched him with an unreadable look, possibly trying to read his body language and words. Xie Lian got nothing to hide, really. He didn’t have any plans but he was stuck with this now.

“I’m surprised,” the demon said. “You don’t seem scared.”

Xie Lian laughed, “Oh, I am. But if my apartment getting fixed is a sign, I don’t think you would hurt me.”

His laugh paused when Hua Cheng’s face was near him again. The demon whispered dangerously low, “I hope you know I eat humans one way or another.”

Xie Lian gulped, not knowing what Hua Cheng really meant, “Well, that will be a problem for the future me.”

The demon blinked before backing away. He laughed loudly, “Ah, you’re really interesting, Xie Lian. I am quite glad that you’re the one who summoned me. I’m sure you’ll keep me entertained.”

Entertained, how? Xie Lian didn’t know what but he will see eventually.

“Well, then,” Hua Cheng rested his chin on his palm with a small smirk on his face, “It’s nice to meet your acquaintance, gege .”

Shivers went down Xie Lian’s spine when Hua Cheng practically purred the familiar endearment. Oh dear, he won’t last even a month, would he?

“...Nice to meet you, San Lang.”

Was he really that unlucky to have a demon king by his side for a year?

Chapter Text

Okay. Xie Lian couldn’t exactly tell how he felt about his new… roommate. It had only been a day and he finally determined that the demon was nice and respectful towards him. He didn’t even see him last night, perhaps sleeping on the lavish couch or whatever.

In the morning, he already had breakfast and coffee that was already set at the counter. Even Ruoye had been fed. The only thing he needed to do was sit down and eat the food made for him.

And that was what he did.

He stared at his bowl that was filled with noodles and broth. It smelled just as good as the mantous from yesterday, as well as the dinner. He didn’t know demons could cook. Feeling a certain gaze on him, Xie Lian looked up and saw that Hua Cheng was smiling at him.

“San Lang?”

“Yes, gege?”

He looked at his bowl then back at the demon, “Won’t you… eat with me?”

Hua Cheng looked surprised but he immediately schooled his expression, “Demons don’t really need to eat but would gege find it comfortable if I do?”

Xie Lian shrugged and said vaguely, “Food would be better with company.”

He noticed that the demon was wearing something different but in the same colors of black and red. Maybe that was his permanent style one way or another. He watched as the demon snapped his fingers and suddenly there was a similar bowl of noodles in front of him.

So. He could do that rather than cook?!

Hua Cheng raised a brow, “Is this fine, gege?”

Xie Lian nodded, “Of course.”

Somehow, Xie Lian’s stools for the counter felt very comfortable as he ate. Oh god, did Hua Cheng change that as well? As he ate, he wasn’t sure how he could tell his friends that yeah the demon they summoned? He was right in front of him, eating a bowl of noodles and was practically his roommate.

How fun.

“Gege,” that made Xie Lian look up at the other. “You need to eat better. You have too much instant food and little fresh items in your fridge.”

…

Was the demon lecturing him on his diet?

Xie Lian coughed to hide his embarrassment, “I… I’ll do the groceries later.” He didn’t have that much money to spare, okay?!

“Can I come?”

Xie Lian wanted to say no but Hua Cheng looked… hopeful? He wondered why. With a sigh, he finally nodded.

“Alright. I have classes until the afternoon. Is it okay for you to wait until I get home?”

Hua Cheng nodded, a toothy grin plastered on his face, “I’ll wait for gege, then.”

The other felt conflicted but he resumed eating to devour his thoughts and the delicious noodles. He could worry about most of the things later. A future problem for his poor self. Once he finished eating, he excused himself so he could get ready for the day.

Xie Lian felt relieved that he actually woke up properly and early this time so he could do his routine. Take a quick shower, dress up with whatever clean clothes he had, double check if he brought everything and if he had charged his phone. He did.

He could hear some movement outside and it was very unusual for him at first. He was already used to living alone or with just Ruoye. His friends only visited him a few times and they never stayed too long.

It was… surprisingly a welcomed change.

Once he was done, he carried his bag again and put his phone in his pocket. This time, he wasn’t rushing at all. He went out of the room and saw Hua Cheng was busying himself in the kitchen with Ruoye resting on the demon’s broad shoulders.

Hearing Xie Lian, the demon looked back over his shoulder, “Gege, there’s coffee on the counter if you want to bring some.”

“Oh, thanks.”

The student shuffled his way to the counter and there was the same cup that he brought the other day. He took it and drank a few sips. It tasted good. Then, he noticed a coffee maker in a small space in the kitchen.

How in the fuck?

“Gege, do you still have time before your class?”

Xie Lian blinked away from the coffee maker to look at his phone, “Oh, uh. I still have thirty minutes. Why did San Lang ask?”

“Good. Ah, could you wait for a few minutes, gege? I have something prepared for you.”

Did… Did the demon king say he had prepared him something? Was it lunch?

He didn’t ask out loud in case it was something he shouldn’t ask, so he just nodded and sat on the stool to wait. Before looking away, he saw Hua Cheng smiled even brighter than earlier. Then, he focused his attention on his phone to check his emails, subject group chats, his group chat with the others, and other things.

It kept him occupied. There was only one email… it was something about starbucks or whatever. The subject group chats were as good as dead. So, all the subjects for the day would sadly continue. Lastly, the group chat he had was actually two.

One was with everyone, and the other was with Feng Xin, Mu Qing, Shi Qingxuan, and He Xuan. Both were dead even if the one with everyone had something sent by Pei Ming. Yep, it’s dead.

Then, a soft thud was heard just right in front of him and Hua Cheng called him. Xie Lian looked up from his phone and his eyes might’ve grown comically wide as he stared at the very bright thing right in front of him.

It was a red bag with black and silver colored flowers decorating it nicely. It didn’t look tacky. It was a normal sized lunch bag that looked quite full. To Xie Lian, it was never on his bucket list to have his lunch made by a demon king but there he was. It’s real. He couldn’t believe it.

“It’s lunch,” the demon said lightly. “I assume you buy food in the school cafeteria, correct?”

“...I do.”

Hua Cheng nodded, “It’s settled, then. I’ll make lunch and coffee for you everyday.”

Wait, what?

Was it too late to faint in shock again today?

Xie Lian frantically moved his hands, “You don’t need to do that, San Lang!”

“I don’t need to,” the demon said smoothly. “But I want to do it for gege.”

Xie Lian wanted to say something more but seeing the other’s determined gaze and winning smile, he knew that he could never change his mind even if he tried different words to persuade him.

He eventually nodded in defeat, he could feel his cheeks heating in embarrassment but he felt grateful nonetheless. So far, all the food that Hua Cheng cooked for him tasted great and for once, he could have a great lunch.

Although, he still didn’t know how he could explain the situation with his friends.

Seeing his expression, Hua Cheng’s smile slowly turned into a frown, “Unless gege is displeased with such an idea? You don’t need to bring it.”

That snapped Xie Lian out of his thoughts, making him grab the coffee and bag to bring it closer to him, “No, San Lang. I’ll take it! It’s just… It’s been awhile since someone made lunch for me.”

Hua Cheng blinked before nodding, “Then, I shall change that from now on.”

Oh god.

Xie Lian nodded wordlessly before grabbing his school bag and practically ran out of his apartment. He didn’t know why but he was blushing furiously. Maybe it was the effect of having such a handsome man- demon cooking him food and actually worrying about his health.

Somehow, he still gained attention even if he wasn’t late like yesterday.

Maybe it was the bright red bag on his person which was an unusual color on him. He gripped onto it, along with his coffee cup and made his way to his building as fast as he could.

Once he arrived at the classroom, he saw that there were only a few people littering around and he was silently thankful that Mu Qing nor Feng Xin wasn’t there just yet. He briskly walked towards their usual area and kept the red bag under his desk, hoping that neither of his friends would see it until lunch.

He went and took out his phone just in case his friends messaged anything. Much to his surprise, he heard a grunt from the entrance of the room the moment he did. Xie Lian looked up and it was Feng Xin grumbling as he made his way to him.

“Good morning,” Xie Lian greeted once the other was closer. “What made you so grumpy today?”

Feng Xin plopped down on the seat beside him with a huff, “Mu Qing was being a dick.”

“What were you two arguing about?”

The other didn’t reply immediately, “....Who’s turn to cook breakfast.”

Xie Lian held in a sigh. Of course it was typical of them to argue over something so trivial. It wasn’t even a huge deal and suddenly they were throwing fists at each other. It was a miracle that both were still alive after being roommates for a good few years.

He himself was lucky he didn’t have a roommate that he would argue with.

Well.

He had a roommate now. A very polite, handsome roommate that was willing to do the cooking, cleaning, feeding Ruoye, and now even grocery shopping with him.

“Xie Lian?”

The said man blinked and looked at his friend who had a worried and confused look on his face, “Yes?”

“I was asking if something happened to you yesterday,” Feng Xin repeated awkwardly. “You left so fast that you didn’t even eat your lunch.”

Oh, right. He didn’t eat a single bite of his lunch nor did he explain what happened when he returned in the afternoon. Why did those types of things always slip his mind? He didn’t even question that there was a presence the other day while he was running late and now this.

He might be going crazy and Feng Xin might think so if he explained the real reason why he ran back.

Xie Lian laughed awkwardly and looked back at his phone, “I.. I forgot to feed Ruoye. I felt bad for leaving him alone like that.”

“Why didn’t you say so?”

“Yeah, you even used the stupid stove excuse.”

Both jumped from their seats in surprise when a new voice joined their conversation. They looked up and saw that Mu Qing was looking at them with folded arms. He was glaring harder at Feng Xin at the moment.

“Oh, it’s you,” Feng Xin said sourly. “Why are you here?”

Mu Qing rolled his eyes, “I’m your classmate, dumbass. It’s not that I actually want to be here.”

He also sat down in his seat and Xie Lian could feel the heat of their argument from earlier resurfacing again. Where was Shi Qingxuan when you needed them?

Okay, now he didn’t need them.

It was already embarrassing enough that Feng Xin and Mu Qing were boring holes in the red bag that he was carrying tightly while they were on their way to the cafeteria. It was even worse now that Shi Qingxuan and He Xuan were joining them at the table.

Shi Qingxuan leaned towards him and was eyeing the red bag suspiciously, “A-Lian, I know for a fact you don’t cook so I want to know where you got that.”

Xie Lian coughed awkwardly, “I made it.”

“Liar,” they retorted. “Show it and we’ll know the truth.”

God, maybe it was a mistake that he brought the lunch Hua Cheng made him. At the same time, he didn’t want to waste good food and the efforts of the said demon. He had to handle this situation one way or another.

It was only the two of them at the table since they already brought their own lunches. The other three were getting their own, probably taking longer than expected since He Xuan was getting more food than both Mu Qing and Feng Xin combined.

Once the three made their way back to the table, they were still eyeing the red bag since it’s the first time that Xie Lian had ever brought something. Literally, they had been college acquaintances for three years and it was the first time Xie Lian did that. No wonder they were kind of hyper fixated on it.

“What’s in it?” Feng Xin asked, squinting at it.

“I haven’t checked,” Xie Lian said and he immediately slapped himself. Fuck.

“HA!” Shi Qingxuan exclaimed. “I knew you weren’t the one who made it!”

Mu Qing raised a brow, “Who would believe that you made that?”

No one was the right answer.

With a sigh, Xie Lian pulled the red bag closer to him but he was slowly opening it. He could feel the stares of his friends burning him. What’s with them and the bag? It wasn’t like it’s weird for him to have it! Okay, maybe it was a tiny bit weird.

After he opened it, he started to unpack the items inside. There were two fancy looking containers that were pretty heavy and another small red bag but it was more simple. Hm. He set the larger bag down and tried to keep the prying hands away from the other items.

He opened the smaller bag and it was a silver set of utensils. Why does it look like it’s real silver? There were some intricate patterns on the spoon and fork while the chopsticks didn’t look simple either.

Hua Cheng, what are you doing?!

“Is… Is that real silver?”

Xie Lian choked, “I.. I don’t know.”

Then, he opened one container that was heavier than the other. It was a fucking bento box. It was a fucking fancy bento box filled to the brim with side dishes, meat, and rice. It looked carefully prepared and everything. What the hell.

He was afraid to open the next box but that was what he did next.

It was a slice of cheesecake. It didn’t even look like those cheap kinds of slices, it looked more homemade and nice. So, a demon could bake too?!

“Okay, you can’t fool us,” He Xuan said something for the first time. “We all know you can’t do that kind of shit.”

Yeah, even if he begged his friends to believe him, he wouldn’t believe himself either. He didn’t even know what was in a cheesecake. Eggs and cream cheese? He didn’t know. He rarely ate that because the slices in the cafe were too expensive for his broke college student ass.

Xie Lian gulped a lump in his throat, “Uh… it’s from my neighbor?”

“Why are you asking?!”

“When did you get a rich neighbor?!”

“Well, that’s more believable than him saying that he cooked it.”

“That’s not exactly the point!”

Xie Lian’s mind was about to explode from their onslaught of questions. He knew that his bad luck would get him yet again. He never learned peace for years!

“It’s from my neighbor,” He lied again. “He was just nice enough to give me some today.”

That alerted Shi Qingxuan, “So, the neighbor is a he?”

“A-Xuan…”

Feng Xin tried to snatch the food away but Xie Lian managed to move it away in time. As much as the bento box brought him a headache for lunch, he wanted to eat the good food alright!

“Can I have a taste?”

They all looked at He Xuan to which he shrugged in response. He already had a taste of Xie Lian’s cooking and he was sure that the said student didn’t touch a single thing in that bento box.

“Well, I was planning to share,” Xie Lian gave a look at Feng Xin. “I just don’t want anyone to steal first.”

Feng Xin held back a grunt while Mu Qing rolled his eyes. They all agreed that Xie Lian would have the first bite first, almost ignoring their own cafeteria lunch altogether. Xie Lian then grabbed the very expensive looking chopsticks (he’ll ask his San Lang about it later) and got some of the meat to take a bite.

His eyes lit up as he chewed it. Maybe he should ask Hua Cheng to teach him how to cook one of these days. He put that idea in the back of his mind as he urged the others to grab a bite. They all look tentative but since Xie Lian didn’t drop dead yet, it was most likely safe.

He Xuan moved first since he was hungry from all the waiting. He got a piece of meat and quickly put it in his mouth to avoid dropping it on the table. Surprisingly, his dark gold eyes somehow lit up in satisfaction.

“Hm,” he said. “Your neighbor should cook for you more.”

“Let me try,” Feng Xin said, this time grabbing a side dish. “Oh, shit. It’s actually good.”

The other two tried as well and they looked happy too. Xie Lian felt oddly proud that people enjoyed Hua Cheng’s cooking but a selfish thought entered his mind. He wanted to be the only one to enjoy the demon’s cooking-

He shook his head. He shouldn’t think that way.

They continued eating but the others forced themselves to eat their own lunch while Xie Lian enjoyed his. He could feel the stares from He Xuan and the others. Okay, maybe it was also a mistake to let them try his food.

When they finished eating, Shi Qingxuan hummed, “Maybe I should hire your neighbor to cook for me.”

“Please don’t, A-Xuan.”

Xie Lian whipped his head around when he heard someone calling for him while he was walking with Feng Xin and Mu Qing. His eyes widened when he saw Shi Qingxuan running towards him with a leap with a grumbling He Xuan trailing behind.

He luckily managed to grab the other in time and not let himself fall on the hard concrete with his arms around them.

“You never fail to catch me, A-Lian!” Shi Qingxuan said cheerfully as they wrapped their arms around Xie Lian’s neck. “You’re too strong.”

Xie Lian chuckled, “A-Xuan, you act like we didn’t see each other earlier at lunch.”

“Classes were boring,” the other replied as they unlatched themselves from the hold. “It’s more exciting with you guys.”

“Well, you chose finance over human resources,” Mu Qing said from behind. “You should’ve shifted when you can.”

“And leave He-xiong alone? No way!”

They were walking in the same direction, probably heading towards the cafe they usually frequent. Xie Lian, however, was distracted. He kept staring in the direction of his apartment. He knew that he couldn’t stay with them long. He didn’t want to make the demon wait for him despite his reassurance.

“Anyone up for coffee?” Shi Qingxuan asked. “It’ll be my treat today!”

Feng Xin and Mu Qing quickly agreed while He Xuan would naturally join them. When they didn’t hear anything from Xie Lian, they all looked at him as they waited for his response.

Startled by the attention, Xie Lian laughed awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck, “I… I actually have plans today. I can’t join.”

They all paused in their walk. Mu Qing raised a brow at him, “I thought that flower shop fired you already?”

“They did,” Xie Lian said, suddenly mourning at the loss of his part time job. He still needed to look for a new one. “But I have other plans.”

Shi Qingxuan wiggled their eyebrows, “With your neighbor?”

“Ye- No!” Xie Lian exclaimed. “Anyways, I’ll join you guys next time. See you tomorrow!”

Before anyone could even stop him, he had already run away.

Xie Lian kept running towards his apartment and hoped that none of his friends even considered following him. When he took a second to look back and saw none, he slowed down his steps.

By the time he slowed down, he was only a block away from his apartment. Would Hua Cheng really still be there once he arrived or was everything still a dream? He looked down at the red bag he had and it made him realize that no, it wasn’t a dream. Everything was shockingly real.

He climbed up the creaky steps, avoiding a new hole that he didn’t notice. Maybe it was made by the other tenants while he was in class. There were some angry shouting from the floor above him. Ah, it must be another fight.

Xie Lian quickly made his way to his door and fumbled for his keys along the way. He apparently didn’t need to do that anymore since the moment he stood in front of his door, it swung open to reveal a smiling Hua Cheng with Ruoye resting on his shoulders.

“Welcome back, gege,” Hua Cheng greeted him as he stepped aside. “How was school?”

“Tiring but fine,” Xie Lian replied with a small smile. He felt oddly warm that someone told him ‘welcome back’ for the first time in years.

The door closed behind him as Xie Lian dropped his bag somewhere in the living room and plopped down on the couch with a sigh.

“Is gege tired?” he heard the demon’s smooth voice above him. “Ruoye and I could go to the groceries instead.”

Xie Lian quickly raised his head, “With- You can’t bring Ruoye outside, San Lang. He may be harmless but he can still scare people!”

Hua Cheng slightly frowned and his hand reached up to Ruoye, patting the snake with his finger, “Sorry, buddy. You just have to wait for us, then.”

Xie Lian watched with wide eyes as Ruoye hissed at the demon and Hua Cheng nodded solemnly.

“You…” the human was startled. “You can really talk to Ruoye?”

“I can,” Hua Cheng replied and patted Ruoye again. “He seems happy about it.”

Now that he mentioned it, Xie Lian did notice that the snake looked happier. How he could tell the difference was unknown but the said snake was more active lately. He would usually sleep in his tank for a good chunk of the day.

Xie Lian flipped over his position so he wouldn’t lie on his stomach, “Could you wait for a little bit longer, San Lang? I need to rest for a few minutes.”

“No problem, gege.” Hua Cheng said. “You should probably get changed so you would feel more comfortable.”

The human hummed, considering. It sounded like a good idea actually. Maybe he should take a quick shower when he feels rested enough. As he was thinking, his eyes involuntarily raked down on Hua Cheng’s figure who was still busy talking to Ruoye.

“San Lang?”

“Hm?”

“Do you have any change of clothes?” Xie Lian asked. “I, ah, noticed that your outfit might be… too much for a simple grocery shopping?”

Hua Cheng averted his focus to Xie Lian now before looking down at himself. Well, a buttoned up dark red shirt and black slacks was indeed too much to go to some local supermarket. He might get too much attention.

“I think I have extra clothes,” Xie Lian continued. “Although, it might be short for you.”

“What would be appropriate for a shopping trip, gege?”

“Uh…” Xie Lian had no fucking idea. He just wore whatever looked decent for him. “A shirt and some jogging pants, I guess? Or jeans. I usually wear things without too many holes.”

When he mentioned that, Hua Cheng’s expression twisted to something but it was gone before he could fully tell what it was.

“Wait a moment.”

Xie Lian silently watched Hua Cheng bring two fingers to his temple and pressed lightly on it. His already dark eye went darker for a brief moment. A beat or two passed, he let his hand drop to his side.

“I’ll be back, gege.” Hua Cheng said lightly before giving him one last smile before magically disappearing.

Fuck, Xie Lian almost forgot he was a demon.

The human slowly sat up from the very comfortable couch and saw that Ruoye was in his tank again. The snake looked a bit sad, probably not ready to go back to his home yet. Xie Lian sighed, maybe he should talk to Ruoye more and with Hua Cheng’s help, he could be a translator of some sort.

Wow, he sounded really insane.

He finally decided that he should get a move on already. He wouldn’t want to wander in his neighborhood at night. While he was sure that he could defend himself perfectly, he didn’t want to risk anything. So, he dashed inside his room and took a quick shower, grabbed his worn out gray hoodie and black jogging pants, and he was ready to go.

He checked his phone and saw Shi Qingxuan sent too many winking emojis that he would pointedly ignore for now. Seeing the rest of the group chats were dead, he kept his phone in his pocket as he looked for his wallet.

Ah, it was in his bag.

Xie Lian exited his room and spotted that his bag was only near the couch, old and beaten. He crouched beside it and rummaged through it to look for his wallet. A few moments passed and he got a hold of something worn and thin. He pulled it out and yeah, it was his dead wallet.

He checked its contents. It still had a few bills and coins that were left over from his last part time job. He might not last another week if he won't be able to find a new job soon. Could his luck grace him for once?

“Ready, gege?”

Xie Lian almost jumped in surprise when he heard the voice from behind him. He looked over his shoulder and he dropped his jaw and wallet in shock. The demon- well, man now. He was wearing a dark red low v neck shirt that showed a small peek of tattoos on his chest and since it was short sleeved, the beautiful and intricate sleeve tattoos of different flowers were obvious.

He didn’t notice it the other day because he was wearing long sleeves! Fuck! Hua Cheng even had tight black jeans that hugged his figure just right to pair it with and his long, inky black hair was half up in a messy bun but still alluring in a way.

Dear god or demon, have mercy on Xie Lian’s heart.

Hua Cheng tilted his head in question, “Gege?”

“I’m fine!” Xie Lian finally replied when he collected his jaw on the floor. How in the world was a guy so hot? Was it demon powers or something? He couldn’t handle this. He was living with the demon for a short time and his brain was already short circuiting.

He grabbed his poor wallet and stood abruptly while aggressively shoving his wallet in his pocket as well. He could feel his face burning while his gaze was lowered. Xie Lian wondered if he would die from a gay panic attack first than being attacked by a demon.

“We should go,” Xie Lian said as he still looked down while searching for the reusable bag somewhere in the kitchen. He got red when he heard an amused chuckle from the demon.

Damn it.

When he found the bag, he motioned for Hua Cheng to follow him. Luckily for him, he really didn’t need to check to see if he was indeed following him since he could hear the light footsteps from behind.

Xie Lian locked the door for them and made their way down the complex. There was still shouting at the floor above. Hopefully, they won’t do something dangerous for the apartment to give in.

“Mind the holes,” Xie Lian said as he barely avoided the hole that he warned the demon about.

“Mm, thank you for the warning, gege.”

The human felt like Hua Cheng was teasing him but it wasn’t cruel, his voice was playful and light but was quite sincere with his words. Weird.

Xie Lian decided that they would take a different route, just in case his friends might still be at the cafe. In the normal route, he would’ve passed by there briefly. He didn’t want to see that he somehow had a guy that looked like a fucking model but was actually a demon trailing behind him.

Hua Cheng was slightly behind him and he couldn’t help but look back. The demon was whistling a tune he couldn’t understand as his sharp gaze was looking around despite his head not moving too much. When his gaze made contact with him, the neutral look on his face disappeared, replacing it with a smile.

“Have something in your mind, gege?”

Embarrassed that he got caught staring, Xie Lian immediately looked away and coughed. “Not really. I was just wondering how we can settle the contract.”

Then, he felt Hua Cheng was walking beside him. “Hm, gege doesn’t need to rush with his decision. This demon could wait for him.”

Xie Lian slightly tilted his head upwards. The demon was so fucking tall despite the already shrunken size, “But didn’t you say we have a year?”

Hua Cheng shrugged, “Plenty of time for human terms. Gege can think whatever he wants for now.”

“Then… What are your plans for now?”

“Be with gege,” the demon grinned cheekily. “I only require gege’s attention and time in exchange for whatever you want.”

Xie Lian’s brain malfunctioned at this. Was… was the demon flirting at him by any chance? Surely not… right? He was a normal human, nothing outstanding about him. He was sure that the demon could break his neck and complete the contract that early.

But he was here. He was staying and the demon was doing too many house chores for it to be a normal contract.

“But… you don’t know what I want yet.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Hua Cheng replied smoothly. “As long as I get what I want, I will gladly grant any wish.”

Xie Lian chuckled, “You make it sound like you’re a genie, San Lang.”

“I am, aren’t I?” Hua Cheng laughed. “I’m only gege’s genie, then. No one in the world was able to summon me.” The demon’s gaze looked down fondly, “Until you.”

Xie Lian didn’t know what to reply with, so he smiled at him. It wasn’t forced, really. There was something about being the only one to summon such an attractive- interesting demon king. He didn’t believe the existence of demons at first, but well. He was living with one already.

Soon, they arrived at the local supermarket where Xie Lian was already a regular. He felt small now that Hua Cheng was with him and that wasn’t only because of his height. From clothes alone, the demon looked like he just came back from a photoshoot and just wanted to cook something nice for dinner.

While he… he looked like a purely branded broke ass college student. Even more broke than usual. He didn’t even have a job for fuck’s sake!

Xie Lian made his way to where the carts were parked. He was about to get the smaller one (since his money could only buy a few items) but he automatically listened when Hua Cheng asked him to get the bigger cart.

He could hear people whispering all around. Curse him and his luck for deciding to shop when it was a slightly busy day for the supermarket. There were people staring at them, mostly at Hua Cheng. He couldn’t blame them, his companion was gorgeous. He would’ve shamelessly stared too if he had no face.

“Gege?” Xie Lian blinked and looked up at the demon. “Do you have a list?”

“Uh,” the human scratched his cheek. “Not really. This was a spontaneous trip so….”

Hua Cheng nodded in understanding, “Then, will gege let this San Lang take the lead?”

Well, where’s the harm in that? He agreed with a shrug, “Go ahead, San Lang. I’ll push the cart.”

So, Hua Cheng entered the area first with Xie Lian following as he pushed the cart. He swore that he wasn’t staring at the demon’s nice and slender long legs. He almost bumped the said legs with the cart when Hua Cheng stopped in an area with vegetables.

Xie Lian didn’t know that it was possible to get paler and paler as Hua Cheng put in more stuff in the cart than he ever did in three months combined. There were fresh vegetables, fruits, chicken, pork, and fish.

“Gege?”

“Yes?” Xie Lian squeaked out. He might faint from the amount of items, even more so if Hua Cheng put some more.

“Are you allergic to anything?”

Xie Lian was racking up in his brain if he had any reaction to the food he ate. Well, he only had instant noodles, coffee, and bread until Hua Cheng was… summoned in his life. He shook his head.

“Okay, good.”

Hua Cheng then proceeded to add more stuff, this time some nice looking canned goods that would probably go to his quite unused cupboards. The demon even went far to buy essentials for the dishes and laundry.

Xie Lian gulped at the large amount of items. There were so many that he even managed to ignore the whispers of people.

“San Lang…” he called out.

Hua Cheng was choosing between one scent or the other for the laundry before he looked up at him. Xie Lian didn’t know why he looked so fucking soft and domestic right now despite the contrast of his very stylish attire.

“Yes, gege?” Hua Cheng asked with the tilt of his head. He was too cute even when there was a small fang peeking out of his pretty lips.

“Isn’t this.. Uh, too much?” Xie Lian laughed nervously as he fished out his wallet and shook it. “I… I don’t have enough to pay for even half of these items.”

Hua Cheng lowered the detergents in his hand and looked at him. Like really looked at him and that made Xie Lian nervous. The human lowered his gaze and fiddled with his wallet.

“Gege,” Hua Cheng said, he sounded distraught. “Did I make the impression that you would pay for these?”

Xie Lian looked up, surprised. “Oh, well. That’s what I thought since these are for me.”

The demon set the detergents down and walked over to Xie Lian as he held his gaze. Xie Lian wanted to melt over it. Now standing right beside him, the human looked up even more while swallowing a lump in his throat.

Hua Cheng spoke first, “It is all for you and that is why I’ll pay.”

Wait, what?

“What?”

“I’ll pay,” the demon repeated. “Gege doesn’t need to spend a single cent.”

“But-”

He wasn’t used to this. He sometimes even felt guilty when his friends treated him to a simple cup of coffee. And for Hua Cheng to buy all these things was too much for his heart.

“No buts,” Hua Cheng said lightly. “Let San Lang do this for you, please?”

Xie Lian licked his already dry lips, the demon silently traced the movement with his eye. He could be stubborn and say no. At the same time, he didn’t want to upset the demon. He didn’t have bad intentions. How could he even think that all Hua Cheng did was take care of him when he didn’t need to?

With a sigh, Xie Lian nodded. “Alright. But, one day, let this gege cook for you as thanks, okay?” He knew that it wasn’t enough to pay for everything he did but when Hua Cheng’s eye lit up, he was sure that the demon was content.

“Okay,” Hua Cheng agreed eagerly. “I’m very excited to try gege’s cooking soon.”

“I’m not a great cook,” Xie Lian warned as he watched the demon return to check the detergents. “So be prepared.”

“I’m sure gege’s cooking is divine.”

Xie Lian held a snort. What a word to say when he was a demon.

Once they were done, they went to the counter with an almost full cart. Xie Lian concluded that Hua Cheng did have a mission to feed him the healthiest things imaginable. Which was honestly surprising.

The cashier was starstruck as Hua Cheng transferred the items from the cart to the counter. Xie Lian noticed that it was the same cashier that he greeted every now and then when he shopped so when she darted her eyes to him then back to Hua Cheng, she had a question in her eyes.

All Xie Lian could reply was a shy smile.

When the cashier punched in everything and a bagger put most of the items in a box (since his bag was too small), Xie Lian almost coughed out blood at the large total amount of the shopping trip.

He simply watched with wide eyes when Hua Cheng dug out a fucking gold card right out of his pocket. So, the weird fan fictions weren’t lying that demons were magically rich whenever they went to the Human Realm.

Please don’t ask him why he read fics. He would pin all the blame on He Xuan.

The cashier swiped it with shaky hands and returned it to the stoic faced Hua Cheng. Xie Lian never saw him like that since the demon was all smiley and warm whenever he was interacting with him and Ruoye.

Soon, Hua Cheng immediately carried the box in one hand before Xie Lian could even get to it. The human took the bag in revenge, however.

“Gege, I can carry that too.”

“It’s fine,” Xie Lian swatted the demon’s pale hand dismissively. “It’s not that heavy, San Lang. Besides, you’re already carrying that box.”

Maybe he should’ve been shocked that Hua Cheng could easily carry the box like it weighed nothing with one hand. But the people and the bagger were already doing it for him. Their eyes were comically wide as the demon simply strode over the exit with ease.

Xie Lian blinked in surprise when the sky was already dark, he wasn’t used to staying too long in the supermarket after all. They still took the different route in fear that Shi Qingxuan’s surprisingly sharp eyes would spot them and freak out.

He felt that the demon was looking at him, so he returned the look questioningly.

Hua Cheng casually pointed at the bag, “Let me carry that, gege.”

“I said it’s fine,” Xie Lian said amusedly. “I’m stronger than I look.”

“I know that,” the demon huffed. “I just want gege to be comfortable.”

Oh, he was. He was very comfortable at the moment. He was carrying a measly bag and he knew that he wouldn’t starve for a good while since Hua Cheng paid for the groceries. Well, he was still guilty for that.

Xie Lian stopped when Hua Cheng did and both of them looked each other in the eye. Both were clearly stubborn, not budging at all. So, the demon did something else instead.

Xie Lian let out a loud yelp when suddenly a strong arm easily scooped him up, making him sit on it somehow. He instinctively wrapped his free arm around the demon’s neck and pulled himself close to not fall.

Hua Cheng laughed, “If gege won’t let me carry the bag, I’ll just carry gege himself.”

What an absurd solution!!!!! Xie Lian cried in his head. He would really die out of a gay panic attack.

The human buried his face in the crook of Hua Cheng’s neck out of embarrassment, “...Don’t let me fall.”

“I would never.”

Xie Lian felt that Hua Cheng adjusted him in his hold before he started walking and he didn’t know why but the idea of the demon carrying him with ease while carrying a heavy box of groceries was…. attractive as hell. Did he have a strength kink?!

Xie Lian groaned softly when he heard some old lady muttering “shameless” as they passed by. It was drowned out when Hua Cheng laughed deeply.

My heart can’t handle this anymore!

“Gege?”

The human only let out a muffled sound in response but Hua Cheng took it as it is.

“Do you want me to cook chicken for tonight?”

“...Yes.”

“Okay, this San Lang will do his best to satisfy gege.”

Xie Lian held the urge to smack the demon’s chest, “San Lang!”

Chapter Text

A month in and Xie Lian wasn’t entirely sure how he and the demon got comfortably touchy with each other.

It all started with small, hesitant pats on the shoulder, arm, or even the chest when Hua Cheng wouldn’t stop teasing him. Then, he didn’t mind when the demon offered him his arm and he immediately hooked it with his own. Then, they didn’t mind it when one was draped over the other while they were resting comfortably on the couch.

Like now.

Xie Lian was working on a small assignment on the couch because it was definitely more comfortable than his own bed right now. His papers were on his lap, his pen poking his cheek and legs were draped over Hua Cheng’s lap.

The human had his back leaning on the arm of the couch while Hua Cheng was mindlessly playing with the fabric of his jogging pants as he scrolled on his phone, which was something that he bought last week. It was a newer model than Shi Qingxuan even owned.

It felt very domestic.

Xie Lian glanced at his own phone that was resting on the very new coffee table near him. Unlike the said furniture, its screen was broken but hey it still worked and that was the only thing that mattered to Xie Lian.

He could feel Hua Cheng’s free hand now moving up and down his clothed leg idly, it was strangely comforting. The touch was gentle and felt very natural that he didn’t mind it in the slightest.

It was a Sunday, so he had no classes for the day. He only dreaded tomorrow.

He hummed, “Well, this isn’t as complicated as I thought.”

Hua Cheng looked up from his phone with a smile, “Hm, gege is undeniably smart.”

Xie Lian rolled his eyes fondly as he tried to attack Hua Cheng by gently digging his heel onto his thigh, “I’m not. Mu Qing can definitely do better than me.”

“I refuse to believe that.”

Xie Lian laughed as he resumed his assignment. He tried to focus again, but suddenly the demon’s large hand (really, why was he so big despite being in a human form?) started gently kneading his calf. And oh, it felt really good as if the stress in his muscles were melting away under the touch.

He tried his best to not moan in satisfaction when the demon continued doing so. Xie Lian didn’t want to move his leg away because he felt so comfortable. In the end, he adjusted to it which was definitely a difficult process.

Time passed by quickly when Xie Lian was too engrossed with his homework. The only thing that snapped him out of his thoughts was a light tap on leg. He tore his gaze off the papers on his lap to look at Hua Cheng.

“Yes, San Lang?”

“It’s almost lunch time, gege.” the demon said. “Let me start cooking our food.”

Xie Lian blinked before checking the time on his phone. It was almost eleven. He also noted that the group chat had an unread message before setting it back down on the coffee table. Xie Lian nodded in understanding and moved his legs away for Hua Cheng to move.

“Sorry, San Lang.”

“It’s fine, gege.” Hua Cheng slowly stood up as he pocketed his phone. “Don’t worry about anything. I’ll call you when it’s ready.”

With a final nod, Hua Cheng made his way to the kitchen while Xie Lian was still stuck on the couch. The human still felt bad that he hadn’t cooked for them at least once and even worse when Hua Cheng managed to convince him that he shouldn’t work, that he would be the one to provide for him.

Was this really part of the contract? He never recalled reading any articles or stories that would even suggest something as close as this. Well, it wasn’t like he could actually trust internet articles. But, still. It was unlikely that a demon would be willing to do everything that Hua Cheng was doing for him.

He didn’t want to second think about Hua Cheng’s intentions or motives, the demon was sincere to him from the start. It would be so unfair to the demon king that he was doubting him when all Hua Cheng did was help and care for him.

He shoved those thoughts away. For once, he wanted to be selfish. He thoroughly enjoyed the demon’s company and he had never felt so cared for in years . It was even different from when his friends helped him.

Their lunch was relatively peaceful, the food was as good as always. Damn, he kept on forgetting to ask Hua Cheng to teach him how to cook. They were sitting right across from each other at the clear countertop that wasn’t that clean until Hua Cheng arrived.

The occasional vibrating from his phone was slowly ruining the peace. Xie Lian kept glancing at it, he supposed that the group chat found some small gossip to devour on and Shi Qingxuan was willing to give their thoughts about it.

At the same time, Hua Cheng was also looking at his phone as he took a spoonful of rice to his mouth.

“Gege?”

Xie Lian looked at Hua Cheng, “Hm?”

“Let me buy you a new phone.”

The human didn’t know whether he was lucky or not that he wasn’t eating or drinking when Hua Cheng said that. He cleared his throat, not knowing what to exactly say. He already bought the coffee table two weeks ago!

“There’s no need, San Lang,” Xie Lian said nervously as he tucked away his phone in his pocket. Damn it. He shouldn’t have let it sit on the countertop. “It still works, so it’s fine.”

When he saw the demon frown, he knew that he would lose on this argument.

Hua Cheng lifted a brow, “Surely you have a difficult time seeing through a cracked screen?”

It was indeed a bit difficult, “I can manage.”

Yeah, his phone was lagging and a bit outdated but he could use the internet just fine. His typing would be a bit slow and he would squint a bit just so he could read properly but nothing that he couldn’t manage. Curse him for accidentally dropping his phone on the way to class a week ago.

“Gege…”

“San Lang…”

The two stared at each other. One was nervous and already losing edge, while the other was very determined and set.

Xie Lian sighed deeply as he fished out his brand new phone as soon as he arrived in the classroom. It was the same model that the demon had. While Hua Cheng’s was black with a red case, his was white with a black case. It was more advanced than the old one that Hua Cheng had to teach him a new thing or two.

He managed somehow.

“When the hell did you get money to get a new phone?”

XieLian jumped in surprise to find his friends already there with arms crossed and glaring at his phone. This was why he told Hua Cheng to get him a new but a bit older model! He brushed it off with a laugh and hid his phone again.

“I was about to text you guys,” Xie Lian said while chuckling nervously.

The two sat in their seats and Feng Xin glared at him, “You didn’t answer the question.”

“I… managed to save some money to buy a new one.”

“Bullshit,” Mu Qing said. “Your pay couldn’t even cover half of that and that model is more expensive than Shi Qingxuan’s ridiculously expensive one.”

Xie Lian winced. His friend had a point and they didn’t even know that he hadn’t had a job in a month or so which would probably make things worse if he said that now. He still didn’t answer them, however, since the professor strode right in the classroom just in time.

Time passed and Xie Lian was already dreading lunch. Actually, he was dreading now that Feng Xin and Mu Qing were already telling Shi Qingxuan that he had a new phone.

“Let me see!” They exclaimed and their voice left no room for rejection.

So, reluctantly, he handed over his phone and they squealed.

“Oh my god,” they said. “I was planning to get this but ge would be mad if I get this too! This is really good.”

That was what Hua Cheng said too, so Xie Lian could nod.

Shi Qingxuan looked at him then at his phone, “You even have netflix?!”

“I do?” Xie Lian blinked. Did Hua Cheng get something without telling him again?

“You do!” The other nodded eagerly. “I should recommend you all the good shows later. But anyways, where did you get this?”

“He said he saved money for it,” Mu Qing said while rolling his eyes.

He Xuan snorted as he took a bite of his bread, “Doubt.”

Shi Qingxuan nodded in agreement, “Indeed. Maybe Xie Lian has a sugar daddy?”

The said man choked on his spit in surprise. Him? Being a sugar baby? With all the things that the demon bought for him, he might as well be a sugar baby. Thinking that Hua Cheng was his sugar daddy set his face aflame.

“Look, he’s blushing! He has one!”

“I don't!” Xie Lian retorted as he snatched his phone away. “I don’t have a sugar daddy!”

He wanted to bury himself right then and there when he said the last part way too loud, making people look at him with shock and bewilderment. There was also a mix of amusement to it. God, the things he’d do to get away from there as far as possible.

At that moment, his phone pinged to alert him that someone sent him a message. All of his friends were there so he wasn’t too sure who it could be. He tried to push Shi Qingxuan’s grabby hands away and tilt his phone screen away to avoid anyone trying to peek at it.

He blinked in surprise when the name San Lang appeared on his screen. Right, they exchanged numbers. He never knew he could exchange numbers with a demon in his entire life, but here he was.

Xie Lian opened the notification and saw that the demon sent him three messages.

San Lang

Gege

Your bed is so uncomfortable

Let me buy you a new one.

Xie Lian

It’s fine, San Lang.

You shouldn’t sleep there if it’s bad for you.

I can still sleep on it

San Lang

You were complaining about your back the other day

Xie Lian

Because of other things!

San Lang

Almost fooled me there gege

Let this San Lang buy you one

Xie Lian

I will only agree if it gets broken, okay San Lang?

I don’t want you to spend your money on unnecessary things.

When the demon didn’t respond, he thought that Hua Cheng would listen to him for once. He started eating his lunch as he waited and pointedly ignored the way Shi Qingxuan was pouting at him.

After a few minutes, there was another ping and Xie Lian checked on it. He almost spat out his water in surprise and laughter escaped his lips at the message the demon sent.

It was a picture of his bed. His now ruined bed. Xie Lian was both distraught and amused to see his bed snapped in half and there were suspicious claw marks to ruin the mattress. Surrounding it were the bits and dust of wood of the now destroyed bed. At the corner of the picture was Hua Cheng giving a very boyish and mischievous grin.

San Lang

[IMAGE]

Oops gege

Ruoye ruined your bed somehow

We need to buy a new bed now

Xie Lian

San Lang!!!

I’m 100% sure that Ruoye doesn’t have claws

And he wouldn’t like it if he knew you were blaming him

San Lang

Gege, are you doubting me?

I showed you a picture!

It’s Ruoye’s fault

So, can we go out to buy a new bed?

Xie Lian

I can stay on the couch, then.

San Lang

Gege!!!

Xie Lian chuckled. God, why was the demon king so adorable?

Xie Lian

Okay, okay. Fine.

My classes end at 4.

Wait for me, okay?

San Lang

Yes, gege

Sensing that Shi Qingxuan wanted to snatch his phone, he quickly hid it in his pockets while giving a grin at his said friend.

“I just wanted to know why you’re laughing,” they pouted.

“I’m getting a new bed,” Xie Lian laughed.

Shi Qingxuan looked at him, “I was joking at first, but I’m now sure that you have a sugar daddy.”

Xie Lian frantically shook his head, “For the last time, A-Xuan. I do not!”

Xie Lian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

The human was leaning on the doorframe to his room as he watched the demon king, also known as the ruler of the Demon Realm and feared by many, build his new bed from scratch right in the middle of his bedroom.

He would have laughed if not for the way Hua Cheng’s face was contorted in seriousness, his tongue slightly peeking out of his thin lips as he focused on the manual. Xie Lian wanted to help him build but the demon wouldn’t let him.

They just got home, take out for their dinner was already at the counter. While Hua Cheng told him to go ahead, the human was stubborn to not eat without him. So, the demon somehow felt energized to work fast.

Hua Cheng even had his toolbox with him (where in the world did he get that?) as he set the manual down to get ready. All the pieces were already laid out in front of him. It didn’t look too complicated. Hopefully.

“I didn’t know a demon king knew how to build beds or even fix a wall,” Xie Lian commented amusedly, remembering that Hua Cheng quickly repaired the hole in the wall the demon accidentally caused. “Is San Lang my carpenter?”

Hua Cheng tore his gaze away from the unmade bed with a grin, “I can be anything gege wants.”

Xie Lian could feel a blush creeping up his neck with the demon’s words. How bold of him! Seeing his reaction, Hua Cheng laughed charmingly before resuming his work so they could eat dinner together already.

The human ended up sitting by the chair that Hua Cheng set aside so he could have more space to build. He knew that the bed was bigger and more comfortable than his old one, probably could fit two people now. It was nice but he coughed up blood when he saw the price of it.

As usual, Hua Cheng paid for it despite the human’s protests.

“Gege,” Hua Cheng said as he was already fixing the frame of the bed. “Where are the new bed sheets and pillows?”

“I don’t know,” he replied innocently. He still couldn’t believe that Hua Cheng really bought the whole package.

The demon looked back at him, his single eye swirling with mirth. “Now, now gege. It’s not like you can hide it from me.”

With a snap of his fingers, the paper bag that was filled with said items popped out from thin air and landed right beside the demon’s toolbox. Xie Lian’s eyes widened in surprise that the demon couldn’t help but laugh.

It wasn’t his fault, okay? Hua Cheng rarely used his powers as evident as that one!

The demon then proceeded to adjust the mattress once he finished with the frame. He put on the bed sheet, which was a nice and soft dark blue one, its comforter, then arranged his new pillows that also had matching pillowcases. The demon wanted to go for a dark red for the sheets but Xie Lian preferred the blue. For now. He could be swayed eventually.

“There,” Hua Cheng said as he flattened out the little crumple on the sheet. “All done.”

Xie Lian stared at it in awe. It didn’t suit his bedroom at all! If he said that out loud, he might trigger the demon in buying more new things for him. As much as he liked the attention, he would die from it for sure.

“Wow,” Xie Lian said. “You need me to pay you for this in the future, San Lang.”

Hua Cheng waved his hand dismissively as he arranged the toolbox, “No need, gege. Your thanks and comfort is all the repayment I need.”

When he heard that, the words from Shi Qingxuan echoed in his mind. Man, did the demon king end up being his sugar daddy? Was it in the contract? Did the contract still exist??? Well, the demon did say that they were bound to it regardless if they actually spoke of their terms or not.

“One day,” Xie Lian said with a shake of his head. “I’ll repay everything with at least something.”

Hua Cheng smiled softly at him, amused but fond. “I can’t change your mind?”

“Nope.”

“Alright, then.” the demon said with a laugh. “Anything I want?”

A nod, “Anything.”

“A dinner would sound lovely,” Hua Cheng grinned. “Anywhere is nice as long as it’s with gege.”

Xie Lian, again, wanted to die from those words. Whether it was a good kind of death or not, he didn’t want to know yet. The thought of taking Hua Cheng out (no, it’s not a date. It’s to repay!), made him all giddy and excited. Maybe he needed to work just so he could pay their bill with his own money.

“Fine,” the human relented. “First, let’s eat our dinner that we just bought.”

“Sounds like a good idea, gege.”

Xie Lian was about to stand up and head to the kitchen until he noticed that some strands of the demon’s bangs were sticking onto his forehead. Concerned, he stopped the demon from leaving the room as he lightly gripped his forearm.

Slightly startled by the contact, Hua Cheng looked down and his eye was immediately calm. “Do you need something, gege?”

“I…” Xie Lian trailed off. “Um, do you want to shower first?”

The demon’s eye glowed briefly until it dimmed again, his smile turned mischievous, “Is gege suggesting we shower together?”

“W-W-What?!” The human stuttered as his face blushed furiously. His grip turned into a light punch, “San Lang!!”

Hua Cheng laughed and it was like he could cry from laughing, “Sorry, gege. It was the perfect opportunity.”

Still blushing, Xie Lian punched him again. “Stop teasing!”

“But gege likes my teasing,” the demon grinned and well, Xie Lian couldn’t deny it. It was true, after all. He then asked with a hint of laughter,“Does gege think I smell?”

“You don’t!” the other was quick to reply. “It’s just you’re in jeans again and maybe you want to be more comfortable.”

Hua Cheng hummed, “But gege is still in his clothes from earlier too. Aren’t you uncomfortable?”

“Well… I’m fine. I don’t need to shower.”

“Then I’m fine, too.”

Xie Lian pouted, earning a laugh from the demon. Of course the demon would make it about him and his comfort! It was both warming and frustrating at the same time.

“Alright, alright. This one will take a shower first and gege could reheat dinner after he changes his clothes?”

The human pondered for a bit before nodding, “I accept.”

Hua Cheng snorted but smiled nonetheless, “You’re making it sound like a deal.”

“It is a deal, San Lang.”

The other laughed, “Okay, okay. I’ll go now, okay?”

Xie Lian nodded and darted out of his room to head to the kitchen after getting his own set of clothes. He didn’t want to hear the shower in his room turned on knowing that it was Hua Cheng showering in it. The fleeting thought that with the snap of the demon king’s fingers, he could be cleaned and dressed in no time. Well, it wasn’t like he could take back his words now.

He decided to dress in the living room. With a white shirt and gray sweatpants, it wasn’t much of a hassle. Xie Lian then tossed his old clothes somewhere to put in the hamper later and proceeded to fix their dinner. Luckily, their dinner was already in a microwavable container.

Xie Lian glanced at the brand new microwave that he never thought that he would have. Hua Cheng really wanted him to live in comfort within the rotting apartment that he lived in. Well, he and Hua Cheng live there now.

He popped the container in the microwave and pressed some buttons that looked right. Surely, he couldn’t fuck up in reheating food. Right?? He gulped as he watched the microwave start doing its thing the moment he closed the door. It had an oddly calming sound as he waited for it to be over.

Surprisingly, he didn’t fuck it up. He would like to say that it was a sure victory in his mind.

Xie Lian took the container out as quickly as he could, feeling it burning his fingers as he harshly set it down on the counter. He didn’t think it would be that hot! He went to get some water from the fridge (which was also surprisingly new) and got two mugs for the two of them.

As he set it down, Hua Cheng finally went out of his bedroom wearing similar attire to him. He was wearing a dark red shirt and black sweatpants that looked very new. The demon looked very fresh, as if he took an actual shower rather than use his powers to clean himself up.

“How’s the shower, San Lang?”

The demon hummed as he took his usual seat, “Cold. Maybe I should repair your shower too, gege.”

Xie Lian sighed fondly as he sat right across from him, “San Lang, at this rate it actually sounds cheaper to buy a new house instead.”

After he said that, silence fell upon them and slowly, Xie Lian realized what he just said. His eyes widened in horror when there was a familiar gleam in the demon’s eye. It was planning something and probably trying to contact his poor assistant in the demon realm.

“San Lang,” Xie Lian warned. “No.”

“But, gege. Like you said, it’s cheaper.”

“ San Lang .”

The two stared at each other and somehow, Xie Lian won the fight as Hua Cheng hung his head low like a defeated puppy. The human almost felt bad, but it wasn’t like he could explain how he could suddenly afford a new house! Knowing Hua Cheng, it wouldn’t be simple and would be grand instead.

“One day,” the demon said as he slowly recovered to pour water in both of their mugs. “This San Lang will convince you to let me buy you something.”

“I wouldn’t budge.”

Hua Cheng pouted, “Even if it’s a gift?”

“San Lang,” Xie Lian motioned his hands around the apartment. “You said that to all of these things too.”

Hua Cheng pouted even more and how could a demon king do that?

“One day.”

“Hm.”

Both of them then proceeded eating since Hua Cheng saw that Xie Lian wouldn’t budge. In the latter’s defense, it was already too much! He already felt bad that the demon king bought so many things and even handled the groceries. He might’ve died out of starvation without Hua Cheng.

He should really get a job.

Once they finished eating, Hua Cheng insisted that he would do the dishes since Xie Lian was the one who reheated everything. This time, the human agreed easily since he wasn’t in the mood to do another stare down.

“Gege,” Hua Cheng called out as he washed the dishes.

Xie Lian was still by the counter, “Yes?”

The demon turned slightly to look at him, “Do you want to watch a movie?”

The other blinked, “Uh, I don’t think I have any…”

Hua Cheng grinned, “Well, gege. That’s why I got us netflix. You can even open it on the television.”

“What,” Xie Lian looked at the brand new television that they sometimes use to watch the news or something just for some noise. He didn’t know that Hua Cheng bought one of those latest models that could connect to the internet!

“Try it,” the demon urged. “There’s a button on the remote to open it.”

The human followed and abandoned his post by the counter. He plopped down the couch and picked up the remote that was on the coffee table. At the remote, there was a white button with the word Netflix in red letters. How convenient. He then opened the television and pressed on the said button after it loaded.

The loading screen appeared and saw that there were two users. The red box had a name with SL, the other was blue with XL.

“The XL is yours, gege,” Hua Cheng said as he dried off his hands. He was suddenly right beside the couch, not sitting down yet. “You can also watch it on your phone.”

“Really?” Xie Lian asked in awe. Maybe there were some of the movies that he had wanted to watch there too.

Hua Cheng finally sat down beside Xie Lian with a respectful distance. He snapped his fingers and Ruoye coiled around his shoulders, “En. Why not browse for some?”

Xie Lian nodded eagerly, an excited smile spread on his face. He clicked on his own account, then browsed the option of whatever was trending now. There were so many foreign movies and anime to choose from. He was so torn on which to start first!

At the corner of his eye, he saw that Ruoye was booping his snout on Hua Cheng’s finger and the demon had a small smile on his lips. They might be talking about something again. He couldn’t understand them. Xie Lian shifted his focus again onto the large screen and his eyes caught something interesting.

It was a historical movie, saying that it was based on a true story. It was about a king being tortured psychologically by the demon king. He glanced at Hua Cheng. Was it true? He wouldn’t doubt it too much because he was sitting down beside an actual demon king in his fucking living room right now.

“Did gege find something interesting?” Hua Cheng caught his line of sight that made the human blush.

Xie Lian coughed to hide his embarrassment and averted his eyes. He motioned towards the movie, “Uh, this?”

Hua Cheng’s eyebrows rose slightly before letting out a scoff, “Based on a true story, hm. Sure, gege. I would like to see what the demon king did.”

Oh god. He sounded offended.

Xie Lian swallowed a lump in his throat before playing the movie.

The credits were a bit boring, well edited. It started off a bit slow as they showed the important characters in the movie. The king was old and looked like a tyrant. Hm. The movie showed how the king wasn't just with his decisions and was cruel to the poor.

Then, the demon king appeared. He looked nothing like Hua Cheng. More distorted and uglier. He looked like in the pictures spreading throughout the internet when they claimed they saw the demon king. Not even the demon king’s true form looked close to that.

Hua Cheng hummed, “Truly, human’s depiction is always so poor.”

Xie Lian nodded along, “You’re right. San Lang is much more handsome.”

“Gege, are you flirting with me as the demon king tears off a person’s limb right now?”

“S-San Lang!!!”

Hua Cheng laughed and Xie Lian tried to watch again. This time, the demon king was said to keep on appearing in his dreams since it was the people’s wishes. What was he, a god suddenly? It was a poor reason that the demon king heard the whispers from the kingdom’s people to make the king suffer.

The actual demon king hummed as he scratched the head of Ruoye, “I don’t remember torturing him.”

“Wait,” Xie Lian paused. “This is real?”

“To an extent, yes,” Hua Cheng replied. “The king was indeed unjust but no, I didn’t hear the people’s wishes at all. He merely annoyed me.”

“What did you do, then?”

“I killed him.”

“....”

“Right in front of the people,” Hua Cheng shrugged. “I didn’t waste my time torturing him.”

“San Lang…”

“I killed all the people in the palace,” the demon said casually. “Destroyed the whole palace, none of them deserved to live.”

“Even the princess?”

“Especially the princess. She was the one who encouraged the king to do the worst things. She’s not kind like in this poorly adapted movie.”

……

“San Lang. Maybe we should watch something else.”

“I agree, gege. I heard the new anime movie just released on Netflix.”

“Demon kings watch anime?”

Hua Cheng laughed, “When I’m bored, yes.”

…..

Why did Xie Lian even question this?

Chapter Text

The two of them were on the couch again. At first, they wanted to watch a new series that Shi Qingxuan recommended to Xie Lian but it somehow ended up with Hua Cheng burying his face at the crook of the human’s neck, his arms wrapped awkwardly around his waist as he whined.

“Gege, you said you wouldn’t work.”

Xie Lian sighed, feeling heat creeping up his neck. He hoped the pounding of his chest wasn’t heard by the demon when he was so close to him. As they watched the series, he offhandedly mentioned that he applied somewhere part time and now the demon was clinging onto him.

“I did,” Xie Lian said, his arm draping over the demon’s wide shoulders. “But, San Lang, how can I treat you to dinner without money?”

Treating him with Hua Cheng’s own money didn’t make sense, after all.

Hua Cheng groaned and Xie Lian wished he would stop before his heart could burst, “But your time here will lessen!”

“San Lang ah,” Xie Lian chuckled. “When did you get so clingy, hm?”

The demon pulled away to pout at him. How could the menace of the three worlds act like this? Did he spoil him too much with attention these past months? Maybe. But, it hadn’t been more than three months since they stayed together.

Well, even if they knew each for that short time, there was something that Xie Lian couldn’t help but trust the demon wholeheartedly. He could seek comfort and attention from him, knowing that he would be heard. He felt safe around him and it felt like they knew each other for years. Both were open to many things from the happenings of the demon world and to the simple everyday life that they spent together now.

“I need gege’s attention to survive.”

Xie Lian huffed in amusement, “You’re centuries old. You’ll be fine.”

“It’s different now,” the demon retorted. “Now that I’ve met you.”

Xie Lian could feel his face heating up as he pushed Hua Cheng’s face away from him, “Flirt.”

The demon was chuckling, not unkindly. It sounded fond, “Gege is cute when he blushes.”

The other grumbled while looking away, the series left forgotten. They might need to replay the episode before starting the next one tomorrow. Or later, whatever they felt like doing for tonight.

Hua Cheng relented soon, leaving some distance between themselves on the couch. Although, he didn’t move too far away since he could still pinch the human’s cheeks no problem. He was grinning when Xie Lian tried swatting his hand away but he didn’t give up.

“I’m still going to work, San Lang,” Xie Lian said. “I already applied.”

The demon was pouting again, “How long do you have to work?”

The other pondered for a moment as he paused the episode, “I can get the afternoon to night shift. Maybe six times a week.”

“Six?” Hua Cheng gave out a long sigh. “Gege, that’s too much!”

“Compared to my old job, it’s a day less.”

Something in the demon’s expression twisted, but he immediately schooled it for Xie Lian to miss it. The former was still staring at the other while Xie Lian wondered what was on the demon’s mind.

“Lessen it, gege,” Hua Cheng said softly. “I can still provide for you, you know.”

Xie Lian poked Hua Cheng’s chest and the said human tried to ignore how defined it was, “I will work so I wouldn’t rely too much on you, San Lang.”

The demon looked like a kicked puppy that Xie Lian quickly added, “I’m not forbidding you, San Lang. I just don’t want to feel useless here and let you do all the work.”

“Gege is not useless,” the demon said. “Gege is busy with his school.”

Xie Lian sighed. Why were they both stubborn? “I’ll work for five.”

“Two.”

“San Lang…”

“One.”

“Five.”

“Three.”

“Five.”

“Three, gege.”

“Four.”

They stared at each other and the demon nodded, “Four.”

Xie Lian chuckled and pinched Hua Cheng’s cheek, “Fine, four.”

“And I’ll pick you up right after. There are demons lurking at night, gege.”

Not wanting to have a debate with the demon king any longer, Xie Lian nodded with a fond smile, “Alright.”

Xie Lian sometimes wondered when his friends would barge in his apartment to demand who his ‘neighbor’ was that kept giving him food. Aside from the usual teasing and glares, there was nothing from them. Which was weird when Shi Qingxuan liked to pry every now and then.

But here they were in the library. Whether they were there to try and finish their assignment or just want to stay in a cold room, Xie Lian would never know. He liked to think it was because of both.

“What’s your answer to number four?”

Xie Lian easily handed in his paper with the questions number one to five to Feng Xin, “Here.”

Feng Xin took it quickly, “Thanks.”

Shi Qingxuan and He Xuan were there too while they did their sheets. It was mostly the former getting reprimanded by the latter when they couldn’t balance it until now.

Shi Qingxuan was going insane, “Oh my god. Where can I find the missing five hundred? Can I just slap a bill and call it quits?”

He Xuan’s eyebrow was twitching, “Do it again.”

Xie Lian peeked over Shi Qingxuan’s sheet and winced, “I think you need to double check it…” It pained him to say it with the amount of items listed off, but it was necessary.

The other whined as they set their pen down, “This is my third try, A-Lian! I think I’m fading away.”

He Xuan was grumbling as he got another clean new sheet for them, “Do it a fourth time, then.”

“He Xuan is right,” Xie Lian said while rubbing Shi Qingxuan’s shoulder. “Do you need some motivation?”

Shi Qingxuan raised a brow at him, their frustration gone, “Maybe if you introduced me to your neighbor…”

Xie Lian didn’t know why he thought too early that he was off the hook and that Shi Qingxuan wouldn’t pry. He should’ve expected this by now and with the mischievous look on his friend’s face, he knew he was doomed.

He immediately looked at He Xuan, silently pleading for help. If Shi Qingxuan could get distracted, it was through He Xuan. The said man sighed and communicated with only his eyes that Xie Lian owed him one. He didn’t mind, so he agreed.

“If you finish this correctly, I’ll stay up with you to binge watch the movies from before.”

Shi Qingxuan whipped their head so fast, attention zeroing on He Xuan. Their eyes sparkling, “Really?!”

He Xuan was holding in a sigh, “Yes.”

The other picked up their pen and grabbed the sheet from He Xuan’s hands so quickly that they might rip it, “You better keep your word, He-xiong!”

“Xie Lian.”

The said man turned his head to see Feng Xin returning his paper while showing his own, “Does this look okay to you?”

He grabbed both and scanned the other’s paper, “It looks fine so far.”

Mu Qing, who was across from him, snickered. “Are you a child always asking for help?”

“Hey,” Feng Xin snapped, trying to keep his voice low to not get kicked from the library for the nth time this month. “I’m just making sure. I don’t want to fucking fail.”

Mu Qing rolled his eyes, “You have no confidence in yourself.”

“Fuck off.”

“Gladly.”

Watching the exchange, Xie Lian wanted to sigh deeply. He didn’t want the two to fight and get kicked out from the library again . It was getting too hot outside and working in the canteen wouldn’t be too good. When he started working on his own paper, he felt his phone vibrate.

He checked it and saw that Hua Cheng messaged him. He wasn't entirely sure, but he was probably smiling so brightly that his friends noticed him lighting up.

San Lang

Gege, do you feel like eating beef tonight?

Yin Yu brought some in peace offering

Xie Lian

San Lang… what did you do?

San Lang

I did nothing wrong this time, I promise

It was his fault and he knows I wouldn’t break his arm if he gives something to you

[IMAGE]

He brought lots

Xie Lian

Please give Yin Yu my thanks

And don’t break his arm, San Lang

We can eat the beef tonight

San Lang

Fine. Yin Yu is lucky that gege is very kind

I’ll make something good later.

“So, who’s San Lang?”

Xie Lian let out a yelp and immediately hid his phone in his pocket, blush threatening his cheeks. He looked to his left and saw Shi Qingxuan raising a mischievous eyebrow at him. Their grin was evident and they knew that Xie Lian wasn’t getting away with it.

He was thinking about what to answer. He could lie and say it was a friend from somewhere far far away. That had a lot of cons to it, though. Shi Qingxuan would think he had someone else aside from his alleged sugar daddy and neighbor. Could the ground swallow him up whole already?

“He’s.. my neighbor,” Xie Lian ended up saying.

Shi Qingxuan’s eyes were sparkling, “Your neighbor has a name now. He even cooks you dinner?”

Xie Lian averted his gaze to his paper, “...En.” He knew where this was going and he was dreading it.

“So, can we mee-”

“Xie Lian.”

Both the man and Shi Qingxuan looked up and saw that it was Mu Qing calling him. The former didn’t know whether he should feel relieved or not. He was sure Shi Qingxuan didn’t appreciate the interruption with their interrogation.

“Yes?”

“Have you found any work lately?”

Xie Lian lit up at the topic and he nodded quickly, “En! I just applied and I’ll start today.”

“Where?”

“You know Yushi Huang from the Education Department?” When Mu Qing nodded, he continued. “Her family owns a cafe and she was the one who accepted my application.”

“I didn’t know she had one,” Shi Qingxuan commented, reverting their attention to their sheet. “I thought their family is more in the farming business.”

“It’s a side business apparently,” Xie Lian said, shrugging. “I didn’t ask much.”

The cafe was small compared to where they usually stay at, but it was homey and more comfortable despite the cramped area. Xie Lian had to admit that he never tried any of their coffee or food, but it was worth the shot. It was thirty minutes away from the campus and even more from his apartment, but he’d rather work somewhere farther away than seeing people from the campus if he wanted to work somewhere closer.

Besides, he and Hua Cheng did agree that the latter would pick him up after every shift which was actually nice.

Not wanting to get interrogated by Shi Qingxuan again, he focused on finishing questions number twelve to fifteen even with their insistent poking on his side. Luckily, he wasn’t ticklish there.

Xie Lian was a bit nervous.

He would’ve been extremely nervous if he knew no one, but knowing that Yushi Huang was there, it was all good. It was strange, though, since he was used to not knowing anyone whenever he worked. Perhaps the constant presence of Hua Cheng made him used to company instead.

When he arrived at the entrance of the cafe, there were only around three customers at the moment. He entered the said establishment, he could smell the different types of food, coffee, and desserts. He wasn’t surprised that even a little store made some pastries look even better compared to the usual cafe.

What he was surprised about was that it was Banyue behind the counter rather than Yushi Huang.

His expression was mirrored by Banyue when her eyes landed on him, but it was quickly replaced with joy. She waved at him excitedly as he approached the counter with a smile. It had been a good while since he last saw her.

“Banyue,” Xie Lian greeted. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I didn’t expect you to know this place, Xie-ge,” Banyue said in response. “First time?”

“Actually, Yushi Huang let me work here. I’m starting today.”

Banyue’s eyes lit up, “Oh! So you’re the new hire that she mentioned earlier. Come, let me take you to the back.”

Xie Lian was worried if leaving the counter for too long would be bad, but the girl assured him that it was fine since not a lot of people visit the cafe around this time. He then followed her and entered the door that was behind the counter.

It led them to a small kitchen area that Xie Lian assumed where the food and pastries were made. She motioned him to the corridor towards the right, leading them to a small locker room for their things.

“You can put your things here, Xie-ge,” she motioned towards a vacant locker. “Comfort room is just right across from here. You can use that to change.”

Xie Lian was just humming in understanding and walked towards his locker that had its keys hung up. He tossed his bag inside that was just filled with notebooks, his phone and wallet. Once he locked his locker, he turned around to see Banyue holding up a black apron that had the name of the cafe, Yulong, written in plain white letters.

“Here’s your apron,” she said and handed it to him. “Huang-jie is not strict with uniform but it’d be better if your top is white.”

The other nodded, “That’s not a problem.” It really wasn’t considering his wardrobe consisted of mostly white and he was wearing his plain white shirt right now.

As Xie Lian tied his apron to his person, he was following Banyue out the locker room to return to the counter, “Huang-jie will teach you the rest but you can stay with me at the counter first.”

“Sure.”

For the first day of his job, it was unsurprisingly uneventful. Banyue wasn’t kidding when the cafe was not that known and mostly the regulars would go to the establishment almost everyday. Xie Lian didn’t do much aside from watching Banyue working on the cashier and coffee and taking out the pastries from the display to serve it. It was pretty nice.

He got the afternoon shift till closing, which was around 9PM. It was pretty nice. A bit later than he would have before but it was a nice change of pace.

Xie Lian was wiping the tables when Yushi Huang emerged from the kitchen covered in flour. She was looking around and her eyes landed on him with a soft look. Xie Lian felt this and turned around, grinning as he waved in greeting.

“Xie Lian, sorry I wasn’t here earlier to greet you,” Yushi Huang said.

The said man shook his head and smiled, “No problem. Banyue helped me with some things earlier.”

“That’s good,” she replied. “I assume you know her already?”

“Yep,” Xie Lian was wiping the table again. “I’ve known her since she was little and everything. It was nice to see her again.”

Yushi Huang nodded and walked towards him, “I see. Well, I’ll just teach you the rest of the things you need to know here tomorrow?”

Xie Lian looked at her again, “Sure.” Taking in her appearance, he asked, “You’re the one baking?”

“Mhm. Have you tried anything from here?”

“No,” Xie Lian replied sheepishly. “I do want to, though.”

“You can take some home, if you want. We don’t really like selling old products for the next day.”

Xie Lian was about to deny her offer but he looked at the display case. There wasn’t much left since Yushi Huang didn’t exactly make a lot of it, but there was a thing or two that he actually wanted to try. So, he agreed.

“I’ll pack it up for you,” Yushi Huang said. “Once you’re done with the tables, you can go home.”

“Thanks, Yushi Huang.”

“No problem.”

Xie Lian then refocused on the tables so he could go home already. He wondered if Hua Cheng would really pick him up after work? He did leave the demon a message during his break earlier, but he didn’t get a chance to see the reply.

He wiped the rest of the tables and heard Banyue and Yushi Huang speaking in the kitchens, perhaps something about tomorrow. Speaking of Banyue, he should ask about the book that Pei Ming got from her because he didn’t expect for it to be real .

Fixing up the chairs, he took one last look of his handiwork before going out the back.

He was surprised to see Yushi Huang, Banyue, and two more people in the kitchen with cups of coffee in hand. The kitchen was cleaned compared to earlier and the only mess was just the cups they had on the counter.

Noticing him, Yushi Huang asked him to come closer and he could feel the new faces looking at him curiously. One was a girl that was slightly older and taller than Banyue, her face was rather plain. The other was a tall, muscular man with a steel ring pierced through his nose and was rather handsome. Both looked surprisingly friendly.

“Xie Lian,” Yushi Huang handed him a paper cup that was filled with the same coffee before she motioned towards the two. “This is Xiao Ying and Hei Niu. They mostly work here in the kitchens.”

“I’m Xie Lian,” Xie Lian immediately greeted them and shook their hands. “Nice to meet you.”

Hei Niu was grinning at him, “You can call me Niu-xiong if you want. Nice to meet you.”

Xiao Ying was nodding, a small smile on her face, “Likewise.”

They talked around for a while, getting to know each other. While Yushi Huang and Xie Lian were in the same year, Xiao Ying was only a year older than Banyue and Hei Niu was the oldest out of all of them. Both Xiao Ying and Banyue wanted to study in Xie Lian’s school as well since it did have a good reputation.

Xie Lian was surprised that he got along with all of them pretty well despite their differences. Hei Niu was nice, a bit petty, but he could be like a protective older brother like how Yushi Huang could be a great older sister. It felt like a nice, small family.

Once they were done with their coffees, Xiao Ying and Banyue offered to clean everything up while the rest could go ahead to the locker room. Seeing no point to argue, the three went ahead, entering the room while talking.

“I said that you could go home after you clean, so I’m sorry we held you up,” Yushi Huang said.

“It’s fine,” Xie Lian smiled at her. “It’s nice to get to know everyone, honestly.”

When he unlocked his locker, he checked his phone for any messages. He was surprised to see that amongst the notifications from Shi Qingxuan and the group chat, Hua Cheng’s name was right there with two messages. One was his reply from earlier and the other was received a few minutes ago.

San Lang

Have fun at work gege!

Are you done with work, gege?

Xie Lian

San Lang! Sorry, I just drank coffee with all of my co-workers and got to know them a little bit more.

I just finished and in the locker room right now.

The reply was immediate.

San Lang

Timing, then.

I’m right outside gege. Let’s go home together

I’ll wait for you

Xie Lian couldn’t understand why he could get a heart attack with just the simple words of ‘let’s go home together’, but he knew it wasn’t normal. God, why was he like this? When he looked up from his phone, Yushi Huang was looking at him, a knowing look on her face.

“Meeting with someone?”

“I live alone,” Xie Lian quickly said, a reflex. “I mean…”

She waved her hand dismissively, “No need. It’s not my place to pry.”

Yushi Huang was removing her apron and motioned for Xie Lian to follow suit. The latter soon noticed that there were hooks to hang their aprons on that were on the wall with their names just right above each hook. He was surprised to see his name (that was written with a pentel pen on a white paper) above a hook.

“To make things easier, no?”

Xie Lian nodded and hung his apron that was just beside Banyue’s hook. Yushi Huang’s and Hei Niu’s were right beside each other and Xiao Ying was in the third hook.

When they were done, Xie Lian was the first one to say goodbye.

“We’ll see you tomorrow!” Yushi Huang said as he left the room.

Xie Lian gave a wave before heading out towards the back door. The front was already locked even before he started cleaning the tables out in the dining area. The back door was at the corner of the kitchen, a bit heavy when pushed.

He opened the door and his face was immediately hit with the cool, evening air. The area was the now dim, narrow alley just right beside the cafe. It held boxes at the dead end to the right along with a bunch of garbage bags that were piled up. Even from the darkness, he could see some crushed cigarette butts on the floor and he assumed that it was Hei Niu’s.

He then started walking to the left. There was a small gate protecting the alley that Yushi Huang mentioned that he could leave it unlocked since they were coming out soon, anyway. He could see the empty street considering the sole lamppost that directly gave light to the entrance.

Once he opened it, he noticed a movement to his left. On guard, he closed the gate and looked towards the direction. He wasn’t scared and he could put up a fight or two, but he would rather go home properly.

Xie Lian should’ve expected it, but he was stumped when he saw Hua Cheng casually leaning onto a motorbike that he had never seen before in his life. It looked…. Expensive and so totally Hua Cheng. The said demon had his arms folded to his chest, flexing his biceps that were covered with a nicely fit black leather jacket.

Like during their grocery trip, he looked like he came from a fashion show with his simple red tee underneath and ripped jeans that fit his legs well. God, compared to him, Xie Lian looked dirt poor.

At first, Hua Cheng’s expression was serious but when his eye landed on him, he smiled so brightly that it could even rival the light right now.

“Gege!” Hua Cheng already pushed himself off the motorbike and met him halfway.

Relieved, but also freaking out that Hua Cheng looked extra good right now, Xie Lian smiled at him. “San Lang.”

“How was work?” The demon was smiling back at him, it was warm. As warm as the human’s cheeks right now.

“It was fun,” Xie Lian replied, his eyes trying to land on something that wasn’t Hua Cheng’s face. “Everyone is nice!”

“That’s good, gege.” Even his voice was warm. Fuck. “Do you want to stop by somewhere to get dessert? I cooked dinner right before I went here.”

Xie Lian pondered for a moment until he realized the pastries that Yushi Huang let him get earlier. He finally looked Hua Cheng in the eye, now less embarrassed, “Oh! Actually, Yushi Huang packed some leftovers for everyone. Is that okay?”

“Of course,” the demon replied smoothly. “We should put that in the fridge when we get back.”

Hua Cheng then outstretched his hand and Xie Lian wondered why. Should he take his hand or something? It might’ve shown in his face since the demon was grinning in amusement.

“Your bag, gege. So you’ll be more comfortable in a bit.”

“Oh.”

Xie Lian still wished the ground would swallow him whole as he handed his bag over to the taller man. Hua Cheng immediately stored it somewhere that the human didn’t notice, making him wonder if he used his powers or he was too blind in the dim sidewalk to see him move. His attention was now caught when Hua Cheng was holding a black helmet and was giving it to him.

“For protection,” the demon said.

Xie Lian stared at it then at him, “We’re really going to ride there?”

“I-” Hua Cheng blinked. “Yes, gege. Would you rather walk or-?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” the human hurriedly said and took the helmet away. “It’s just… I haven’t ridden in one ever.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Hua Cheng looked a tad bit concerned, “Does it bother you?”

“No, no.” Xie Lian shook his head. “I actually want to try but none of us own such a thing.” Then, “Wait, how did you even get that?”

The demon looked relieved and he chuckled, “I bought it, of course.”

Xie Lian didn’t even remember if he saw such a thing parked by his apartment when Hua Cheng was there. Did he impulse buy it? Were demons actually rich and it wasn’t fiction? Could Hua Cheng buy a whole country if he felt like it? Wow, he had so many questions right now.

He put on his helmet as he thought that did Hua Cheng buy this so he could bring him home after work? Was that the sole purpose? Because if so, his heart was making weird flipping action in his chest again and he couldn’t handle it anymore. He said that before and he would say it again, Hua Cheng wasn’t good for his heart.

“I’ll be careful,” Hua Cheng said as he took the human’s silence as fear. “Just hold onto me tight, okay?”

Wait, hold onto him?

Xie Lian was dying internally as he mechanically followed Hua Cheng to the motorbike. The demon moved first and swung his leg over to take his place. Then, he turned towards Xie Lian to get on.

The said man hesitated before he swung his leg (and was careful to not hit Hua Cheng) and sat right behind the said demon. The seat felt surprisingly comfortable and it was definitely a weird experience. He tried to focus on something else like… Hua Cheng’s broad back.

“Wrapped your arms around my waist, gege,” Hua Cheng said calmly. “So you won’t fall.”

Xie Lian didn’t know if the demon was teasing him or not, but he shakily wrapped his arms around the other’s waist and he immediately felt his throat go dry. He knew that Hua Cheng’s physique was… good but feeling the demon’s fine waist and the outline of his abs through the thin fabric of his shirt.

He held the demon tightly and when he got a laugh in response, he buried his face into the broad back. He just practically felt the other’s back with his face but it was enough to know that it was strong and sturdy. No wonder he could carry him with ease.

Goddamn it, Xie Lian. Focus!

As the engine was brought to life, Hua Cheng’s voice could be heard over it, “Hold on tight, gege. You might fall!”

Yeah.

He felt like falling down onto the pavement right now from embarrassment.

Chapter Text

Being glued to the couch wasn’t exactly the best way to spend the evening. It would’ve been fine if Xie Lian was watching a series on the television but unfortunately, he needed to be a responsible student and work on a project with both Mu Qing and Feng Xin being his group mates.

“Are you done with the introduction?” Xie Lian asked, his notes and laptop sprawled all over the coffee table as he typed away. He was in charge of the conclusion and presentation for their group.

“ Almost, ” Mu Qing replied in their voice chat, his voice cracking in Xie Lian’s phone speaker. “ I don’t get why we can’t meet in person for this. ”

“Feng Xin and I had work earlier,” Xie Lian replied apologetically. “It’s hard for us to meet late at night.”

“ Enjoy the perks of technology, ” Feng Xin snickered. “ It’s not like you’re having a hard time right now. ”

“Don’t think I won’t get up to go to your room to kick your ass."

“ Try it, bitch. ”

Xie Lian held in a sigh as he continued to type in his word document, “Please, you two, stop  arguing even through a call.”

How did they even survive being roommates until now?

“ We could’ve stayed in your place, ” Mu Qing said. “ Or you can come here, you know .”

Xie Lian’s eyes wandered from his laptop to Hua Cheng who was making snacks for the two of them. The demon insisted that he could stay up with him whenever he was busy with assignments and promised to stay silent on calls. It was very endearing to Xie Lian, considering that the demon even made food for him so he wouldn’t live through caffeine and instant ramen alone.

“You know how cramped it is here,” he ended up saying. “Maybe next time at your place.”

“ Fine .”

They continued working on their reporting with the pair’s bickering being the background noise as Xie Lian typed away. After a while, Hua Cheng sat beside him after clearing out some space on the coffee table to set down mugs of coffee and brownies.

A demon could bake. Great. He wasn’t complaining.

He looked over at his companion who was wearing a simple black tee and jogging pants, giving him a silent thanks as he raised a brownie. He liked it how comfortable the both of them were, as if they were truly roommates looking out for each other.

Hua Cheng gave him a warm smile and responded in kind, as well as motioning towards the mug on the table. Xie Lian nodded and took it, taking a short break from typing too long.

“ Are you eating? ” Feng Xin suddenly asked.

“Drinking, actually,” he replied matter-of-factly after setting his mug down. “If I don’t drink coffee, I might pass out.”

“ Fair ,” the other agreed. “ Maybe I should make some. Hey, Mu Qing. You want some tea? ”

“ Sure ,” Mu Qing replied.

“ I’ll be back ,” Feng Xin said before muting himself, most likely shuffling off to their kitchen dorms to prepare something for the two of them.

Xie Lian glanced at the clock in his laptop and it was way past 1AM and their classes were early in the morning. It wasn’t like they could rush it in the morning, so they really had no choice but to do it late at night. Something told him, however, that it was going to cost him.

He was right. It did cost him.

At the back of his mind, everything was a bit reminiscent when he first talked to Hua Cheng properly. He was rushing as he clothed himself in proper clothes, taking his phone out from the charger and bouncing on one foot as he put his socks on.

Hua Cheng tried to wake him up a few times but to no avail. Who could blame him, though? They finished around four in the morning and had classes around eight, so he was rushing when he knew the time was closer to nine at this point. He probably told the demon that he should stop waking him up and knowing the other, he totally would listen to him as long as he said it.

He wished that Hua Cheng would’ve pushed him at least once.

It didn’t matter now since he was already rushing around, getting his backpack and stuffing whatever he needed like his notes, laptop and wallet. He already threw it over his shoulder as he wore his shoes, stomach grumbling due to the delicious breakfast that he could smell at the moment.

“Gege?” the demon called out. “You’re not eating breakfast?”

“Can’t,” he replied hurriedly. “I’m already an hour late. I can’t be late for the reporting!”

Xie Lian could tell that Hua Cheng was saying something, but he didn’t focus enough for him to register it in his mind. He mourned at the loss of food and coffee that he was used to consuming in the morning but he didn’t have time.

“I’ll see you later,” Xie Lian said, already making his way to the door. “Bye!”

Slamming the door shut, he missed the way Hua Cheng was glancing at something and at the door with an unreadable look on his face.

He made a dash for it, completely ignoring the people staring at him while avoiding the obstacles in his path. It was an unusual sight once more since it had been months since the last time he had rushed down like this. It was unavoidable at this point because he was really really late. He also hated the fact that it was the same professor from last time, making him want to sink into the ground in shame. He couldn’t believe that history could repeat himself so early.

It was fine.

It was perfectly fine.

Xie Lian could feel his phone vibrating in his pocket and this time, he answered it.

“Hello?” He answered, breath puffing as he ran.

“ Where are you? ” Feng Xin’s voice was surprisingly like his, sounding like he was doing his own marathon. “ Fucking Mu Qing didn’t wake me up! ”

“Running,” he replied. “I woke up late.”

“ Same, ” his friend said. “ I’ll see you in class. ”

When they hung up, Xie Lian kept his phone and ran faster. Perhaps Mu Qing woke up late as well and didn't bother to wake Feng Xin up. They were all a disaster at this point.

Halfway through, he met up with Feng Xin and they dashed up the stairs barely breaking a sweat. Once they reached the classroom, they were met with stares by both students and professor. They noticed that Mu Qing was already there, catching his breath. He probably arrived just a few minutes earlier than them.

The professor looked unimpressed but let them go. Feng Xin and Xie Lian looked at each other, they knew they’d get in trouble later. More homework? Or anything that could alleviate the professor’s wrath. Either way, it wasn’t going to be fun for them and was it bad to think that at least Mu Qing was included in their little group of being punished?

The rest of the class went smoothly after their little hiccup, although the professor kept glaring at them every now and then, asking questions directly at them as some small form of punishment. In the end, they just got more essays than the rest which was totally fine if Xie Lian was being honest. He could handle essays pretty well. He couldn’t say the same for Feng Xin, however.

Once classes were over, it was time for them to go to the fourth floor for their next class. Xie Lian didn’t look too excited since the professor was pretty rough with them with recitation and activities. Well, neither of his classmates were particularly keen on this professor.

“Thanks for waking me up earlier, asshole,” Feng Xin grumbled as they made their way to the stairs.

“It was getting late,” Mu Qing glared at him. “I didn’t have time.”

“Don’t argue,” Xie Lian said, standing between the two. “Let’s just sleep earlier tonight, okay?”

Both clicked their tongues, wanting to fight each other rather than make up but neither were also interested in getting manhandled by Xie Lian himself if they got out of hand. They both knew that their friend was easily capable of doing just that.

When they reached the fourth floor, they didn’t expect to see Shi Qingxuan and He Xuan passing by, their first class was apparently at the very floor. They rarely see the pair outside of lunch and their hangouts in the afternoon, so it was a pleasant surprise.

“A-Lian!” Shi Qingxuan wasted no time jumping at Xie Lian while the latter caught them with ease. “You look like a zombie!”

Xie Lian sighed, it was probably true, “Stayed up late for our report.”

Shi Qingxuan then let their friend go to judge the group’s appearance with a scrutinizing gaze. Their nose scrunched up once they looked at the group from head to toe, “Okay, yeah, you three look horrible.”

“Thanks,” Mu Qing rolled his eyes.

Since they still had a few minutes before their next class, they ended up chatting for a bit while He Xuan was scrolling through his phone. Xie Lian was tempted to approach him to ask for anime recommendations and fics when he would get some free time during work or at the apartment. He was about to do just that when Shi Qingxuan asked him something.

“By the way, A-Lian,” they said. “Where’s your lunch? I’m getting hungry just thinking about what your San Lang made for you.”

Xie Lian blinked in surprise and looked down on his person. All he could see was his worn out clothes and shoes, his backpack and nothing else. Oh, shit. Was that the thing he actually forgot while he was rushing out? First, he didn’t eat what Hua Cheng made for breakfast and now, he forgot his lunch?

Fuck.

He glanced at his phone and saw that the demon didn’t leave him any message. Did both of them forget? He was sure that Hua Cheng had an impeccable memory despite his…. Thousand years of age. Shrugging, he kept his phone in his pocket again.

“I forgot while I was rushing earlier,” he said with a small smile. “I can just buy something in the cafeteria later.”

“Boo,” Shi Qingxuan whined. “I was actually looking forward to stealing some good food.”

Xie Lian merely smiled, he didn’t want to eat cafeteria food either but he had no choice. It was fine. He had the money now and he could afford the better meals in the cafeteria. What he should have done when he got home was to apologize to the demon for wasting good food.

Hua Cheng actually contemplated whether or not he should message his little human that he forgot his lunch. It had been a long time since he saw Xie Lian rushing out like that. Maybe he should’ve pushed him into waking up more to make him avoid being late, but now he was alone in the apartment.

Actually, he wasn’t alone.

He snapped his fingers and Ruoye was draped over his shoulders again to keep him company.

“Good morning,” he greeted the snake.

Ruoye hissed in return as it bumped its head on the demon’s shoulder in greeting. It looked like the snake was in a good mood. Hua Cheng patted its body before he resumed moving around the kitchen. He wondered if he should throw the breakfast he made or keep it in the fridge for later.

He decided to do the latter in case his human was irked by something like throwing food away.

Hua Cheng opted to drink the coffee that he prepared for Xie Lian’s breakfast to not waste it as he cleaned everything else. He glanced at the lunch box that was strikingly red on the counter and weighed his options. He certainly didn’t want Xie Lian to tire himself just so he could get it. Maybe he could bring it instead?

He loitered around for a while, communicating with Yin Yu about the demon world as he thought of it at the back of his mind. Ruoye was still hanging around him, making itself busy by slithering around his arm, to his shoulders, then going to his other arm. It was comforting to the demon, in a way. Ruoye seemed to enjoy his company anyways.

An hour passed when he glanced back at his phone, then at the lunch box. He could bring it to him but he had no idea where Xie Lian was. He knew a university could be big and he would rather not waste his time searching each building. He had a cellphone for heaven’s sake. Ha.

He grabbed his phone to text Xie Lian. How odd it was for him to message a human.

San Lang

Gege

Where are you rn?

He placed his phone on his lap as he tapped a finger on the couch’s arm while waiting. He was surprised when his phone buzzed after a few moments.

Xie Lian

In class, San Lang

Is something wrong?

San Lang

Nothing, gege!

Just wondering

Also isn’t it bad to message during class?

Tsk tsk tsk

Xie Lian

San Lang!

We just finished reporting

So we’re in the clear

San Lang

You worked hard, gege

Where are you now?

Xie Lian

Thanks, San Lang!

I’m still in class. Why?

San Lang

I mean where exactly

Xie Lian

Huh?

I’m in Business department A, room 408

Why?

San Lang?

It was awfully rude of him to not reply, but since the demon had a clear location of his human, he wasted no time on whipping up a fresh lunch and coffee for him after he returned Ruoye to its tank. He even dressed in perhaps a bit too tight jeans, a red shirt and a black leather jacket before heading out with the lunch box and cup of coffee.

He wanted to surprise Xie Lian, so he still didn’t reply to the human’s message after he left.

Xie Lian glanced at his phone, face perplexed. He wondered why Hua Cheng asked him such a question. Well, he didn’t feel in danger if he told him so he could easily tell him. Feng Xin and Mu Qing were giving him weird looks considering that he usually wouldn’t use his phone in class but they didn’t ask, too drained from their report.

They just finished with theirs and it was now a different group up presenting with the professor grilling them every now and then. It was tiring and the fact that the professor asked them so many questions was even more energy depleting.

Xie Lian had the sudden urge to just curl in his couch or bed and maybe cuddle with his very handsome and caring roommate, burying his face in that sturdy chest of his. He swatted the thought away when he could feel the heat creeping up his neck.

“You good?” Feng Xin asked, brows creased with worry.

He immediately responded with a nod, “Yeah, don’t worry. Is the group still presenting?”

“On their fourth slide,” Mu Qing answered with a bored, tired tone. “Prof is asking a million questions per slide.”

“I see,” Xie Lian frowned, feeling bad for the group. Now that he was looking at the group up front, they were sweating profusely, tugging at their shirt collars in nervousness and trying their very best to answer.

“We didn’t look that bad, right?”

“Nah,” Mu Qing said. “We didn’t exactly stay up for nothing .”

Both Feng Xin and Xie Lian grumbled in agreement. They could feel the stress leaving them and the latter felt hunger from overusing his brain for the morning. After this class was lunch and while he wasn’t excited to eat cafeteria food, it would at least fill his stomach.

His mind then wandered to Hua Cheng and his message. It said that the demon had viewed it but he didn’t reply at all. That worried him. He didn’t sound mad since he was still teasing him, but he couldn’t rack his brain for reasons why he didn’t reply to him.

The current group was on their sixth slide when there was a knock on the door of the classroom. The room fell silent, the current speaker trailed off to what he was saying and the professor glared at the door since whoever was at the other side disrupted his class.

No one usually disturbed a class unless it was important but the knock didn’t sound hurried or at least a bit concerned. It was making Xie Lian curious and wondering who would disrupt the scariest professor this semester.

The said professor stood up, chest puffed in annoyance and walked towards the door. Before he could open the door, however, the door slammed open to reveal.

To reveal…

HUA CHENG?

Wha- What is he doing here?!

Xie Lian gaped as the said demon strode inside the room, the air surrounding him was cocky and confident. As usual, he looked as fashionable and sexy as ever, and a small smirk was present on his face. Everyone was staring at him, some in awe and some were already charmed. The professor was stunned as well, but it was replaced with a glare.

“Who are you?!”

The smirk on Hua Cheng’s face fell, replacing it with a frown and a glare that was colder than ice directed at the professor, “None of your business.” 

That made the professor shut up.

The demon’s sole dark eye then scanned the room and it immediately lit up when he locked eyes with Xie Lian, who wasn’t freaking out (he was), he swore. His heart was pounding loudly in his chest when Hua Cheng was walking towards him with a large grin on his face. From the human’s view, Hua Cheng looked like an excited puppy the moment he saw his owner.

“Gege!” the demon said, happy to see him.

Xie Lian let out a yelp once he finally found his voice and when the other addressed him loudly, “S-San Lang?!”

Everyone in the room turned towards him, surprised that he knew someone like Hua Cheng. Since, well, he was Xie Lian. While he was pretty known throughout the campus, he didn’t do anything to be popular or infamous like Pei Ming and the others. The human then noticed that the demon was actually carrying the lunch box and cup of coffee in one hand. His heart went even crazier.

Hua Cheng then stopped in front of his desk, uncaring that he literally barged in the classroom, disrupted a whole class, and ignored the stares (and glares) from other people in the room. Xie Lian was craning his neck up to meet the demon’s eye, a bit nervous.

“You forgot your lunch,” Hua Cheng said smoothly as he set down the lunch box and cup. “I figured that you’d rather buy something from the cafeteria than ask me to bring it to you, so I did it myself.”

“Sorry,” Xie Lian said, his smile wobbly and geateful. “A-And thank you. For bringing it.”

The demon flashed a smile, “You’re welcome, gege. Anything for you.”

“Who are you to disturb my class, child?!”

They all looked back at the professor who was angrier for being ignored. One look from Hua Cheng quickly made him pale and kept his mouth shut, however, since he dropped down onto his chair as if his soul had left him.

Hua Cheng looked back at Xie Lian, his expression clear with joy, “I’ll be on my way now, gege. Do you have any requests for dinner?”

Feeling the prickly stares that he was getting from his friends, Xie Lian gulped and shook his head as he kept a weak smile, “Anything you make is great, San Lang.”

The demon preened at the praise and nodded, “Okay, gege. I’ll see you later?”

“Y-Yes. Of course.”

Hua Cheng flashed another smile before smoothly walking out of the room (not without glaring daggers at the professor again) and slammed the door shut. It was as if he was a storm passing through, creating chaos, then leaving everyone breathless. Xie Lian’s chest was still pounding due to the sweetness and abrupt gesture from the demon and at the same time, he was dying of embarrassment when his classmates’ eyes were on him with a questioning gaze.

Oh joy.

“HE’S YOUR NEIGHBOR?!”

Xie Lian winced at the loud voices aimed at him, as well as the heated stares from other people in the cafeteria. Once classes were over, Feng Xin and Mu Qing dragged him to the cafeteria and immediately retold the events that happened to Shi Qingxuan and He Xuan. They… might have overexaggerated some parts.

“He looked,” Feng Xin was wild with his gestures. “Very suspicious.”

Mu Qing nodded, surprisingly agreeing with the other, “Who wears a damn eyepatch on a normal day?”

Shi Qingxuan leaned further in, “Is he hot, though?”

Feng Xin was hesitating, “He looks… handsome, I guess. But he’s definitely doing shady business.”

“He’s not,” Xie Lian defended weakly. Well, it wasn’t like he could tell that they literally saw the demon that they summoned a few months ago. That was worse than handling someone doing some ‘shady business’.

“I don’t believe it,” Mu Qing said seriously. “He literally screams trouble.”

“Well, he barged into the classroom like that,” Shi Qingxuan said thoughtfully and then sighed. “I hate the fact that you two saw him and not me.”

Xie Lian sighed, letting his friends argue that it was Shi Qingxuan’s fault that they didn’t take the same major as them and that may be the only time that they would see the guy anyways.

“Maybe we should visit A-Lian to get a full glimpse of him.”

“Please don't,” the said man quickly pleaded.

He was a hundred percent sure that his friends wouldn’t listen to him.

He’d do his best to avoid it, though.

Chapter Text

Xie Lian knew that he was right, getting himself to move around and work was very rewarding for his own body and sanity by a longshot. While he sort of guiltily enjoyed the relaxed weeks that Hua Cheng managed to convince him to not work and just focus on his studies, he was really better off working instead.

He was cleaning the last table with one hand balancing a tray that was filled with empty cups and dirty tissues when Yushi Huang told him that he could take a twenty minute break.

He took this as a chance to rush to the locker room and reply to the messages from their noisy group chat with everyone, the exclusive group chat, and the picture that Hua Cheng sent showing that he was spending good quality time with Ruoye.

After that, he kept his phone in his bag again and fished out his papers that were due tomorrow. It wasn’t much, just a simple assignment with two essay questions. It was fairly easy. He closed his locker and passed by Xiao Ying along the way.

“There’s coffee for you on the counter,” she said in passing. “Take it with you.”

“Thanks!” Xie Lian replied and immediately spotted the lone cup of coffee right at the clean kitchen counter.

He greeted Hei Niu, who just finished up rolling the dough for a new batch of pastry, before heading out of the kitchen.

There was a table right at the corner of the shop that wasn’t exactly the coziest spot, so customers tend to sit elsewhere. It was a good thing since the employees were allowed to sit at that ‘dark’ corner while they were having their break. It was also probably where Yushi Huang did her homework whenever she wasn’t needed in the kitchen or the counter.

Xie Lian made his way there after smiling at Banyue and Yushi Huang, motioning towards the table with his papers. The latter nodded in understanding and Xie Lian went ahead, ignoring the subtle looks that the present customers were giving him.

Once he sat down, he carefully set his cup down and splayed his papers on the table. He made sure that no disaster would happen with that devil of a cup of coffee before he brought out his pen and started working on his papers.

A few minutes had passed before Xie Lian reached out to take a sip of his coffee when the chair right across from him scraped against the tiled floor. His gaze from his papers shot up to whoever was pulling the chair from the table.

“Sorry, Xie-ge,” Luckily, it was only Banyue. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

“It’s alright,” he motioned with his free hand as he drank. “Go ahead.”

Banyue smiled at him and proceeded to sit down. She also set down her own cup of coffee on the table at a safe distance. She was also given a go to get her break since Yushi Huang could handle the counter by herself for now.

Xie Lian was happy that she was silent and her eyes on him weren't bothering him in the slightest. He could hear the small chatter from customers, the movement of chairs from the customers leaving, and the weird spotify playlist that was playing in the background. He heard from Xiao Ying that it was Yushi Huang’s playlist. It had… interesting songs.

He heard Banyue humming along to the new song and he started to lightly tap his foot on the floor in rhythm. This one song sounded new and less weird compared to the other ones.

After a while, Xie Lian asked, “Banyue?”

Banyue immediately gave her attention, “Yes, Xie-ge?”

He lowered his pen and pursed his lips. It had been on his mind ever since he started working in the cafe. Did Banyue know that the summoning book actually worked? If so, that was actually dangerous since people could summon demons for their own greed. The reason for him to wonder, however, was just to satisfy his curiosity.

Xie Lian then looked up at her and asked, “Banyue, do you remember if you own a purple book?”

The girl across from him tilted her head, “Purple book?”

“En,” Xie Lian nodded and gestured with his hands. “The cover is purple… and it’s quite plain. From what I recall, it’s in a good condition.”

He watched her furrow her brows, trying to recall if she did own such an item. She was concentrating so much that Xie Lian jumped in surprise when Banyue exclaimed an ‘aha!’ after a few moments.

“Xie-ge, don’t tell me it’s the summoning book?”

Xie Lian laughed nervously, “It is, actually.”

Banyue’s eyes widened in surprise, mouth agape when he answered. She didn’t expect it. “Where did you get it? I don’t remember you borrowing it from me or...”

“Pei Ming said you lent it to him.”

The girl’s expression then quickly changed into something stoic, her voice flat, “Oh, so that’s how it disappeared.”

Xie Lian winced. So, Pei Ming lied when he said that Banyue let him borrow the book. He wondered if he tricked Pei Su to get it for him?

Banyue sighed, “I’ll talk to Pei Su about it later.”

Xie Lian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “Please don’t be cruel to them.”

The girl shook her head, although she was smiling softly. “Well, Xie-ge. I assume you guys tried it?”

“We did,” he nodded. “Are… are all of the summoning rituals real?”

Banyue hummed in thought, “I tried a few and they were all fake. I think none of it is real since I bought the book at a really cheap price somewhere.”

Xie Lian wanted to shout about how they were successful in summoning the demon king Hua Cheng then?! None of his friends knew that they were successful but the said demon was still at his house for a few months already. How could Banyue explain that?

“Which demon did you try?”

“...Hua Cheng.”

“Oh,” Banyue blinked. “Were you successful?”

YES?! HE’S LITERALLY AT MY HOUSE RIGHT NOW TAKING CARE OF MY PET SNAKE?!

Xie Lian shook his head despite his inner turmoil, “No, fortunately.”

“I see,” the girl sighed. “Well, it’s a good thing I got a fake one. Who knows what will happen if we could actually summon one. Summoning a demon king is no joke.”

Xie Lian laughed nervously. He was suddenly sweating bullets, “Yeah… who knows…”

God, he was fucked. That didn't answer anything.

It was nearing closing time and Xie Lian took this chance to start wiping the tables clean. There wasn’t anything much to do other than wait behind the counter, but Banyue was already there to do just that. He felt more useful moving around like this than idling by.

“Xie-ge,” Banyue called out from the counter. “Can you carry these to the back?”

Xie Lian was on his third table when he turned around to give Banyue a nod, “Sure.”

He made his way towards the counter and Banyue pointed to three boxes at the corner. He blinked in surprise. He didn’t notice that when he was here earlier. He shrugged it away and walked towards it before crouching down. He held the lowest box tightly and slowly lifted all three at once. It was a bit heavy and it felt like the contents were fragile.

“Oh, wow,” Banyue said in awe from the side. “I didn’t expect you to be so strong, Xie-ge.”

Xie Lian laughed, “A lot of people did say that. Uh, could you open the door for me?”

Banyue nodded and quickly made her way towards the heavy double doors, opening one of them for Xie Lian. He said his thanks as he slowly passed through, afraid that the top box might topple over just because of his shitty luck.

The door closed behind him just in time when he heard the bell of the front door chimed, signalling that a customer entered the shop. At the back of his mind, he wondered why a customer would go in the store at such a late time.

“Xie Lian,” Yushi Huang popped to the said man’s side, her apron covered in flour. “Thanks for carrying that. Could you bring it to the end of the hall and drop it there?”

“Sure,” Xie Lian turned right with a careful step.

“Thanks,” Yushi Huang said before returning to the kitchen.

One of the double doors opened and Banyue let out a quick shout, “Xie-ge! Someone’s here to see you!”

“Tell them I’ll be right there!” Xie Lian replied over his shoulder. Wait, who would want to see him?

He didn’t hear Banyue’s muffled response since she closed the door beforehand. Sighing, he made his way to the end of the hall, passing by both the doors to the locker room and comfort room. The area was dimly lit, but he could make out shapes of different boxes that were already on the floor. Some were opened and some were still sealed shut like the one he had in his hands.

Yushi Huang didn’t exactly say where he should put it, so he just set it down right beside a large unsealed box. If they were all in the same place, it wouldn’t be much trouble, right? After he stood up, he clapped his hands to hopefully remove the nonexistent dust in his hands and walked back.

“Wonder who’s looking for me?” Xie Lian muttered under his breath as he slowly approached the double doors.

He took one more glance at the kitchen. Yushi Huang, Hei Niu, and Xiao Ying were busy themselves as they did their own assigned tasks. They didn’t even sense his stare. Then, he turned towards the door and finally pushed it open.

The sight of Banyue and Hua Cheng standing by the counter and talking was something that he didn’t expect. The former looked calm, pretty much awed at the demon’s appearance. Perhaps he was really that good looking (he was). The latter was surprisingly not scowling at her, his face was more or less neutral but there wasn’t a sense of annoyance when he was talking to Banyue.

“San Lang?” Xie Lian managed to choke out.

‘Banyue,’ Xie Lian cried internally as well. ‘That’s the demon we were talking about.’

Hearing his name, Hua Cheng looked up and his eye significantly brightened, “Gege!”

Banyue looked at his direction as well, “Oh, Xie-ge! This is the one I mentioned earlier.”

“Right,” Xie Lian nodded and walked towards the demon with a small smile on his face. “San Lang, what are you doing here so early?”

“Came to pick you up,” Hua Cheng replied with a grin. “I hope that’s okay?”

“It’s fine, you just surprised me, that's all.” Xie Lian reached out to him and wrapped his hand around the demon’s bicep, squeezing it gently to reassure him.

Hua Cheng hummed, features softening at the gesture, “Okay, good. Do you still need time to finish, gege?”

Xie Lian looked over at the dining area and saw that there were a few more tables that still needed to be cleaned. He opened his mouth, about to say that yes he still needed to clean around and get things done, until Banyue beat him to it.

“Nope, he’s done,” she said cheerfully. “You can sweep him off his feet now.”

He looked at her, a blush was creeping up his cheeks, “Banyue!”

The demon raised a brow, both questioning and amused, “Is she right, gege?”

“I- Well-”

Banyue stalked off to Xie Lian’s side and pulled him close to whisper in his ear, “I’ll clean the rest. Don’t let your boyfriend wait too long.”

Xie Lian gawked at her and quickly whispered back, “He- He’s not my boyfriend-”

Banyue was looking at him as if he said something like an outrageous lie. Which- Well, in his defense it wasn’t a lie. Hua Cheng was his… demon. He meant that he was a demon under contract because of the stupid blood contract and nothing more!

(Yeah, Hua Cheng also cooked, cleaned, and cared for him and Ruoye but he didn’t need to tell that.)

It was at that moment that Yushi Huang decided to appear, her appearance a bit messier than earlier. Her eyes darted between the three of them. Xie Lian couldn’t tell what was on her mind as she remained silent for a few moments.

“Who’s this?” she finally asked.

“This is my good friend, San Lang,” Xie Lian said as he stood beside Hua Cheng. He wanted to speak before Banyue would say anything. “San Lang, this is Yushi Huang. I’ve mentioned her a few times.”

Hua Cheng nodded, “En. I remember, gege.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Yushi Huang said.

“Likewise.”

Yushi Huang looked between him and Hua Cheng, “Xie Lian, you can get your things and leave. We can finish the rest.”

“Are you sure?” Xie Lian frowned. “I can still work.”

The other replied with a dismissive wave, “It’s fine. You can go. We’ll just see you tomorrow.”

Xie Lian wanted to argue that it was really fine but glancing at Hua Cheng, who was looking at him with a hopeful glint, made him give in.

“Okay,” he conceded. “San Lang, please wait for me?”

“Of course, gege.”

Xie Lian nodded and pointedly ignored the curious glances that he was receiving. Banyue looked like she wanted all the gossip and details and that she might ask Xiao Ying for help with that one. God, teeneagers were actually scary.

Once he retrieved his things from the locker room and hung his apron in his assigned hook, he bid Hei Niu and Xiao Ying quick goodbyes while he was on his way. They were surprised at his sudden exit but they greeted back casually like usual.

When he returned, Banyue and Yushi Huang were talking while Hua Cheng was farther away from them, not engaging anymore. He was oddly relieved that they didn’t bombard the demon with any questions.

He approached Hua Cheng who was already looking at him with a smile on his face, “Ready to go?”

Hua Cheng nodded, “Is gege ready?”

“I got all my stuff, so yes.”

“Okay,” Hua Cheng then walked towards the door and opened it for him and the view of the dim sidewalk was clearer now.

Xie Lian looked over his shoulder and bid the two goodbyes, “See you tomorrow, everyone.”

They both nodded and waved at him, with Banyue mouthing a ‘Have fun!’. Her eyes were sparkling with mischief. Xie Lian, despite being a blushing mess, decided to ignore that by now.

Once they were outside, Xie Lian let out a breath that he didn’t know he was holding.

“Is gege alright?” the demon asked.

“I’m fine, don’t worry,” Xie Lian said and held the demon’s outstretched hand with his own.

“I’m surprised you introduced me as San Lang,” Hua Cheng said, he didn’t sound mad.

The other laughed a bit, “Ah, well, remember that we had a book when we summoned you? It’s owned by Banyue there, so I couldn’t really say your real name.”

“Ah, I see.”

“She said the writings are fake,” Xie Lian said. “So, I wonder how I was able to summon you.”

Hua Cheng laughed as he led the human a bit farther away from the cafe, “Maybe it’s fate.”

Xie Lian let the demon lead him to what he assumed was a car. He squinted a bit as he gripped onto his backpack strap. The car glinted and… it looked shiny? Was it brand new? He leaned in a bit and heard Hua Cheng chuckle.

“Are you suspicious, gege?”

“Curious, more like.” Xie Lian blinked when they finally stopped right in front of the car.

It looked brand new.

From its nice, shiny red exterior and since Xie Lian didn’t know much about cars, he couldn’t tell which brand it was. It was obvious that it was one of those fancy and expensive kinds of cars that would be seen mostly in movies.

Hua Cheng was chuckling, “Do you like it?”

“First of all,” Xie Lian was poking the demon’s arm. “You have a car. Last time, you had a bike. San Lang, where do you get all of this money?”

The demon laughed as he fished out his keys while letting himself be poked, “If gege is okay delaying dinner for a bit, would you like to accompany me to one of my businesses?”

Before Xie Lian could reply, Hua Cheng opened the passenger door for him and guided him with his hand as he entered. The former was a bit embarrassed due to the extra attention, but he liked the feeling that he was being cared for.

As he watched Hua Cheng walk over to the other side, he took a quick glance in the interior of the car. Everything was dark, black leather seats and it was so comfortable that Xie Lian would be able to sleep in the car if he was allowed to.

Once Hua Cheng entered the car as well, Xie Lian replied, “I don’t mind. I’m not that hungry.”

“Okay, then.” The demon inserted the key and started the engine with a hum.

“But, wait. How do you have businesses here when you said you’re not allowed to stay in the human realm?”

Hua Cheng glanced at him, his gaze soft, “Hm, gege is right. I’m usually not allowed to come here or stay long enough to watch a business completely, so someone handles it for me.”

Xie Lian furrowed his brows, “Someone meaning…. Yin Yu?”

The demon chuckled, “That’s right. Gege is so smart.”

The other rolled his eyes, slapping the demon’s forearm playfully, “It’s obvious that you’ll trust something that is important to Yin Yu, San Lang.”

“I guess you have a point,” Hua Cheng obliged and started to maneuver the car with ease. “He’s going to be there tonight, actually. We can talk to him while he’s here.”

“Where are we going, though?” Xie Lian asked. He wasn’t scared despite his question, he was simply curious. Hua Cheng looked like he could control the world if he wanted, so he wouldn’t be surprised if it was some huge corporation or something as big as that.

Hua Cheng let out a toothy grin as he kept his eyes on the road, “It’ll be a surprise, gege.”

When Xie Lian said to himself that he wouldn’t be surprised at whatever Hua Cheng’s business was, he was wrong.

He stared at the large and loud building in awe as he stood still at the busy sidewalk. They were in the downtown of the city where the night was very active compared to the area near his campus.

Multiple people were walking around or rushing to their desired places. The places were alive, lights bright that it could capture your attention from miles away. It felt like a different world compared to the campus area. Right now, they stopped in front of a building that was colored red and black. It stood tall right in the middle of downtown and its sign was bright.

‘Gambler’s Den’ was written on the sign and he noticed that there were a lot of people glancing at the place every time they passed by it. It was just like its owner, pleasing to the eye and it was something that you couldn’t help but look and appreciate.

Hua Cheng was standing right beside him, waiting for him to regain his bearings. When he did, he looked at him and saw that the demon was already looking back with a smile on his face.

“What do you think?”

“It’s really beautiful,” Xie Lian said excitedly. “I didn’t know this existed until now. Ah, well, I don’t really go to these parts often.” This area had expensive stores and rents, so students who were as broke as him didn’t visit the area often.

Hua Cheng nodded, pleased by the compliment. “It’s the first time someone said this was beautiful.” He held out his hand for the other, “Want to peek inside?”

Xie Lian nodded eagerly and immediately interlaced his hands with the other, ignoring the way people were looking at them with curiosity.

The demon chuckled again as he guided the human towards the building, “Ah, gege is so adorable. I have to bring you downtown often if you always look like that.”

Xie Lian’s ears were burning, “Look like what?”

“An adorable child,” Hua Cheng teased.

Since Xie Lian had immense difficulty in accepting compliments, even more when it’s from the demon, he just pouted and let himself be dragged. Hua Cheng didn’t mind, though. He was still smiling at the other as he commanded with a single hand to let the two guards open the doors for them.

When they entered, Xie Lian’s embarrassment dissolved and was replaced with awe. There was a lot going on inside, it was rowdy and loud. There were a lot of different machines, tables, and crowds that were happening inside the large ground floor. It was bigger than what Xie Lian had thought.

“Does that mean gege is impressed?” the demon asked as his eye roamed the other’s face.

Xie Lian nodded, “It’s nothing I have ever seen before!”

“Except in movies?”

“Except in movies.”

Hua Cheng’s head threw back in a laugh, “Glad I could give gege’s first experience myself.”

The demon was still holding his hand firmly, but gentle. Xie Lian followed him to one of a crowded table that had people shouting and everything. Once they were closer, Hua Cheng let his hand go and instead encircled his arm around the human’s waist protectively.

Xie Lian tried not to melt at that moment.

Hua Cheng leaned down and whispered in the other’s ear, “Watch this, gege.”

Xie Lian nodded dumbly, more aware of the hot breath tickling his ear but he tried to focus on what was happening on the table.

There was someone shouting ‘odds’ while pointing at the croupier’s hand that was holding a pair of red dice. Curious. Xie Lian leaned a bit more to get a closer look as the croupier shook the dice in a cup before throwing it to the table.

The person who shouted earlier was staring at the dice with intensity, sweat forming on his forehead. He blanched when the dice stopped rolling and revealed a one and a five. Even.

“The gentleman lost,” the croupier said, their tone monotonous. “Collect his debt in the private room.”

Suddenly, there were two men that appeared. They were so bulky and intimidating that the person who lost stood frozen and let himself get manhandled by the two men, bringing him to god knows where.

“Weren’t they betting with money?” Xie Lian asked, facing Hua Cheng. He didn’t pay attention to the new game being held. “Why do they need to do it in a private room?”

Hua Cheng looked thoroughly amused and pulled the human closer before leaning in to whisper, “That person… Or rather, that demon most likely bet off one of his limbs and lost.”

When he pulled away, the demon expected the other to react with disgust. Instead, he was greeted with shock. It was a bit surprising, however, how aside from shock, there was just that morbid curiosity playing around the human’s features.

“You can do that?”

“Humans can’t,” the demon explained. “But demons can. And this is the only establishment that allows it. Secretly.”

Xie Lian blinked, “...Oh.”

He knew that he should’ve been afraid. An establishment that hosted both humans and demons right in the middle of downtown? And right in the open? He shouldn’t be that concerned, though, since Hua Cheng owned the business. The demon king knew what he was doing. It was obvious that this business wasn’t even new, most likely it had already built its reputation in this city a long time ago.

No one seemed to notice that the demon king was standing among them, so the said demon king took this chance to guide Xie Lian somewhere else again, “Come, gege. I’ll show you other interesting parts.”

Xie Lian didn’t know whether he preferred to be held by Hua Cheng by the waist or by the hand but either way, he still followed the other when he pulled his hand again to show him the other tables and games. Mostly it was Hua Cheng simply explaining the rules and then moving on.

They also passed by a small bar that was empty, saving the two bartenders behind the counter. They greeted Hua Cheng with both respect and fear in their eyes. Xie Lian found that quite interesting and amazing at the same time.

Then, at the farthest area to the main hall, was an elevator. It was guarded by two men (or demons?) that had the same build as the other two earlier that dragged the loser away. According to Hua Cheng, no one was allowed to use this elevator but him and Yin Yu since this one specifically would only stop at one private floor.

“There’s a public elevator somewhere that leads to the other floors,” Hua Cheng explained as they entered the elevator (which was as fancy as the building). “Since a lot of people did start to come here, we opened up some floors to provide other entertainment.”

“Wow,” Xie Lian said breathlessly. “It’s really amazing that you can monitor and do all those things, San Lang.”

“It’s nothing much,” Hua Cheng said, an easy smile on his face. “Humans are greedy creatures by nature, they say what they want and we give it to them. In return, in a way, they sold their souls to us.”

Whether it was literal or not, Xie Lian didn’t ask. Gambling was an addiction, getting the sweet taste of victory would leave you wanting more. And true to the demon’s words, that was where people would sell their souls (or money) to the… devil.

Xie Lian watched the demon king press a button that had something unreadable written on it. It didn’t look remotely close to Mandarin at all, so the human assumed that it was some demon language. Maybe it was to scare away humans attempting to enter the elevator?

The door closed with a ding and the elevator quietly moved up. The two stood beside each other in comfortable silence, Xie Lian staring at his own reflection. Slowly, his eyes moved up to look at Hua Cheng and was surprised to see that the demon was already looking at him.

“Hungry?” the demon teased.

“A bit,” Xie Lian admitted with a laugh. “We can eat after we meet Yin Yu.”

The other nodded, “If you say so, gege. We can buy take out from any of the restaurants that are still open around this time.”

Soon, the elevator let out a ding, signaling that they had finally arrived at their desired floor. Xie Lian didn’t know how long they were there, but he guessed that they were pretty high. The door slowly slid open, revealing a dim room that was scarce of the entertainment present on the ground floor.

It was simple, yet elegant. It was still mixed and matched with the colors red, black, and even white. At the center of the room, there were two black couches and in between was a glass coffee table. One of the couches was occupied by someone already, slouching as they looked at whatever was on the coffee table.

When both Xie Lian and Hua Cheng took a step out of the elevator, the person immediately dropped whatever they were doing and stood up, facing them. It was unsurprisingly Yin Yu wearing a crisp, black suit and looked as human as Hua Cheng was. Although, he didn’t have some lingering presence of a demon compared to the other.

Maybe it was their plain face?

When they were closer, Hua Cheng gently told Xie Lian that he could sit at the other couch and the latter easily followed. Xie Lian then glanced at the coffee table that was now messier in a much closer look since there were piles of papers all over it.

“Yin Yu,” Hua Cheng said, his voice cold unlike a moment ago when he was talking with Xie Lian.

Yin Yu nodded and handed over some papers to the demon king’s outstretched hand. Hua Cheng took it and immediately skimmed through everything with a critical eye. Yin Yu remained stoic even when the other demon returned the papers to him after a while.

“Everything seems to be in order,” Hua Cheng said. “The demon realm?”

Yin Yu’s facade broke when he answered wryly, “Still intact.”

Hua Cheng let out an amused huff, “You’ll be fine.”

On a closer inspection, Yin Yu looked tired and worn out. Who could blame him when his boss literally ditched an entire realm just to play house with a human that he was enamored with? Yin Yu never complained since Hua Cheng was still a great boss despite his continuous bullying and heavy workload.

Both demons then sat on the couch with Yin Yu staying in his previous place while Hua Cheng took the space right beside Xie Lian. The demon king took the opportunity to drape a protective arm over the human’s shoulders and in reward, Xie Lian was blushing madly at the close contact again.

They talked casually about the demon realm and its little problems despite Xie Lian being in the room. Xie Lian had to admit that he was both happy and relieved that Hua Cheng trusted him enough to let him hear such things that probably wasn’t allowed to be heard by any other humans or even demons for that matter.

While they were talking, someone was able to bring some tea for Xie Lian. Hua Cheng’s orders. The said demon, however, took a sip first to check if there wasn’t anything in it. He could never trust anything, willing to do everything to keep Xie Lian safe.

“You can drink it, gege,” Hua Cheng said once he returned the cup to him. “Sorry I had to sip a bit.”

“It’s fine,” the other waved him off. “You had to make sure, so I don’t mind. Thank you, San Lang.”

“You’re welcome, gege.”

Yin Yu raised a brow to his boss, questioning the conversation. The demon king paid no mind to his prying assistant and resumed talking business as usual while scooting a bit closer to Xie Lian, who in return, leaned in to the touch.

After a while, both demons finally decided that it was time to end the meeting. It was both taking a long time and Hua Cheng definitely did not hear Xie Lian’s stomach grumble in protest.

(He totally did.)

The human looked embarrassed, “San Lang…”

Hua Cheng laughed, endeared, “It’s alright, gege. I can continue this conversation another time. Right, Yin Yu?”

Due to the demon king’s pointed stare, Yin Yu nodded hesitantly, “...Yes.”

“See?” Hua Cheng turned back to Xie Lian with a grin. “Let’s go and grab dinner, gege.”

“Are.. are you sure?”

“Very,” As if to make a point, Hua Cheng stood up and held out his hand for him. “Let’s go?”

Xie Lian looked hesitant, worried that he was ruining their meeting. With a more reassured smile from Hua Cheng, he finally took his hand and let himself be pulled up by the other.

Completely ignoring Yin Yu now, Hua Cheng cheerfully asked as he gently pulled Xie Lian to the elevator, “So, what do you feel like eating tonight, gege?”

Xie Lian hummed, smiling at the demon’s cheerful mood, “Maybe… pizza?”

The other laughed, “Interesting choice. Can’t say I expected it.”

“It’s a craving, San Lang.”

“Understandable,” Hua Cheng nodded sagely. “Anything else?”

“We can see whatever’s on the menu?” Xie Lian laughed.

“Perfect,” Hua Cheng replied. “I think gege might be interested to try some of the safe demon cuisine sometime.”

Xie Lian gasped, “You have your own cuisine?!”

“We do, actually. Would you like to try it when you visit the demon realm?”

The human’s eyes widened and paused in his steps, “I can do that?”

“You can if I put a specific seal on you,” the demon explained. “It’s not permanent, though.”

“Then, I’ll be honored to go.”

Hua Cheng smiled, incredibly fond. “Next time, then.”

From a distance, both could hear Yin Yu sigh.

Chapter Text

“Change into your gym clothes.”

Collective groans rang in the classroom. It was understandable since they went to the third just for them to be told that they need to change and go back down to the indoor gym. That was practically exercise.

Despite the complaints, everyone got up and moved to do whatever the professor asked them to do. Gym class in the morning was more tiring than usual.

Xie Lian let out a yawn as they made their way downstairs. He was a bit sleepy after staying up the night watching the new series that both he and Hua Cheng took interest in. While they could’ve done that on the weekend, the story was good enough for them to be glued to the couch to binge watch it with instant ramen.

Mu Qing was glancing at him questioningly, “Stayed up?”

“A bit,” he admitted, a yawn escaping from him again. “The show was so good.”

“What’s the title? I’ve been looking for a decent show lately.”

Xie Lian hummed, “I forgot. I’ll send you the title later.”

They were on the last flight of stairs when they noticed that Shi Qingxuan and He Xuan were also going downstairs. That was unusual. Neither of them needed to call them for their attention since Shi Qingxuan was already running towards them with a skip in the steps.

“A-Lian!”

With reflex, Xie Lian caught them with ease but he was still surprised and curious as to why they were there. As if reading his mind, He Xuan came up to them with indifference.

“Our professors decided to have a joint gym class today,” he said.

Feng Xin raised a brow, “A joint- You guys have gym today, too?”

Shi Qingxuan detached themself from the other, “Yep! I think we have two different professors for gym class.”

That was a bit strange, definitely not unheard of but two different people for gym ? Well, none of them actually cared to fully wonder why and Shi Qingxuan was more glad that they got to spend some time together in one class for once.

The five of them then headed over to the gym. Feng Xin and Xie Lian had no problems with it since they were fit, Mu Qing and Shi Qingxuan would honestly rather sit down and watch but they didn’t have much of a choice, and He Xuan just wanted to go home.

Both of their professors were at the gym, directing the students to head to the locker room to change to their simple white tee and black shorts that served as their gym uniform. Before their group could even go there, the other professor warned Shi Qingxuan to wear the proper colors unlike last time.

Shi Qingxuan was pouting on the way to the locker room, “Black doesn’t suit my beautiful legs, okay? Prof couldn’t understand that.”

“Maybe because it’s a uniform , Shi Qingxuan,” Mu Qing said as he rolled his eyes.

“He is right, A-Xuan,” Xie Lian said before the other could say anything else. “It’s only for two hours, anyways.”

The other huffed, then sighed. “Fine. I’m only agreeing since you’re the one saying it, A-Lian.”

Mu Qing was glaring daggers at them as they whistled innocently, shielding themself with Xie Lian’s short but broad frame. Xie Lian laughed nervously, hoping that Mu Qing wasn’t in the mood to actually fight the other. Luckily, he wasn’t.

When they arrived at the locker room, most of the people who went there first had already changed into the uniform. Some of them looked like they didn’t want to but they were forced to, anyway. The others looked pretty excited, curious about what they were going to do for the morning.

The five of them quickly changed into their uniforms, although Feng Xin and Xie Lian did it at a normal pace since they weren’t conscious of their bodies. The other three, however, were. Just a bit. Although, Xie Lian could feel Shi Qingxuan’s eyes on him as they moved.

“God, A-Lian. I forgot you’re actually ripped underneath your awful sweaters and large shirts.”

“Thanks,” Xie Lian said a bit dryly, but not offended. He was the shortest out of their group and he always wore clothes that were bigger than his frame, so of course it was unexpected to most people.

His muscles weren’t as big as Feng Xin’s but it was obvious from his toned abdomen and firm biceps that he was strong and fit. Besides, it wouldn’t suit him anyways.

As soon as they were done, they kept their clothes and bags in free lockers before heading back out to the court. There were people loitering around, walking or sitting on the bleachers while a familiar net was being set up.

“Damn,” Feng Xin said, watching the people setting up the net. “It’s been awhile since we’ve played volleyball.”

“Too long,” Mu Qing grumbled a bit. “I can feel my muscles ache already.”

Xie Lian had to agree with both but he was more excited than Mu Qing despite the silent promise of aching muscles after playing the sport.. In the past, they would play volleyball after school just for fun but they had all gotten busy at one point and that activity was left forgotten.

He turned towards Shi Qingxuan and He Xuan, the former looked quite excited while the latter was ready to run away. It wasn't an unexpected reaction knowing them.

“Have you played before?” Xie Lian asked.

Shi Qingxuan nodded, “Sure did, but it was so many years ago.” He Xuan nodded along as well but he didn’t look like he actually did play in the past.

Soon, the professors rounded them up to give their instructions. They didn’t look that excited but there was an ease to it since they would just inspect and watch them rather than move around.

“If the net wasn’t obvious, we’ll be playing volleyball,” one of the professors said, gesturing towards the net while the other professor held up the appropriate ball. “Group yourselves to six, preferably three from HR and three from Finance. Go.”

The rush of the instruction made everyone scramble. Well, everyone except the five of them. There were already three HR and only needed one more from the Finance group. They didn’t expect Shi Qingxuan’s friendliness and straightforwardness to be useful in something like this.

“I’ll be looking for one more,” Shi Qingxuan said cheerfully. “I’m sure one will look like some lost puppy in this chaos.”

No one could deny them since they already ran off and they were the only person for the job. Xie Lian could try, but that would result in awkward smiling and words. The others did have some… difficulty acting friendly towards others.

Xie Lian simply watched his friend jump from group to group, searching for one lone person so their own group could be complete already. A passing wish made it to the human’s head, thinking it would be great if Hua Cheng could join them.

Surely, he couldn’t. He was a demon, after all. Maybe he didn’t know?

At the same time, this was Hua Cheng. He was definitely capable of cooking, baking, repairing the apartment and was a very successful businessman. Xie Lian was convinced that the demon king had some knowledge about sports. He would be a great player.

Not a moment later, Shi Qingxuan was walking back to their group with someone in tow. The new person didn’t look like he was resisting but strangely, they felt bad that Shi Qingxuan was dragging them. Their said friend was pretty happy that they managed to nab one student for their group.

When they finally joined, Xie Lian noticed that the new person looked quite young but was surprisingly the same age as them. He was most likely a centimeter shorter than Xie Lian and looked rather thin, but he seemed okay enough that he didn’t look weak.

“Guys,” Shi Qingxuan patted the person’s back. “This is Tian Sheng. I found him crouching in the corner-”

“I was not!”

“-and was moping, so I took him in.”

Feng Xin scratched the back of his neck, “Uh, don’t mind them. You’re welcome to the team if you like, Tian Sheng.”

Tian Sheng went from glaring at Shi Qingxuan to looking at Feng Xin with awe, nodding excitedly. “I would like to join, please!”

“That makes us six, then.” Mu Qing said, glancing at each face. “Seems alright.”

“I think we’re doomed,” He Xuan dryly said.

Xie Lian laughed awkwardly, immediately stepping in between Mu Qing and He Xuan to avoid whatever catastrophe was in the making. “I think we’ll be fine. Let’s stay positive.”

Mu Qing was glaring daggers at He Xuan while the latter simply huffed, folding his arms as he looked away. How would the team function with at least half of them fighting, Xie Lian didn’t know but knowing all of them, except Tian Sheng, they would do their best to win even if they had their hands in each other’s throats.

Once everyone had found their teams, the professors made them direct the students’ attention back at them as they spoke out more instructions from them.

“First, we’ll show you some warm ups to do before playing. While doing that, you can all decide which positions you would play when you start.”

They did as they were told, scattering around the gym with their groups. To Xie Lian, it was pretty fun doing some group activity when it was something like this. A fun sport with people he liked, a good way to spend one’s time.

It was Feng Xin leading them in their warm ups since he understood most of what the professors showed, “Alright, who is who?”

“I can be whatever,” Xie Lian proposed. “Well, maybe not a middle blocker.”

“I can be that,” Feng Xin shrugged. “Any suggestions?”

“Setter,” Mu Qing pointed at himself, then pointed at Xie Lian, He Xuan and Shi Qingxuan. “Outside hitter, Middle blocker, Opposite hitter.” Lastly, he pointed at Tian Sheng. “Libero.”

Shi Qingxuan was pouting, “But I want to be a libero!”

“From what I can see, Tian Sheng has less power than you,” Mu Qing folded his arms, undeterred. “You’ll be fine. Plus, he’s shorter.”

Stung from the comment about his height, Tian Sheng glanced and pointed at Xie Lian who was laughing nervously again, “Then why is he the outside hitter?”

Shi Qingxuan draped their arm over the guy, “He may not look like it, but he’s probably the strongest out of all of us. He’s technically our ace.”

The said man sighed, “I wouldn’t say that…”

“It’s true, though.” Feng Xin said unhelpfully. “That was your position before and you were our ace. Actually, I think we all have our previous positions.”

“We do,” Xie Lian sighed once more, a small smile on his face. It really was like old times.

He Xuan didn’t complain much since he didn’t care, but he didn’t look that fond of being a middle blocker. Since no one was finally against their own positions anymore, it was time to play.

The professors set it up to whoever would get to fifteen points first would win. A normal game would be too long and there were many teams formed in the joint class. Apparently, there weren't any prizes or consequences, but the professors would evaluate them based on their performance.

Xie Lian’s team would be part of the second pair to play, so they all watched the first pair of teams play first.

Xie Lian’s eyes darted from player to player, watching the game with rapt attention as he rolled the muscles in his shoulders. It had been awhile since he played but at least he was staying fit to have his stamina still up. He might be a bit rusty but that could be said to everyone else in their group.

The one to his left was already winning with a four point lead. There was one of them that looked like he had experience in the game while the other team struggled in passing and getting the ball over the next. It was a bit frustrating to watch, but they looked like they were enjoying themselves with a mix of irritation since they were practically losing.

The left group only needed one more point to win. The ball was on the right side, being dug by their libero at an off angle that their own setter tried to run after it. It didn’t go to him, the ball going in the direction of a different player who set the ball pretty poorly to their spiker.

The middle blockers from the left jumped to block the ball and fortunately for them, the opposing spiker hit their block too hard, making the ball bounce on their own court instead. The left group won.

Xie Lian was starting to stand up, ignoring the loud shouts of victory from the left team. He glanced at the right team, though, and saw that there were a few disappointed looks on their faces but some didn’t mind the loss. If it was a real competition, they would react differently.

Feng Xin and the others started to stand up along with the team that they would be playing against. The other team looked like they had some experience with the sport and all of them easily towered over Tian Sheng and Xie Lian.

Both Mu Qing and Feng Xin patted Xie Lian’s back in reassurance.

“Just like old times?” Feng Xin grinned.

Xie Lian blinked a few moments before chuckling, “En. Just like old times.”

The six of them went to their court as their opponents did so. Xie Lian didn’t know why, but there was some tension in the air as they made their way to their own places. He noticed that the opposing team were glancing at both Feng Xin and Mu Qing. He guessed that they were wary of them considering their intimidating aura in the court.

They didn’t give any attention to the rest, especially Xie Lian himself. He wanted to laugh a bit, his appearance really was deceiving like how Shi Qingxuan said some time ago. It had some advantages, anyways.

“Captains,” the professor called, showing a piece of coin that would decide who would serve or receive.

The other team was surprised when it was Xie Lian who was walking towards the professor, most likely expecting Feng Xin or Mu Qing to do it. Xie Lian simply smiled at the fellow captain who looked uneasy enough already.

The professor held out the coin, “Your choice?”

Xie Lian had poor luck. “Tails.”

“Heads,” the other said.

The professor nodded then flipped the coin. Heads.

Unsurprising.

“We’ll serve,” the other captain said.

Xie Lian shrugged, smiling. “That’s fine.”

They shook hands, making sure that the grip was tight. The other captain was surprised, but tried to school expression when they let go. They then returned to their places as the professor gave the other team the ball.

“We should’ve known you still got your bad luck,” Mu Qing said, rolling his eyes.

“We’ll just get it,” Xie Lian laughed, unbothered.

Shi Qingxuan patted Tian Sheng’s back, “We got our libero here, guys. Don’t worry.” Somehow, that sent chills down Tian Sheng’s spine, considering that the reluctant opposite hitter didn’t get their ideal position.

They got into their ready position when the captain was bouncing the ball, serving the ball first. Xie Lian was focused and he knew that everyone else was, too. Surprisingly, the captain did a simple overhand serve that Tian Sheng easily dug to Mu Qing’s direction.

Xie Lian raised his hand, getting into position, “Mu Qing!”

The said setter nodded, positioning himself under the ball. Xie Lian was starting to run, keeping his focus on Mu Qing and the ball as he jumped, ready to spike. Just in time, it was tossed to him and Xie Lian spiked it over the blockers’ hands, giving them their first point.

The other team was in awe, probably witnessing the strong impact behind the spike. They didn’t expect it.

Xie Lian and the others did a high five (Mu Qing and He Xuan were very reluctant) before returning to their positions. It was their turn to serve.

It was Shi Qingxuan who served first, a simple serve like the other team. Like them, they caught it easily and got their own point. After that, they kept exchanging turns since both teams kept gaining points. Although, Xie Lian’s team was getting a three point lead later in the game.

Soon, they gained another point and they rotated once more. Xie Lian looked over at the scoreboard, their team having twelve points while the other team had nine. They were so close to winning already.

This time, it was Xie Lian’s turn to serve. He held the ball firmly in his hands, trying to get a feel for it since it had been awhile since he got to hold a ball for a serve. It felt right in his hands. He bounced it again as he looked up. No one on his team was looking at him but he could see the trusting faces of Mu Qing and Feng Xin in his mind, anyways.

He bounced it again after the professor blew the whistle. The other team looked unfazed but the captain looked rather scared, probably knowing that it would be powerful based on his spikes.

Xie Lian then tossed it upwards, took three quick steps before jumping up and hitting the ball with scary power behind it. He blinked in surprise when it actually hit the floor of the other court, right in between two players and it wasn’t out. It gained them another point.

“Oh,” he said, surprised. “I still got it, somehow.”

Shi Qingxuan ran towards him and hugged him. It was uncomfortable due to their sweaty states, “That was so cool , A-Lian!”

Xie Lian laughed, patting the outside hitter on the back. He looked up at the others and they had various levels of approval. That was enough to motivate him. Soon, his friend unlatched themselves from him when they got the professor glare at them to return to their right places.

He then got the ball again, making him bounce the ball on the floor once more. The other team looked more wary now, preparing themselves for the serve.

Xie Lian did another jump serve, this time the other team dug it but it was pretty much off that it made it difficult to follow through. One of their players managed to pass it onto one of their spikers at an uncomfortable place too close to the net but the spiker looked like he planned to do a feint.

He Xuan seemed to notice and stepped forward just in time to silently pass the ball to Mu Qing. This time, he set the ball to Shi Qingxuan and the said hitter managed to hit it over the net with ease.

One more point and they would win.

Xie Lian took a deep breath. If he served it out, they would lose the chance to win in this turn. If he serves it too weakly, the other team would get the ball easily. No, pressure, huh?

He bounced the ball again, then the professor whistled to let him serve. Xie Lian did another serve, more powerful than earlier. Even if the other team’s libero got the ball up, it was going over the net.

“Chance ball!” Tian Sheng shouted and easily passed it to Mu Qing.

Both Feng Xin and Xie Lian started running, letting the setter choose who he would set it to. The opponent’s were confused for a moment and decided to have two blockers on Xie Lian and one on Feng Xin.

Xie Lian wasted no time in jumping, making the blockers do the same. He looked determined and serious enough that they didn’t notice in time that Mu Qing set the ball to Feng Xin instead who slammed the ball on the opponent’s court with ease.

As soon as their feet set down on the floor, Feng Xin cheered loudly that Shi Qingxuan and Tian Sheng couldn’t help but join in. Xie Lian was looking at them fondly while Mu Qing was… smiling (?) and He Xuan looked very tempted to lie down on the floor.

The other team was grumbling due to their defeat, but they still shook hands with Xie Lian and the others. It was a good game and it really was since everyone on the court had played before at some point.

Xie Lian could feel his muscles burning at the unusual activity that his body wasn’t used to anymore. The sense of winning was also different and he almost forgot how good it felt to have his body move around like that. He felt like if he was going to sit down, he wouldn’t be able to get up for an hour.

The promise of ice cream from the professors (since they did well) kept all of them in a good mood, however.

When afternoon rolled in and classes ended, the five of them decided to eat in some pizza place that He Xuan discovered some time ago since he said the food was really good. They also tried to invite Tian Sheng to their ‘mini celebration’, but the poor guy had to do something else.

“Too bad Tian Sheng couldn’t join us,” Shi Qingxuan said after they all ordered food.

There was a mumble of agreements on the table and Xie Lian took a peek at his phone. He still had some time before he would be needed to work. If he was being honest, he planned to go to the cafe immediately after classes but Shi Qingxuan was very persuasive to make him agree to celebrate with them.

He blinked in surprise when he saw a message from Hua Cheng, asking if he was fine.

Xie Lian

I’m alright, San Lang.

I’m with my friends right now. We’re celebrating our win in gym class earlier

San Lang

As suspected, gege is very talented.

Congratulations on your win. Would you like something special later?

Don’t hesitate to tell me, gege.

Xie Lian wasn’t too sure what he wanted. If he joked that he wanted the demon king to buy him something, it wouldn’t be surprising if the next day it would be on his doorstep for him. He didn’t know what came over him when he typed his response and even sent it.

Xie Lian

Just you is enough.

His eyes immediately widened in horror at his response. Did something really possessed him to send something so shameless? He tried to quickly type something to save some face, but Hua Cheng already replied to him.

San Lang

Oh?

Well, gege always has this San Lang.

I’ll cook a special dinner for us, hm?

I’ll even bake the brownies you liked last time.

Xie Lian

That would be lovely, San Lang.

Thank you

San Lang

No need to thank me, gege.

Anything for you.

“Xie Lian. Xie Lian. ”

The said man looked up from his phone, startled. He was met by three curious stares and he couldn’t help but laugh nervously as he hid his phone in his pocket.

“Yes?”

“We’ve been calling you since earlier,” Mu Qing rolled his eyes. “But I guess you’re too busy talking to your boyfriend.”

Xie Lian sputtered, his cheeks reddening, “I- I don’t have a boyfriend-”

“Oh, so you’re talking to your San Lang?” Shi Qingxuan’s eyes were sparkling. Oh no.

“Don’t get any weird ideas, A-Xuan,” Xie Lian reprimanded them weakly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Shi Qingxuan said after the server placed their order of three pizzas, pasta and chicken (they were hungry, okay?). “I would never scheme for something.”

“I didn’t say you were scheming.” It was obvious that they had something in their mind.

Shi Qingxuan pouted, “You’re no fun, A-Lian.”

Before they could say anything else, He Xuan was already reaching for food to fill up his plate. He was silent throughout their discussion, glancing every now and then at Xie Lian. The said person didn’t know what those looks meant, but he was silent about it for now.

Xie Lian grabbed a slice for himself while helping himself with both the pasta and chicken. His energy was pretty much drained due to their volleyball game plus the rest of their afternoon classes.

“Hey,” Feng Xin said, nudging Mu Qing. “Pass me the hot sauce.”

“Get it yourself.”

“You piece of-”

Xie Lian sighed, giving his friend the bottle of hot sauce that he needed just for them to shut up for now. Feng Xin wordlessly took it, unsure if he could say something out loud. They continued eating, this time Shi Qingxuan was annoying He Xuan instead. The latter was unflinching, already used to the other’s company by now.

As they continued eating, the entrance of the small restaurant opened with an accompanying bell chime. While the others didn’t look, Xie Lian couldn’t help but briefly glance at its direction just to take a small peek. There wasn’t any harm in that in his opinion. What if it was someone dangerous or someone that they avoided? Anything was possible.

To his surprise, he was welcomed with three familiar faces instead. Two men and one girl appeared and the girl was clearly reprimanding the both of them. The older male was sulking with his arms crossed as if he was really restraining himself from talking back to the girl

He slipped before he could stop himself, “Banyue?”

The said girl looked in his direction and her eyes widened in surprise, “Xie-ge?”

The two men then flicked their eyes in his direction as well. Pei Ming and Pei Su… what were they doing here?

Pei Ming approached their group with the other two following and Xie Lian could hear a displeased noise coming from Shi Qingxuan, obviously disliking the man’s company already. Right, they never really get along in the first place.

“Wow, you didn’t even invite me. I’m hurt,” Pei Ming said with his hand on his chest, feigning hurt once he stopped by their table. He glanced around their faces, obviously not affected.

“You’re not really welcome,” Shi Qingxuan replied coldly that Xie Lian had to raise his hands to calm them down.

“Alright, alright. Let’s all calm down first.”

The newly arrived group then sat just near their table and Xie Lian was glad he was seated at the edge while the other four were eating their hearts away to prevent more fights. Banyue was glancing at them every now and then, unused to many older people that she wasn’t familiar with all at once. Xie Lian gave her a gentle, reassuring smile that she easily returned.

“So,” Xie Lian said, glancing back at Pei Ming when they finally adjusted and received their menus. “It looked like Banyue was giving you two a hard time.”

Pei Ming’s expression went from cool to sour, “She’s reprimanding me.”

Banyue huffed, glaring back at the man. “You took my book without permission. You even lied to Xie-ge.”

Pei Ming grimaced while Pei Su was silent. Banyue glared at him as well, “And you didn’t try to stop him.”

Pei Su averted his eyes, “He was threatening me.”

Feng Xin then butted in, “You mean, you’re the girlfriend of Pei Ming’s cousin?”

Banyue nodded, still uncomfortable and Feng Xin continued, “Wait, so you’re the owner of the book?”

“That’s right,” the girl said. “And Pei Ming was lying that I gave it to him.”

Shi Qingxuan let out a confused noise, “Book? Was it for the stunt you guys tried before?”

Xie Lian nodded, sighing, “Yes, well. We tried and it failed since the book isn’t actually a summoning book.” While he didn’t want to lie, he didn’t want to shock his friends with the knowledge not after the incident had been months ago already.

And that he was with him in those said months.

He Xuan was snorting, “Demons aren’t real. I don’t know why you guys wasted your time.”

“It’s not like you were there,” Mu Qing glared.

“Yeah, because it was a waste of time.”

Unsurprisingly, a fight broke out on their table with the food temporarily forgotten. Xie Lian glanced at Banyue, an apologetic smile on his face. The girl smiled back as well, probably guilty that she brought it up in the first place.

“It doesn’t matter now. It’s not like Hua Cheng is real or anything.”

Xie Lian blinked in surprise when He Xuan stiffened a fraction of a second before making his face indifferent again. What was that? He tried to not make it look like he noticed it, but he was a little bit curious. Maybe he could talk to He Xuan one day. He might be a believer to the supernatural or some sort despite his words earlier.

When the fight died down to glares, they resumed eating. While Shi Qingxuan and Xie Lian were already calm, the other three were aggressively eating while glaring at each other. They looked pretty obnoxious at that point.

Pei Ming and the other two ordered already and were waiting for their food. Banyue was still reprimanding them and Pei Ming only got to ease her down when he promised that he would treat her whatever she wanted the next time the three of them would go out.

More at ease, Banyue looked at Xie Lian who was silently wolfing down the remainder of his pasta and chicken. He also got two more slices of pizza in case He Xuan or Feng Xin would eat it all before he could get the chance to get more.

Sensing her, Xie Lian looked up from his plate with an inquisitive gaze. “Is everything alright?”

Banyue nodded then leaned in a bit. Xie Lian almost wondered why she would do that until he saw the mischief playing on her lips. He had a bad feeling of what she was going to say next.

“Xie-ge, how have you and San Lang-gege been?”

He was right.

Everyone immediately perked up at the mention of Xie Lian’s alleged neighbor. Pei Ming and Pei Su didn’t know, so they were just curious compared to the other four.

Xie Lian laughed nervously, looking back down at his plate, “I… He.. We’re fine.”

“Wait, wait,” Shi Qingxuan blinked. “Did Banyue meet him already?”

Xie Lian gave a noncommittal shrug while the girl replied with a nod, “En. He always picks Xie-ge up after work.”

“WHAT?”

Xie Lian laughed nervously and tried to wave it off, “He’s just concerned.”

“What kind of neighbor picks up their goddamn neighbor from work late at night?” Mu Qing said with a glare.

“ And ,” Shi Qingxuan stressed. “He even cooks you your meal! And here you are saying he’s not your boyfriend.”

“He’s really not-”

“Xie-ge,” Banyue pouted. “Why do you say that when you two look at each other like you are together?”

Xie Lian almost choked on his drink, making him cough loudly. He took note of the soothing rubs on his back that Feng Xin was trying to give him since he would rather focus on that instead of the others’ glares.

Shi Qingxuan bemoaned, “It’s so unfair that Banyue got to see him, too! It’s like this San Lang person is trying to avoid me or something.”

‘It’s really not intentional,’ Xie Lian thought but didn’t say anything else.

Pei Ming leaned in, mirth swirling in his eyes, “Is he good looking? I think Xie Lian is interested in those bad boy types.”

“I do not-”

Banyue nodded, “Very handsome. Tall, too. I think he’s even taller than you.”

“Oh? Don’t tell me he’s like a beanpole?”

“No, he’s actually very muscular. He wore fitting clothes last time and Xie-ge was pretty much ogling him for a moment there.”

“Banyue,” Xie Lian cried out. He wanted to slam his face on the table to save face. He couldn’t believe they were talking about his love life as if he wasn’t there the entire damn time.

"I see, I see. It seems like Xie Lian has a certain type."

.....

He wanted to go home.

“Oh, Xie-ge,” Banyue piped up, as if ignorant to the man’s troubles. “We should go to work together after this.”

Xie Lian simply raised his thumb in defeat, signalling that he agreed. There wasn’t any point to deny her company, anyways.

“Oh, oh! We should go, too. Maybe that guy will appear when we’re there.” Shi Qingxuan really lied. They were scheming.

“Please don’t,” Xie Lian begged as he hid his face behind his hands. He really wanted to go back to Hua Cheng already.

Xie Lian sighed as he slumped down on the couch, tired. The day was too eventful from the game, classes, to their little celebration and finally his job. While he was used to a hectic schedule, he was pretty drained on this specific day.

He was energized a bit when Hua Cheng picked him up from work again and stopped over at a convenience store to buy some cola. Hua Cheng took some interest in it some time ago when Xie Lian bought one for himself (since it was his favorite), so they bought it to drink on this ‘special’ occasion.

Xie Lian would think it wasn’t exactly a big deal, but he didn’t stop the demon king from fussing over it since he looked genuinely happy doing everything for him. In a way, Xie Lian loved being pampered like this, too. Especially that it was Hua Cheng doing it.

Soon, Hua Cheng joined him on the couch and the both of them had worn comfortable clothing to feel more at home and they wanted to relax. They had finished dinner that Xie Lian was sputtering over since the food looked like it was from a five star restaurant but of course it was the demon king’s cooking. He could really do everything.

“Tired, gege?”

Xie Lian looked over at the demon. He was wearing a simple black tee and jogging pants like before and his arm was draped over the backrest of the couch. Like this, he could forget that the man was not human, someone who’s definitely a millennia old. He looked comfy, relaxed on the couch as if he really belonged there and Xie Lian wanted nothing more than to preserve this image for eternity.

Or, well, until he died.

He shook his head, smiling, “Not really. Maybe just a bit. We can still watch a movie, San Lang.”

The demon hummed, already picking up the remote. “Any special request?”

Xie Lian shrugged, “I’m fine with everything tonight. Go ahead and pick.”

Hua Cheng made a noise of assent as he scrolled through a specific genre. Neither of them were that picky, so it wasn’t that hard to find what looked like it could be interesting for the night. When the demon pressed play, their attention zeroed in on the movie.

The said movie was a drama of some sort? It looked historical again, a taste that Hua Cheng seemed to have acquired and had been interested in lately. It was kind of funny to Xie Lian since he was sure that the demon had lived through the ancient times that was depicted in the movie, but maybe he just wanted to refresh his memory or something.

As time passed, Xie Lian scooted a bit closer to Hua Cheng. The night air was cool and the demon beside him was warm and inviting that he couldn’t help himself but to bring himself closer to him. It also helped that he was already comfortable with the man as well.

Naturally, Hua Cheng noticed this and gently maneuvered his arm that was resting on the backrest and draped it over Xie Lian’s shoulders instead. When he didn’t feel the human tensing under his touch, he urged him to move closer by pulling him to his side gently.

Xie Lian didn’t want to look at the demon, aware that his cheeks were flushed. Instead, he let Hua Cheng pull him and their bodies flushed comfortably together with Xie Lian’s head now resting on the demon’s sturdy chest.

He let out a content sigh, basking in the warmth of the demon beside him. He really hadn’t felt so safe until Hua Cheng. He was sure that if he said it out loud, his friends would’ve looked at him as if he had gone crazy. But it was the truth. He felt that nothing would harm him as long as Hua Cheng was by his side.

If Hua Cheng took note of him snuggling closer, he didn’t say. Instead, he let him do so.

Halfway through the movie, a yawn escaped Xie Lian’s lips. He could feel the activities through the day hitting his body like a truck. He was tired, but he didn’t want to retire to bed so soon.

“Sleepy?” He heard Hua Cheng mutter softly, his hand already stroking his hair affectionately.

Xie Lian hummed, “A bit.”

“Do you want to sleep?”

The human shook his head, “Don’t want to leave your side.” It’s cold without you.

Hua Cheng chuckled, fond. “But gege, your eyes are closing.”

“It’s not,” Xie Lian said even when it totally was. “I’m fine.”

The demon was silent for a moment. For a second there, Xie Lian thought that he had convinced the other that he was fine. He blinked when the video paused, then yelped in surprise when he was suddenly lifted up from the couch. Hua Cheng definitely used his fast reflexes to scoop him to bridal carry him.

Xie Lian had to wrap his arms around the demon’s neck, pulling himself closer to not fall.

That definitely woke him up.

“S-San Lang? What-”

“I’ll carry you to bed,” Hua Cheng said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Gege is pretty stubborn lately and this San Lang has to take drastic measures.”

Xie Lian’s heart was pounding, his face coloring even more. He pressed his face onto the crook of the demon’s neck, groaning in the process. He was pretty sure that the demon could hear his heart beating too fast for his own good.

“San Lang…”

Hua Cheng was chuckling again, shifting the human’s body in his arms as he started walking back to the bedroom. “Forgive my boldness, gege. I’ll make it up to you.”

There wasn’t any need, Xie Lian wanted to say, but he was too distracted at the fact that the demon carried him like he weighed nothing and how Hua Cheng was carrying him with gentleness that he didn’t know he’d experience in his lifetime.

He could hear the door opening accompanying the soft breath that Hua Cheng was emitting. It slowly calmed him down, his sleepiness coming back to him, Being cradled like this was…nice. Being in Hua Cheng’s arms was very very nice.

Hua Cheng took measured steps to the bed that he bought months ago and set the human down very carefully. Xie Lian rolled down off the demon’s arms to make things easier even if he didn’t want to leave the safe space at all.

“See? Isn’t it better to sleep on your bed instead?” Hua Cheng was teasing as he helped drape the covers over Xie Lian’s half sleepy frame.

“It feels cold,” Xie Lian whined. He didn’t care if it was obvious or not that he wanted Hua Cheng to be with him but it seemed like the demon didn’t act on it despite it.

“Do you want me to make the room warmer?”

Xie Lian’s face was already buried into his soft pillow as he shook his head. A no, then.

Hua Cheng raised an amused brow, “What does gege want, then? He must say it for San Lang to fulfill his wish.”

When Xie Lian didn’t say anything, Hua Cheng wanted to continue teasing the adorable human but he was caught off guard when Xie Lian tried to reach out for him without looking and he couldn’t help but reach for his hand as well.

“Stay,” the muffled voice said. “Cuddle with me.”

And who was Hua Cheng to resist? Besides, it wasn’t everyday that Xie Lian was actually straightforward about his feelings and the demon didn’t see a reason why he shouldn’t take this chance.

“Okay,” Hua Cheng easily said, slowly letting go of the human’s hand before making his way to the other side of the bed and climbing over it.

He also covered himself with the comforter while Xie Lian adjusted his position, laying on his side and back facing Hua Cheng. The demon grinned, knowing that Xie Lian was too embarrassed to face him at all.

The demon then quietly shuffled closer, draping his arm over the human’s slim waist before pulling him to flush his chest to Xie Lian’s back.

“Good night, gege.”

He received an incoherent grumble in response, making him chuckle warmly at the cuteness. His human was truly adorable.

When Hua Cheng was sure that the other didn’t shy away from his touch, the demon tightened his hold a bit as he buried his face on the human’s hair, breathing in the comforting scent that was specifically Xie Lian.

If Xie Lian felt the ghost of Hua Cheng’s lips on the top of his head, neither acknowledged it as they slowly let the darkness consume them.

Chapter Text

Everything was normal.

It seemed normal.

They were at the courtyard once more, relaxing on the bleachers since their vacant period was the same. Even Pei Ming, Ling Wen, and Shi Wudu were there to join in with them. While the latter two were busy doing something (probably council work), Pei Ming decided to sit with Mu Qing, Shi Qingxuan and He Xuan.

"What are you doing here?" Shi Qingxuan glared, eyebrow twitching.

Pei Ming shrugged, "They're busy. It got boring."

He Xuan grunted as he continued eating whatever extra food he magically had in his bag. It was a surprise how the guy wasn't broke yet from all the food he had bought and consumed just for himself. Mu Qing, on the other hand, was looking out in the field.

Pei Ming was curious, so he followed his line of sight.

He was looking at Feng Xin and Xie Lian, playing catch with an old ball that he couldn't tell what it exactly was. They weren't talking, as if mindlessly throwing the ball back and forth at each other.

While Feng Xin looked a bit indifferent but otherwise normal, Xie Lian's expression was pretty distant.

It wasn't his empty, kind facade that he would sometimes put on. It was just empty. It actually made him slightly concerned since he had never seen his friend like that. It was also odd how neither Feng Xin nor Mu Qing was saying anything.

He then moved closer to Mu Qing, clearly making the latter bristle at his movement. He immediately raised his hands defensively.

"Don't worry, I just have a question."

Mu Qing tore his gaze away from the far away pair to glare at him, "You don't need to sit so close to me to ask."

Pei Ming shrugged, "I was just doing it in case Xie Lian might hear me."

That earned him a raised brow and more of Mu Qing's scrutinizing attention. He supposed it was strange of him to act like what he was doing now. He had been more carefree and laidback majority of the time, so to be more serious was surprising.

"What is it?"

He hummed, staring back at the man in question. "I was wondering what's up with Xie Lian? It's the first time that I'm seeing him so… hollow."

Everything fell silent after he asked and he almost wondered if he stepped out of the line. He was ready to get a beating by both Mu Qing and Shi Qingxuan, most likely out of how insensitive he was to ask such a thing.

He was surprised yet again when Mu Qing replied, "It's not my place to say exactly, but let's just say tomorrow is an important day to him."

Pei Ming pressed his lips to a thin line. He guessed that the important day wasn't exactly a good kind of important if he had to simply base it on Xie Lian's behavior.

"Thanks," he said, then moved away.

Mu Qing shrugged, "How strange of you to be concerned."

"I'm just wondering," Pei Ming replied. "Not concerned."

The other three looked like they didn't believe him, but he said nothing else. After all, he was concerned. He may had been torturing Xie Lian with his annoying chatter and stupid ideas, but he cared for him as a friend and he was very loyal to anyone who was his friend.

As Xie Lian threw the ball back at Feng Xin, Pei Ming wondered if this alleged neighbor, friend, roommate, sugar daddy or whatever this San Lang was could help Xie Lian through the day tomorrow.

Xie Lian didn't know why he thought that Hua Cheng wouldn't be able to notice it.

It was odd how before the end of their vacant period, Pei Ming patted his shoulder wordlessly before he jogged to catch up to Ling Wen and Shi Wudu. It left him confused to the point he seeked out Mu Qing for some explanation.

He explained nothing.

So, he ultimately thought that Pei Ming had guessed something. He was confident that the others didn't tell how significant tomorrow was to him and that left him feeling a bit warm.

He had also asked Yushi Huang if he could take the day off tomorrow and unsurprisingly, she readily agreed. She must've sensed something with him as well to not ask any other explanations.

So he did wonder why he thought that the demon who was always so perceptive of his feelings more than he himself could wouldn't see it.

"Gege?"

Xie Lian blinked a few times before looking up from his plate. They were having dinner. As usual, Hua Cheng's cooking was good but guiltily enough, he couldn't bring himself to eat much.

Something twisted in his chest when he saw the sincere concern in the demon's eye, as if he was in pain just seeing the sad state the human was in. It made him guilty.

After a while, he asked weakly. "Yes, San Lang?"

Hua Cheng was frowning as he sat a bit straighter, "Is there something wrong? Gege looks like… his mind is elsewhere."

Xie Lian gulped, knowing that the demon had read him completely again. He tried to smile, it was a bit forced.

"I'm fine, San Lang."

He looked down at his plate and tried eating again. He didn't want to waste the food that was given to him. Just when he thought Hua Cheng dropped the topic off, he felt his heart hurt when he heard the demon's dejected and pained voice.

"Do you not trust me enough to hide what you truly feel, gege?" Hua Cheng whispered.

Xie Lian was frozen in place, then he looked up at the demon across from him. His face was contorted in pain and Xie Lian hated how he was the cause of it. He didn't want to hurt him, but he did. Why should he hide from the demon when Hua Cheng had always been patient with him?

He immediately rose from his seat and rushed to the demon's side.

Hua Cheng blinked in surprise when Xie Lian took both of his hands and locked eyes with him intently, hovering above him as the demon was still sitting in his place. He never moved his hands or tried to let himself free, so the human took it as a good sign.

"No, San Lang. Of course, I trust you. Completely," Xie Lian said, squeezing those cold hands tight. "It's just… I… don't want to talk about it right now."

He closed his eyes as he let out a shaky breath, "But, I do want to talk about it with you eventually. Just… not right now. I hope you understand."

At first, there was silence. It was quiet enough that the only thing that he could hear was his own breathing and his beating heart. He didn't want to open his eyes, afraid of what he would see on the demon's face.

His heart sank when the demon pulled his hands away from his grip, but he easily let him go. It wasn't like he could force the demon to accept it. To his surprise, however, there were firm arms wrapping around his waist and pulled him close.

Xie Lian opened his eyes with a yelp when Hua Cheng pulled him to straddle the demon's lap. Despite feeling initially sad, embarrassment still crept up his face when his side was flushed to the demon's front as Hua Cheng buried his face on his shoulder.

He stayed still for a moment, letting the demon's arms wrap around him a bit closer and pulling him tighter. It eased him slightly, letting the warmth from Hua Cheng's embrace consume him. It was too bad that he couldn't hug him back, so he weakly raised his hands and rubbed the demon's forearm as comfort.

They remained in their position for a few minutes, knowing that the both of them needed it. One for comfort and one for reassurance. Xie Lian leaned a bit towards Hua Cheng more and the demon easily welcomed him silently.

After a few moments, Xie Lian asked softly, his hand still rubbing the demon's forearm gently. "San Lang?"

He could feel the way the demon's chest rumbled when he hummed, quietly showing that he was listening. Xie Lian held in a chuckle at how adorable Hua Cheng was at the moment.

"Aren't you uncomfortable?"

"No," was the immediate reply. "Is gege uncomfortable?"

Xie Lian had to ponder for a moment, feeling some ache on his back. While he did start to feel a bit uncomfortable in their position, he didn't want Hua Cheng to let him go at the moment.

As if sensing it, Hua Cheng slowly looked up and locked eyes with him. "Does gege want to transfer to the bedroom?"

Xie Lian's face flushed at the words, "San Lang–"

The demon's eyebrows shot up, amused. "I didn't mean it like that, gege. Unless that is what you wish?"

The human's face got impossibly hot and he swatted the man's arm in retaliation, "Stop teasing!"

Hua Cheng chuckled, the air between them now lighter compared to earlier. Xie Lian huffed and looked away, still embarrassed. He had to admit that the both of them had been… touchy in the apartment with holding each other close in bed for cuddles and fleeting touches here and there.

Just… Just nothing like that!

(Though, he didn't want to admit out loud that maybe… maybe he would want that in the future.)

He only had a little surprise left in him when Hua Cheng immediately stood up and carried his bridal style to the bedroom. It was part of the recent occurrence of their touches. He guessed that the demon knew that he liked it when he was in his arms.

It took less than a few moments for Hua Cheng to tuck them together under the covers and let each other slot in each other's arms as if everything was natural. Xie Lian buried his face in the demon's solid chest as he draped an arm over his waist. Hua Cheng pulled him closer and quietly kissed the top of Xie Lian's head.

It was nice being in each other's arms.

They fell silent after that, both of their minds still awake. In Hua Cheng's case, he was just waiting if Xie Lian would either fall asleep or start talking. It can be about anything, even. As long as he was comfortable with it. Surprisingly, he chose the latter.

"San Lang…"

"Yes, gege?"

"What about our dinner?"

Hua Cheng chuckled, endeared. Of course Xie Lian would be worried over something as simple as that even if he was already having a rough time mentally.

"Is gege still hungry?"

The demon felt the head buried in his chest move. A no.

"Then, we can eat the rest tomorrow for breakfast."

Hua Cheng briefly loosened his hold on the human before snapping his fingers, letting his magic put everything wherever it needed to be just so Xie Lian wouldn't worry. How grateful he was to have magic just so he wouldn't leave the human's side.

Xie Lian sighed in relief as he pressed closer to the demon beside him. He liked it and he felt whole, as if this was where he really belonged. It didn't take two and two for him to know that he had feelings for the demon even if he knew that would be a difficult thing to act on. He just let him happen. After all, it seemed like the demon cared for him.

Well, he liked to think that he did.

Involuntarily, he pressed a soft kiss on the demon's chest. Whether Hua Cheng sensed it or not, he never gave out any hints.

"San Lang?"

"Hm?"

"Tell me a story?" he asked. "Any story. I'm sure San Lang has lived long enough to tell many interesting ones."

Hua Cheng chuckled and one of his hands gently played with Xie Lian's hair, "As you wish."

Xie Lian hummed as he listened to the soothing voice of the demon. He listened intently when Hua Cheng perfectly reminisced one of his tales that he had experienced hundreds of years ago. It almost sounded like it was some type of movie that he would like to watch.

Perhaps it was the atmosphere or how deep and smooth Hua Cheng's voice was or how the hand playing his hair was so gentle that it was making it harder for him to stay awake.

He tried to actively listen more to the interesting tale, but he knew that he couldn't fight the sleepiness anymore. For once, he let everything consume him and drifted him off to sleep.

It felt wonderful, sleeping with Hua Cheng as if it was in the safest place in the world.

The next day, it was Hua Cheng who woke up first.

He didn't need to sleep, but the act of doing so was nice. It was infinitely better when he was able to sleep with Xie Lian, the human's body warm and comforting beside him. He was relieved that when he woke up, Xie Lian was still sleeping soundly with his face buried in the demon's chest.

Hua Cheng thought that Xie Lian was even more adorable in his sleep, especially if he was just newly awoken. His already messy hair got even worse with bed hair but he was still attractive either way.

The demon hummed softly as he brought up his hand to Xie Lian's hair, stroking it. The action made the latter stir, but he was still sleeping. Cute. Xie Lian was grumbling something incoherent as he flushed himself closer to the demon and sighed in content.

Hua Cheng couldn't resist the urge, so he leaned down and kissed the top of Xie Lian's head and murmured, "Good morning, gege."

Xie Lian grumbled something back. It was along the lines of 'good morning, San Lang' and 'what time is it?'.

The demon hugged the other tighter, "A little past nine, but you said you weren't going to class. Or work."

"Mmm.."

They stayed in that position for at least an hour until Xie Lian's body felt like he needed to do something. After all, his body wasn't used to lazing around all day.

Hua Cheng noticed that the human was acting in auto-pilot. He was still responding to him and his jokes with a small smile, but there was obviously something going on inside his mind. This time, the demon didn't pry on what it was.

Instead, he simply observed. He watched as Xie Lian asked if he could be the one cooking their breakfast and the demon could make their coffee. He observed as Xie Lian ate his burnt and questionable (but still edible) food. His pace was slow, but something told Hua Cheng that it would've been worse if he wasn't there.

Usually, they would watch something together or just do anything but this time, Xie Lian asked if he could read on the couch. Of course Hua Cheng let him, not like he would ever dare control him.

He stared at Xie Lian, who was wearing comfy clothes, as he grabbed a book from a box that he had seen every now and then. He was curious since Xie Lian had never touched them until now. It was clearly old and when he asked about it then, he said that those books were from his parents.

Ah.

"San Lang?"

Hua Cheng blinked when he heard his human called him. He looked up and saw that Xie Lian was already sitting on the couch with a book in hand.

"Come here," Xie Lian said, voice soft.

Hua Cheng hesitated even if he wanted to. "Are you sure?"

Xie Lian nodded before looking away and opened the book, "Mn. I want you here."

With those words, the demon wasted no time to shuffle to the couch and plop down with a respectful distance. Xie Lian seemed to take notice of that and from a neutral look on his face, his lips tugged downwards. He didn't like that.

So, Hua Cheng shifted closer as casually as he could and the frown immediately disappeared. God, he truly adored this man.

The apartment was silent after that. The only noise that was heard was the noises from outside and the floor above, the human's breathing and the occasional turn of the page. Hua Cheng shifted his attention to his phone, to Yin Yu's calls of distress (that he didn't care all too much), and just looked up at the ceiling.

The ceiling had no holes now, at least.

He would also summon Ruoye with a snap of his fingers if the snake was awake and was interested in socializing. The said snake would sometimes rest on the demon's shoulders or slither around his arms when it's restless. Sometimes, Ruoye would ask if he could coil around his owner.

Naturally, Xie Lian let it. Hua Cheng felt warm inside when there was a small smile present on Xie Lian's face whenever Ruoye hissed at him happily.

Then, lunch was also quiet. Xie Lian cooked as well and Hua Cheng couldn't protest since he knew that it was something that could take the human's mind off of things. So, he let him.

The afternoon was the same as the time before lunch. Reading, silence, Ruoye. It was peaceful.

When night rolled in, Xie Lian shut his book close, startling Hua Cheng a bit. The demon's gaze went from his phone to the man who was already getting up from the couch. He watched as Xie Lian put the book back in its respectful box.

"...Gege?"

Xie Lian finally looked at him and he still had a calm, small smile on his face. "San Lang, is it alright if you could fix dinner?"

Hua Cheng blinked, "Of course, gege."

"Thank you," Xie Lian started walking to his bedroom. "I'll be out to jog for a while. I'll be back in two hours."

That seemed like an awful long time, but the demon never questioned it. "Okay, gege. Please be careful."

"I will."

A few minutes later, Xie Lian went out of his room wearing a gray hoodie and black sweatpants that Hua Cheng recalled was something he bought for him. His eyes were still quite distant, but more at peace than anything. It was certainly better than his look last night.

Last night, he looked hollow, sad, and alone.

This time, Hua Cheng would make sure that Xie Lian wouldn't feel alone.

Xie Lian bid him a soft goodbye without looking back and all Hua Cheng did was respond.

He knew that the human didn't want him to follow or be present, but Hua Cheng couldn't help but worry. It was at night and maybe Xie Lian's mind hadn't cleared up yet. There might be low class demons who would dare try and harm him.

So, he discreetly let out one of his silver butterflies. It was part of his symbol as a demon as a single one could kill at least ten demons. It striked fear within the demons in the demon realm. This time, it would be invisible and simply watch over Xie Lian.

Hua Cheng wouldn't watch the entirety of the human's run, really. He just made it so that if Xie Lian were ever to be in trouble, the silver butterfly would alert him and he would be there in a heartbeat.

When Xie Lian started jogging and let the cool, evening air hit his face, he could almost cry.

He wasn't as sad as he was yesterday. The feeling lingered, of course, but he was more calm and at peace today.

The morning he had, despite the day, was good. Waking up next to Hua Cheng eased his nerves and relieved some of his stress a bit. And after a long time, he finally got to cook again. He knew that it was atrocious, but it was still fun.

Then, just the simple ease that the demon provided him as he did his ritual of reading one of the books truly almost brought him to tears. He was just so happy that there was someone like Hua Cheng that would be patient and understanding to him.

He didn't deserve it, but he knew that the demon would say otherwise.

As he jogged, he made sure that he was passing by areas that were illuminated by lamp posts. He remembered the time when Hua Cheng warned him about lower class demons lurking at night and while that would usually be a joke since at first you'd think that said creatures wouldn't exist, he was talking to a demon king.

It was definitely real.

So, he did as best as he could to avoid it. If he couldn't, his steps broke into a run so he could go to the next area faster. It has worked well so far.

Xie Lian also noticed that there was something silver glimmering at the corner of his eye. He wasn't sure if he was imagining it or not, but he didn't feel scared of it.

After a while, he finally arrived at some empty park. He rarely went there on normal days, but it seemed like a good place to wind down after his long jog. It was well lit and clean. The playground was a bit more messy, but the areas with the benches and open grass were fine.

He slowed down when he reached the nearest bench. He huffed and tried to catch his breath before slowly sitting down with a sigh.

Xie Lian liked the silence the night brought, the chilly wind, and peaceful aura in his surroundings. It made him both clear his mind and think things carefully.

Then, he noticed the same glimmer appearing. This time, it was much more clear.

A silver butterfly.

He blinked in surprise. He had never seen something like it before, making him bring up a finger and hoping that it would land. As if hearing him, the silver butterfly gracefully flapped its wings towards him and gently landed on his finger.

"Beautiful," Xie Lian murmured as he tried to take a closer look without trying to startle the butterfly away. "Hi there."

The sight of it really was, and it was even more evident at night that the lamp posts around the park didn't dampen its beauty. The silver butterfly then flapped its wings once, as if responding to his greeting. That made Xie Lian smile.

Then, he noticed that there was more silver appearing. His gaze looked up from the butterfly and his eyes widened when there were even more of them! They were even more beautiful when there was more than one of its kind.

The butterflies were now moving around him, dancing around him as if they were putting on a show.

Xie Lian had to admit that he couldn't take his eyes off of them, leaving the single butterfly perched on his finger without attention.

That seemed to brother the poor thing as it flapped its wings once. Hard. As if it was showing that it was upset. Xie Lian took notice of that and a soft chuckle escaped his lips.

"I'm sorry," he said, moving his finger a bit nearer to him. "Your buddies are just beautiful. Don't worry, you are too."

It flapped its wings again and the human laughed. It was adorable. Xie Lian had a strange feeling that these were demons as well. Most likely deadly, but they were so cute and beautiful around him.

He sighed again, this time fond. Truly, he didn't deserve Hua Cheng. But he wanted him all the same.

"San Lang," he murmured near the single butterfly. "I wish you were here with me."

After that, he saw the mass of butterflies swirling in front of him. He blinked in surprise as the butterfly that was with him flew away to join his comrades.

He let out a noise of surprise when the butterflies shone bright for a second, making him close his eyes. When he opened it again, Hua Cheng was already there right in front of him. He was wearing the same clothes that he had this morning, so the demon really teleported to him.

Xie Lian wanted to kiss him, but he held back.

"You called?" Hua Cheng grinned.

Xie Lian smiled wetly and nodded, "En."

He stood up from the bench and immediately launched himself towards Hua Cheng's already open arms. They held each other tightly, missing each other's warmth by now.

Hua Cheng rubbed the shorter man's back soothingly, "Is gege all better now?"

"Yes," Xie Lian breathed out and nuzzled his face in the demon's chest. "Thank you, San Lang. For being patient with me."

"That's no problem at all, gege."

"And protecting me," the human added. "Your butterflies were adorable."

Hua Cheng let out a sound above him and the demon hugged him even tighter, "I… I did not mean to send them to spy on you, gege. I just want to make sure you're safe."

"I know," Xie Lian mumbled, holding the demon in his arms with fervor. "I know."

He was always safe with him.

Chapter Text

Shi Qingxuan loved their friend. They cared for him even if Xie Lian sometimes rejected their affection and care. It was fine, Shi Qingxuan adored him either way and that was why they were pretty much worried and curious about who San Lang was to him.

Sure, they might've joked that the mysterious guy was Xie Lian's sugar daddy but maybe they weren't too far off. Of course they didn't miss the new lunch box Xie Lian had, the new phone and clothes that were softer and cleaner than the one they would usually see on him. At first, maybe Xie Lian earned a lot and decided to splurge. But now…

Seeing a laptop that was more expensive than the one they had (which was already too much for their brother), was still causing all of them heart attacks.

Xie Lian, unfortunately, was oblivious to everyone's shock as he used it for a presentation for one of their classes. He even had the gall to say that it was a gift from San Lang with that dopey smile of his (which was another recent development).

Shi Qingxuan had enough.

"I've had enough," they said one day as their eyes wandered to everyone's faces that they invited in their usual cafe while Xie Lian was off working somewhere.

Ling Wen and Shi Wudu didn't look interested but they were there at least. Meanwhile Pei Ming, Mu Qing and Feng Xin were raising eyebrows at Shi Qingxuan. He Xuan, of course, was just eating.

"What are you talking about?" Feng Xin said before sipping his coffee. "And it's scary that you suddenly treated all of us."

"I'm naturally kind," Shi Qingxuan huffed. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Mu Qing rolled his eyes, pointing at Pei Ming. "There's something wrong if you treated him, too."

…

Shi Qingxuan had to admit that the observation was fair.

Pei Ming even looked offended, "Excuse me?"

"That doesn't matter," Shi Qingxuan said, ignoring the man at the moment. "What's more important is our agenda here."

Mu Qing raised his brow, "And that is…?"

"Xie Lian, of course."

All of them stared at them, even He Xuan had to pause in his stuffing of the buttery croissant in his mouth just to glance at them. Shi Qingxuan was unbothered by it, however, as they sat straight and proud on the comfy chair while waiting for someone to react.

"...What about him exactly?"

Shi Qingxuan clapped their hands, "I'm glad you asked, Feng-xiong! Anyways, I'm sure you've all noticed that A-Lian has been happy lately."

Pei Ming furrowed his brow, "I don't see anything wrong with that."

"I didn't say it was wrong," Shi Qingxuan rolled their eyes. "It's just that we don't know why he's been so happy lately! He's practically glowing."

Feng Xin mirrored Pei Ming's expression, "And we're talking about this, why?"

"Because aren't you all curious? Sure, his grades are going well, his work is fine and he's got us to hang out with but there's something different lately." Shi Qingxuan looked at them so intently. "Even more so after that day, you know?"

'That day' was immediately understood by everyone but it was clear that they were still confused as to why they needed to discuss it. It was even weirder without Xie Lian there since it felt like they were talking behind his back.

"Isn't that good?" Pei Ming shrugged. "At least he's all better now."

Feng Xin frowned, his mind obviously turning as he said, "Well, I did notice it. It's kinda weird, yeah, but I don't think it's something to fuss about."

Mu Qing rolled his eyes again, unbothered. "Maybe he got himself a boyfriend."

Everyone seemed to pause at that, surprise evident on their faces. Even He Xuan sat still after hearing that.

"What?" Mu Qing shrugged, not caring that his assumption was the cause of their heart attack. "Didn't he have that creep– San Lang, was it?"

Shi Qingxuan slapped their own thigh in realization, "Yeah! The neighbor!" They then pouted at Feng Xin and Mu Qing, "I'm still upset that you two saw him."

Pei Ming hummed thoughtfully, "Maybe that guy upgraded from neighbor to boyfriend. It would make sense."

Feng Xin frown deepened, "That's– Well, when you put it that way, it's more concerning."

"He's not a child," Pei Ming said. "Xie Lian deserves to have a little spice in his life."

"But that dude literally looks like he's bad business!"

"And what if Xie Lian is into bad boys?"

Mu Qing snorted, "Then, wouldn't he be into you by now? He hated your guts at first, you know."

"Ouch, way to bring a man down."

"Okay, okay that's enough!" Shi Qingxuan huffed, gaining their attention again. They didn't even care that Ling Wen and Shi Wudu were already burying their noses in their own council work as they bicker around.

Once the three men quieted down, they continued slowly, "I have an idea."

Immediately, they all looked worried.

"Concerning," Feng Xin said carefully. "What the fuck is on your mind?"

"Well, we could always… pay a visit to A-Lian's apartment. Unannounced."

Feng Xin was apprehensive, "I don't know… That sounds like it'll end in a disaster."

"I think it's interesting," Pei Ming nodded along and Shi Qingxuan hated the fact that it was the man who agreed with them. "I don't think he'd be too mad if we do."

"He's not a saint, you know. He can rip our heads off if he wanted," Mu Qing warned and everyone felt a shiver down their spine. It really wasn't impossible.

"But I'm curious what this San Lang looks like," Shi Qingxuan whined. "I'll even bring food so he won't kill us right away."

"I suppose that could work," Feng Xin mumbled. "He wouldn't want to waste the food."

"Exactly!" Shi Qingxuan exclaimed and clapped again. "So, it's settled. We'll go to A-Lian's house on Sunday with food. Oh, and we'll discuss something while we're there."

Everyone looked at each other, concerned but at the same time, they were also curious. Seeing that they had managed to convince all of them with their quite dangerous endeavor, they relaxed in their seat and finally ate the pastry that they bought for themselves.

Ling Wen finally lifted her gaze from the papers just to say, "Shi Wudu and I won't be able to join on Sunday. Just send the details."

Shi Qingxuan nodded, "Sure!"

It was going to be fine.

It was not fine.

First of all, Shi Qingxuan wanted to strangle Pei Ming for being almost an hour late. Then, Feng Xin and Mu Qing were already arguing early in the morning that neither Shi Qingxuan nor He Xuan had the energy to stop them at all.

Shi Qingxuan glanced at their phone to check the time. It was only eight in the morning and if they knew Xie Lian pretty well, he should be up by now since the guy was a morning person except the times where he slept through his alarms.

Luckily, Xie Lian's apartment wasn't too far away from the cafe that they met up at. Just a few minutes by foot. It wasn't a problem since Feng Xin and Pei Ming were honored with the task to bring the bags of food for them. Shi Qingxuan bought a lot since He Xuan could eat for more than two people.

And, hey, maybe San Lang was there. Or next door. The details didn't matter.

"Why do I have to carry all of this shit?" Feng Xin grumbled as they all walked to Xie Lian's place.

Shi Qingxuan waved their hand dismissively, "You're a big, strong man. You can handle it. Besides, Pei Ming is carrying some, too."

"That doesn't help!"

Shi Qingxuan decided that it was finally time to ignore them, humming to a song that they heard last night as they skipped along the sidewalk. He Xuan was walking beside them looking uninterested as ever. He went there because of the food and Shi Qingxuan would annoy him to death if he didn't.

It didn't take them too long until they turned in a corner and saw Xie Lian's apartment building in sight. It was still as run down as ever, but that didn't deter Xie Lian apparently and just kept living there.

When they arrived at the foot of the stairs, Shi Qingxuan warned all of them to be quiet so Xie Lian wouldn't be able to hear them. The surprise would be null if he did hear them just from the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm more concerned with Feng Xin and Mu Qing," they admitted.

Both men glared at them, "Hey!"

"What did I just say?!"

Pei Ming and He Xuan sighed before going ahead. They took the stairs, easily avoiding the holes here and there. The other three followed with frowns, ready to fight again. Maybe after they surprised Xie Lian.

"What's his floor?" Pei Ming asked.

"Second," Feng Xin replied, making his voice audible but thankfully not loud. "His place is the third door from the stairs."

"Gotcha."

When they made it to the second floor, they tried to make their way there with silence. It moderately worked, surprisingly. The only noise they emitted were hushes and the creaking of the floor as they stepped on it. The loudest noise was the usual neighbors upstairs shouting about something that no one in the group cared about.

Shi Qingxuan stopped right in front of Xie Lian's door before turning towards the group.

"Okay," they said quietly. "Get ready, okay?"

"You act like we're going to attack him," Mu Qing murmured, rolling his eyes. "But, whatever. Just knock already."

Shi Qingxuan huffed but did as told. They did three crisp knocks, loud enough to surprise Xie Lian. They honestly expected to hear some commotion inside right after. Maybe a drop of a pan while cooking inedible food or Xie Lian hitting his knee on some poor furniture when he jolted.

Silence met them instead.

"That's weird," Shi Qingxuan furrowed their brows. "He's supposed to be up by now."

"Maybe he slept in," Feng Xin suggested. "It's a fucking weekend. I'd be asleep too if we didn't have this."

"Stop complaining already," Shi Qingxuan said, then knocked on the door again.

More silence.

"That's odd. Even for Xie Lian," Mu Qing said and Shi Qingxuan had to agree.

Pei Ming stepped right beside Shi Qingxuan, "Let me try." He knocked three times as well, but it held more force than what the latter did.

"It's not working."

Shi Qingxuan knocked again, harsher this time. They didn't expect that their prank idea would end up in some kind of frustration. Maybe they should've factored that there was a chance that Xie Lian could sleep in.

It took a good ten minutes until they all heard a door opening inside the apartment. That made them more attentive and livelier, knowing that Xie Lian was already on the move. They could hear footsteps coming closer to the entrance and both Shi Qingxuan and Pei Ming stepped back a bit to not be too close to Xie Lian once he opened the door. They, obviously except He Xuan and Mu Qing, had a mischievous grin on their faces as they waited.

While they were there to surprise Xie Lian, their grins faltered and were replaced with shock when Xie Lian finally opened the door, revealing his sleepy self. Shi Qingxuan tried to quickly process that their friend had adorable bed hair and he was wearing a large black shirt as he rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes.

"Xie Lian?!" Shi Qingxuan squeaked out, too surprised to notice that they used the said man's name. "Why are you opening the door with just a shirt on?!"

It didn't help the fact that it was obvious that it was someone else's shirt.

"Huh?" Xie Lian blinked a few times before looking down at himself then back at his friend. "I'm not– Look."

He lifted up the hem of the shirt and revealed that he was wearing black shorts underneath. It wasn't that short, it was just that the black shirt was too long that it swallowed up his whole frame. Xie Lian then opened the door wider, now surprised that it was not a solo visit.

"What– What are you guys doing here?" Xie Lian asked, clearly confused as his eyes darted to everyone's faces. "But, ah, good morning?"

There were grumbles of greeting before Shi Qingxuan gathered themselves to respond, "Good morning! Surprise visit! We have food."

"Uh… okay.."

Shi Qingxuan huffed, "Aren't you going to let us in?"

"Oh. Oh, yeah. Sorry," Xie Lian smiled sheepishly at them as he fully opened the door and retreated back inside, letting them follow him inside the apartment. "It's just– I was surprised, you know. I slept in a bit."

"Pretty obvious," Mu Qing said and closed the door since he was the last one to enter. "Have you been up late?"

"No, no," Xie Lian said, watching Shi Qingxuan and the rest move to the kitchen to set the food down. "I was just having a good sleep, that's all."

"That's strange for you, but I understand," Shi Qingxuan said. Then, they noticed that Xie Lian was standing right in front of his bedroom door.

His posture was relaxed as he folded his arms to his chest, but there was just something different about him. It was… refreshing that it was like he really did have a good sleep and they just disturbed him. They suddenly felt guilty, but that all washed away when the bedroom door swung open.

That startled everyone but Xie Lian.

"What the fuck–" Feng Xin cursed out, almost dropping the food in his hand.

There, they saw someone towering over Xie Lian. Easily over a head taller than their friend. Then, they noticed that the man's long, inky black hair was tousled as if he just woke up as well. The more surprising sight was that he was shirtless– the tattoos inked on his very toned body were evident and his black jogging pants were hanging dangerously low on his hips.

What the fuck.

"Gege?" the man murmured, sleepy. Then, his dark eye looked at their group down to the man just right at the door.

The man stepped impossibly closer to Xie Lian and wrapped one of his arms possessively around Xie Lian's waist, pulling him close. He leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss on the shorter man's temple.

"What's with all the noise? Are they being a bother?"

Xie Lian wasn't even looking when the features on his face softened and his smile was warm. At the same time, though, he was embarrassed as multiple pairs of wide eyes were staring at him.

"San Lang," Xie Lian said, exasperated and fond. "They're not. They just wanted to surprise me with breakfast."

The man, now they know was the infamous San Lang, hummed as he buried his nose at the top of Xie Lian's head as he held his waist tighter. "I thought you wanted to sleep in? Come back to bed with me."

Xie Lian was laughing nervously now as his cheeks were gaining more color, aware that his friends were already questioning a lot of things in their minds. He patted the man's arm gently, "If San Lang wants to sleep more, he can. It'd be a waste if I don't join them."

"But, gege…"

"He can join us, too," Shi Qingxuan blurted out. They didn't know if they wanted to watch the obvious display of affection or not but even they didn't want to waste the food. "There's enough for everyone."

Xie Lian blinked, his attention back on his friend. "Are you sure?"

"Definitely," Shi Qingxuan nodded eagerly.

Xie Lian hummed, looking back at San Lang with a tilt of his head, "Do you want to join us?"

San Lang merely raised a brow, his smile soft, "Does gege want me to?"

"I do," the shorter man admitted.

"Then, I will," San Lang said as he slowly let Xie Lian's waist go. "I'll wear a shirt first."

"Okay."

San Lang smiled at him one more time before retreating back to the bedroom and shutting the door closed.

A few moments of silence passed as Xie Lian approached them with a peaceful smile and blushing cheeks. It all went to hell when he was situated right beside Shi Qingxuan as they literally grabbed onto Xie Lian's shoulder to shake him.

"Is that his shirt?!" Shi Qingxuan whisper-shouted.

"Ah…. yes?" Xie Lian answered as he tried to compose himself after his friend shook him too hard.

"So you slept with him?!"

Xie Lian's face was even redder now, "A-Xuan! We slept on the same bed, yes, but we didn't sleep together."

"How am I supposed to believe that," they hissed. "You two were being so domestic even when we were here!"

Xie Lian laughed, crying internally. 'I'm sure San Lang just wants to mess with you.'

"What the fuck," Feng Xin repeated, to which Mu Qing agreed to for once. "I think I need to bleach my eyes."

"I never expect to witness the day to see Xie Lian so lovesick like this," Mu Qing said, a sour expression on his face. Most likely from disgust.

"He's a friend," Xie Lian said, now fully red. "Just a friend!"

"That cooks for you, cuddles with you and practically stays with you," Shi Qingxuan listed off. "And he also splurged his money on you. I don't think so."

Pei Ming whistled in amusement, "And Banyue is right. He looks good, Xie Lian. Is he good in bed?"

Xie Lian sputtered, "We– We're not like that!" Yet.

Pei Ming hummed, his eyes raking over Xie Lian's frame. "I suppose you haven't done it yet. I take it that he's the type of guy to leave marks. Which you don't have at the moment."

"It's because we're not sleeping together!"

"We don't believe that one bit!"

"Let's just fix the food already!" Xie Lian busied his hands by unpacking the contents of the bags onto his counter. "I'm hungry!"

No one believed that one bit, but they just moved along to save Xie Lian some face. Well, it wasn't like he had anything left after their visit. Although, the group probably felt more shock than Xie Lian did.

Shi Qingxuan took notice of the not so run down apartment. They remembered their last visit before. It was close to falling apart. This time, it looked even better. They didn't miss that there were new appliances here and there, the fridge was stocked properly and the couch and television were fairly new.

What the fuck.

"Who does your groceries?" Shi Qingxuan questioned, opening the fridge. "I thought your veins live through instant noodles."

"Ah," Xie Lian laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "San Lang and I buy them together. He told me to eat healthier."

"See when I said you guys are domestic," Shi Qingxuan muttered as they grabbed some cold water for all of them.

Meanwhile, He Xuan had already recovered from shock and was fiddling with the coffee machine. Xie Lian made no comment about it since he was confident that He Xuan wouldn't break it while using it.

When everything was prepared, they huddled around the counter with most of them standing (since Xie Lian wasn't used to having guests) and had to share the available coffee cups. It was fine since everyone was used to sharing.

Then, San Lang emerged from the room and he was finally fully clothed with a similar black shirt. He walked towards Xie Lian and stopped right behind him, draping half of his weight over him that let Xie Lian chuckle fondly as he did so.

"San Lang," he said lightly and that made the man look at him. Xie Lian gestured towards the group, "These are my friends; Feng Xin, Mu Qing, Shi Qingxuan, He Xuan, and Pei Ming."

San Lang hummed, not even bothering to look at them. "Nice to meet you."

Shi Qingxuan couldn't even be mad. The man looked so in love with Xie Lian and their friend was oblivious about it. But, they also noticed that Xie Lian was just as in love with the man. Did they really have to play matchmaker for these two?

As frustrating as that was, Shi Qingxuan couldn't help but be happy for his friend. For a moment there, they thought that Xie Lian wouldn't find anyone that would be for him. Seemed like he found someone but was too scared or just too stupid to even make a move.

"Nice to meet you, too," Shi Qingxuan said brightly. "A-Lian really kept you hidden from us for a long time."

San Lang lifted a brow, a loose grin on his face. "Oh? Is gege that ashamed of me?"

Feng Xin and Mu Qing whispered under their breath, "Gege?"

Xie Lian hit the man playfully, "You know that it's not like that, San Lang. I just respect your privacy."

San Lang hummed, shamelessly back hugging the shorter man now. He didn't care that the others were either glaring daggers at him or were just still surprised.

"I know. I'm grateful for gege's consideration."

Shi Qingxuan cleared their throat, motioning towards the food. "C'mon, let's eat."

Xie Lian nodded, a bright smile on his face. "Thank you again for the food, A-Xuan. And you guys for the surprise visit. You guys haven't come here in a while."

They all shared the same thought, 'You're too occupied now, anyways.'

All of them then started digging their hands with the food. Different pastries and other homemade food that they were sure that Shi Qingxuan told their cook to make for them. San Lang was just content hugging Xie Lian from behind, letting the shorter man feed him every now and then. Other than that, he made no move to get food on his own.

As he just stayed there, he locked eyes with He Xuan. A wicked grin appeared and he merely raised a brow mockingly. He Xuan furrowed his brows in response, lips ready to snarl at him but preferred to stuff his face with food.

If Xie Lian noticed their behavior, he didn't say anything.

"So," Shi Qingxuan said, sipping from the cup of coffee that they shared with He Xuan. "I have an idea on what to do during our break."

"Oh?" Xie Lian leaned a bit, listening. He was unbothered by the weight that was draped on him. "What is it?"

"Don't make it too crazy," Feng Xin said.

Shi Qingxuan huffed, "You worry too much. I just want to suggest a camping trip!"

"A camping trip," Mu Qing repeated flatly.

"Yeah. Ge and I already have a place in mind! We have a cabin by a forest not too far from here. We can stay there and explore the forest and everything. I think there's a lake there, too."

"It's not really camping if there's a cabin," Pei Ming pointed out.

"It so is," Shi Qingxuan countered. "We can set up tents if that's what you guys want, then. We can catch our own food, too."

"That doesn't sound too bad," Xie Lian hummed, pondering.

"San Lang can join as well if he wants!"

Xie Lian and San Lang looked at each other, the latter shrugging.

"If gege is going, then so am I."

"That's settled then," the other man said cheerfully. "We're in."

"I'm going," Feng Xin said with Mu Qing nodding as well.

"Me too," Pei Ming shrugged. "It sounds fun."

"I'm not," He Xuan said.

Shi Qingxuan nudged him as they whined, "Of course you're going, He-xiong! With San Lang going, A-Lian wouldn't be able to join me!"

He Xuan was grumbling something along the lines of 'that's why I don't want to go' and 'you're fucking lucky I tolerate you'. Shi Qingxuan wasn't affected by the words and was simply happy that he agreed.

They went over the details ranging from where it was to what to bring. It was still a few weeks away, but they had nothing better to discuss. The group was still wary of the man behind Xie Lian, looking bored but was still there just because Xie Lian wanted him to be there.

Feng Xin and Mu Qing looked like they were ready to lunge and pull their best friend away from the man's grasp, but seeing how content Xie Lian was in the man's arms, they didn't dare move.

Shi Qingxuan wondered if they could do something about them during the camping trip.

Maybe. And hopefully that even if San Lang was sharp to notice their motive, he wouldn't question it. After all, he was very much in love with Xie Lian.

….

Maybe.

Chapter Text

Xie Lian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

He had been convincing Hua Cheng that Yin Yu didn't need to stay and watch the place, but the demon king was rather insistent. Xie Lian was concerned that one day Yin Yu would be so fed up with them that he would disappear in some corner of the demon realm. The demon king would assure him that Yin Yu was well paid and he could handle different things at the same time.

Xie Lian glanced helplessly at the other demon in the living room. Yin Yu's face was blank but tired, his suit was still crisp and clean, and his hair wasn't surprisingly unkempt. The human really felt bad about it.

"Are you sure, Yin Yu? I know that you have a lot of duties since San Lang has been here," Xie Lian asked gently.

There was something akin to awe in Yin Yu's eyes, but he didn't dare do anything about it aside from hiding it again. There was cold sweat on his forehead, and Xie Lian quickly swatted the demon king's chest as he looked up at the demon. Hua Cheng was smiling innocently at him, yet that made his fangs obvious.

"San Lang, don't intimidate him."

"I'm not," the demon king said insincerely. "I wouldn't do that to my assistant."

Yin Yu coughed, then took a step back. Xie Lian held in a laugh knowingly.

"San Lang, stop being insincere! Tell Yin Yu to return."

"But gege, Ruoye would be all alone!"

"It's okay, dianxia. I can handle it," Yin Yu said, his face calmer as he caught Xie Lian's attention. "You don't have to worry about me and Ruoye."

Yin Yu's reassurance didn't register in the human's mind at all since Xie Lian was busy blushing at the fact that he was being addressed as 'dianxia'. He looked over to the demon king, hoping for an explanation. What he got, however, was Hua Cheng was grinning approvingly.

Ah, so embarrassing. 

This time, it was Xie Lian’s turn to cough. He was both feeling embarrassed and awkward. He wanted the ground to swallow him whole for real this time when he saw that Hua Cheng was smiling from ear to ear. There was a hint of teasing to it, but it was mostly warm.

“Are you sure?” Xie Lian asked when he recovered slightly. “Ruoye can be alone for a few days.”

Before Yin Yu could even reply, Xie Lian let out a small yelp when strong arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him close to a firm chest. The human should’ve expected it, really, since Hua Cheng was like this whenever he gave little attention than usual.

“Gege,” Hua Cheng whined as he buried his nose at the crown of the human’s head. “Let’s go. Yin Yu will be fine. He's centuries old already, he’ll handle things well.”

Xie Lian let out a huff of amusement as he patted the demon’s arm affectionately, “Okay, okay. We need to get going, anyways.”

The human patted the demon king’s arm again, this time asking him to let go for a moment. Hua Cheng hummed in acknowledgement as he reluctantly loosened his hold. If it were up to the demon king, he would’ve held Xie Lian for eternity.

Xie Lian made his way to Ruoye, cooing it with a short farewell. He wasn’t sure if Ruoye understood him, but it hissed cutely in response. Perhaps from behind, Hua Cheng was translating it for him. The image of the demon king chatting casually with his pet snake would be forever engraved in his memory.

It was adorable, okay?

Once he made sure everything was set and that Yin Yu looked like he could make himself comfortable in the humbling apartment, Xie Lian let himself be dragged outside as he bid the other demon goodbye. He didn’t even have to bring his luggage since Hua Cheng managed to put it in the trunk of his car with a snap of his fingers.

“Should we go to the destination already, gege?” Hua Cheng asked, his fingers slowly intertwining with Xie Lian’s. “Or do we need to go somewhere first?”

Xie Lian hummed, squeezing the demon’s hand. “We need to meet them at the cafe first, San Lang. I think A-Xuan is already there since they couldn’t sleep out of excitement.”

They were descending down the creaky steps, and Hua Cheng wasn’t even looking anymore since he knew where the holes were. At the same time, the demon had to watch out for Xie Lian, knowing that he would trip eventually.

When they made it down safely, they walked towards the sleek red car that Xie Lian had seen and rode before when they went to check out one of the demon king’s businesses. It looked pretty much out of place in the neighborhood they were in, but Hua Cheng could never afford having anything less.

Then, Hua Cheng slowly let the human’s hand go so he could open the passenger door for him. Xie Lian was both endeared and embarrassed at the gesture, but he smiled brightly in thanks.

“Did we forget anything, San Lang?” Xie Lian asked as he climbed in the car.

“Not really,” Hua Cheng replied. “I can always summon something if we did.”

Once the demon made sure Xie Lian was all set, he closed the door and jogged over to the driver’s side. He could magically go inside if he so wished, but he didn’t want to risk any passersby and watch them faint out of surprise. It would delay them even more than usual.

Hua Cheng quickly brought them to the cafe.

It was a fast ride considering that the demon’s car was something that Xie Lian was pretty sure that Shi Qingxuan would think of as “sugar daddy” material. That was one of the few things that the human didn’t tell Hua Cheng just yet. It was rather embarrassing.

As they parked at the first free space that they saw, Xie Lian could already recognize the car that Shi Qingxuan would usually use. There was another expensive looking car right in front of it, so it was safe to say that Shi Wudu and the others were already there.

Xie Lian glanced at the demon king. His elbow was propped on the window as he rested his chin on it, his other hand on the steering wheel. Hua Cheng looked uninterested, but he was alert to his surroundings which made him lock eyes with the human.

Hua Cheng raised a brow, “Is there something wrong, gege?”

“Nothing,” Xie Lian smiled at him as he undid his seatbelt. “I’ll see if they’re ready to go. Will you stay here?”

“En. I don’t think your friends like me, gege.” Even as he said that, it didn’t look like he actually cared for their opinion.

Xie Lian shook his head, opening the door, “Well, they’ll have to fight me if they say anything mean about you.”

Since the human was too busy exiting the vehicle, he didn’t see the way Hua Cheng’s eye widened in shock and his mouth was slightly agape due to his words. Without looking back, Xie Lian closed the door, leaving Hua Cheng all alone for now.

He then jogged to the sidewalk and approached the familiar car. To his surprise, it was empty. He almost thought that it was owned by someone else until he heard the door to the cafe open and someone calling for him. He whipped his head in that direction to see Shi Qingxuan waving at him.

“What…” Xie Lian jogged towards his friend, his expression confused. “What are you guys doing inside?”

“He-xiong got hungry, so we decided to eat some breakfast here first before hitting the road,” Shi Qingxuan explained as they dragged him inside. “You should eat, too! Where’s your boyfriend, by the way?”

Xie Lian choked on his spit, “ A-Xuan !”

“What? Am I wrong?”

“Yes,” Xie Lian quickly replied. His face felt like it was in flames, “San Lang is just a very good friend.”

“A ‘friend’ that joins you on a trip for days with mostly strangers to him,” his friend said as they dragged him to the counter. “And he cuddles you, buys you groceries and cook for you, and gave you, mind you, gadgets that are expensive as hell–”

“Okay, I get it,” the other mumbled as he let himself be pushed towards the counter to look at the menu. “But, I don’t think he thinks of me that way.”

Even if Xie Lian did actually want to be with the demon, he doubted that the latter would. He was just an ordinary and plain human, while Hua Cheng was a demon king. He controlled the whole demon realm and had successful businesses in the human realm. For Xie Lian, compared to Hua Cheng, he was practically nothing.

“A-Lian, you’re literally the smartest dumbest person I know and love,” Shi Qingxuan said exasperatedly. “Now, order. Let’s not waste any time.”

Xie Lian didn’t get to think any further and automatically ordered what he usually would. Unsurprisingly, Shi Qingxuan didn’t let him pay and ushered him to the joint table where the rest were already at after they paid the cashier. He easily slotted himself right beside Feng Xin who was too busy eating to even muffle a greeting.

The others gave him a small acknowledging nod while Mu Qing rolled his eyes, telling that he was late. Xie Lian couldn’t tell the real reason since he wouldn’t believe that there was another demon house sitting for him under a more powerful demon’s orders with the excuse that Ruoye would get too lonely with them.

Then, like Feng Xin, He Xuan was devouring the assortment of pastries on the table and was too busy to greet him. He could tell that He Xuan was stiff because he was in between the Shi siblings. It wasn’t an ideal place for him.

Xie Lian looked down at his tray with his cup of coffee and a plate of pastry. Perhaps he could message Hua Cheng if he wanted something.

“Where’s your San Lang?” Pei Ming asked, leaning on the table with a sly grin on his face.

It was surprisingly lucky for Xie Lian that he wasn’t drinking or eating yet.

Xie Lian’s face flushed that and sent a halfhearted smile at the other, “He’s in the car. He didn’t feel like going out and opted to stay.”

“Ah, here I thought he changed his mind,” Pei Ming chuckled and shook his head, “I knew he wasn’t a coward.”

Xie Lian raised his brow and decided to not respond to it. Instead, he focused on eating his pastry as quickly as he could without choking on it and drinking his coffee without burning his tongue. Both events had happened once and even at the same time, and he didn’t want a repeat of that history.

Luckily, Shi Qingxuan was too focused on telling He Xuan about their plans once they returned and the latter truly looked like he’d rather die on the side of the road than go along with some of their plans, but no one could truly escape Shi Qingxuan’s plans.

As he took a long sip of his coffee, his phone buzzed in his pants pocket. Confused, he quickly checked it in case it was some type of emergency.

San Lang

Gege?

Are you alright inside there?

Xie Lian blinked. Right, he forgot to tell Hua Cheng that they were eating and most likely only saw him being dragged by Shi Qingxuan.

Xie Lian

Oh, I forgot to tell you, San Lang.

A-Xuan decided to have breakfast since He Xuan was hungry.

Do you want something?

San Lang

Ah, can gege buy coffee? Black.

Pastries, too. You can buy something for yourself too.

I gave you money, gege. It’s in your right pocket.

Don’t hold back. .)

Xie Lian wanted to laugh at the emoji, but then confusion sunk in. He couldn’t remember Hua Cheng handing him money, so he patted his right pocket to find it empty. Huh. He then tried again and his eyes widened when felt the said money suddenly appearing.

Ah, magic. Of course.

Xie Lian

I could’ve used my own money, San Lang!

But it will take us the whole day to debate over this, so thank you.

San Lang

.)

“Where did he really get all that money?”

Xie Lian almost dropped his phone when Feng Xin suddenly piped in while taking a sip of his coffee. Feng Xin was eyeing him as he put his phone back in his pocket, and Xie Lian cleared his throat when he returned to his almost finished breakfast.

“He has businesses here and there,” Xie Lian replied with a small shrug. “He’s very smart with his money.”

“By spending it all on you?”

“Not like that,” Xie Lian coughed before finishing the remaining bits of food. “I keep asking him to not spend things on me, but he wouldn’t listen.”

Of course it was at that moment that Shi Qingxuan was paying attention to their conversation, so when Xie Lian looked up and locked eyes with their sparkly ones, everything was going south for him,

“So, he is your sugar daddy.”

“He is not!”

Xie Lian sighed as he made it back to the car in one piece. He had a paper bag in his hand that was filled with pastries that Hua Cheng might enjoy. He also had two cups of coffee in the cup holder between them.

“Gege looks exhausted,” the demon said as he glanced at the said man. “Did something happen?”

“Nothing much,” Xie Lian laughed, deciding to watch his friends get in their respective cars. “A-Xuan was just energetic today.”

He continued watching them– in Shi Qingxuan’s car, there were He Xuan, Feng Xin, and Mu Qing. In Shi Wudu’s, there were Pei Ming and Ling Wen. it wasn’t a surprising arrangement, really, since it had always worked that way.

“Hm,” Hua Cheng hummed, “If you say so, gege.”

Soon, the other two cars started moving and Hua Cheng easily followed them once they were on the road. It was still early in the morning, so there were barely people passing by, buses and cars still sparse on the streets. Xie Lian didn’t think that he would be able to leave the city and have fun during his break, but it wasn’t like he was about to complain.

Xie Lian glanced at the radio, then at the demon who had his eye focused on the road, “San Lang?”

“Yes, gege?” Hua Cheng glanced at him briefly.

“Can I turn on some music?”

“Of course.”

The human smiled brightly before proceeding to fumble with the radio. It took awhile for him to find something that satisfied both their ears– Well, Hua Cheng did his best to hide his displeasure in some, but Xie Lian would like to think that he knew the other well enough to find the miniscule of the changes on the man’s face.

Once he did find it, he then opened the bag and handed the demon a pastry with its parchment paper to be less messy and he took one for himself of the same kind. He didn’t exactly register what he ate earlier due to everyone teasing him and the sense of rush.

“Oh,” Hua Cheng took his time to look at the pastry before taking another bite. “This is pretty good, gege. What’s this?”

“An egg tart,” the human replied brightly. He liked this one, too, “They make the best one around here.”

“Oh?” Hua Cheng grinned, “What would Yushi Huang say if she knew, gege?”

Xie Lian gasped as his eyes widened. Then, it dawned on him, “San Lang! She doesn’t even make egg tarts!”

Their words dissolved into laughter as Hua Cheng still teased him that he would tell Yushi Huang once they got back while Xie Lian clutched to his chest with feigned offense, pouting in result.

“Okay, okay, I won’t tell her,” the demon chuckled and took the last bite of the tart. “You’re too cute gege.”

Xie Lian’s cheeks flushed as he retorted, “San Lang is definitely cuter.”

“Ah, gege is being shameless! Are you going to give this San Lang a heart attack while I’m driving? How cruel.”

“San Lang,” Xie Lian smacked the demon’s forearm exasperatedly. “That’s enough out of you!”

Hua Cheng laughed again, but decided to give the human some face and continued driving with more focus. They let the blanket of silence fall between them with the soft music playing in the background, the sound of sips as they drank their coffee, and the zooms of cars on the other lane.

It was comfortable.

Xie Lian looked at the window when he finally calmed down, letting the cup of coffee in his hands warm him up. It was a bit cold due to the early morning, so it was still fairly dark but people were able to see the road safely.

They had already passed by the downtown where Hua Cheng’s gambler’s den was and were making their way to the highway. Xie Lian couldn’t remember the time when he had seen this one last. Perhaps an out of town trip with his parents all those years ago? His brain was fuzzy about his past now.

His past was good for the most part, but everything that happened with his parents made him block it in his mind. He didn’t feel the sense of loss, however, since dwelling in the past wouldn’t do him any good.

Besides, he was happy now.

He had his friends both old and new, and he had also met Hua Cheng. He should’ve been grateful to Pei Ming for his stupid idea since without it, they wouldn’t be able to accidentally summon Hua Cheng at all. His life was much more interesting and brighter when the demon appeared in his life.

He really was truly content with his life right now.

Xie Lian bit his lip, watching some of the cars pass by them and the urban environment was slowly dissolving to a greener scenery. Now that he thought about the summoning, he knew that his time was running out. Their one year together was almost up.

He could remember when he was baffled when it would take a year for the contract to end, but now that he got to know Hua Cheng and spend time with him, he didn’t want to disappear. Would Hua Cheng tell him a way for him to stay longer?

He didn’t want him to disappear.

His frown must’ve been seen through the reflection of the window since Hua Cheng called for his attention with a worried tone, “Gege?”

“Hm?” Xie Lian sipped his coffee to hide his frown, not that it would be any help.

“Are you alright?”

“Never better,” Xie Lian replied before sinking in the comfortable chair, “I was just thinking how time has passed by so quickly when you’re having fun.”

Silence met him for a few moments before Hua Cheng replied softly, “I understand.”

The human hummed in response, afraid to look at Hua Cheng at the moment. He didn't know what to expect to see on the demon’s face, but he didn’t want to see it. Not yet, anyway. He just wanted to spend the break with his friends and San Lang with no issues, but here he was being all negative.

He slapped himself mentally. He shouldn’t think about it! He was always persistent, so he would find a way when the opportunity would show him. Even if he would just be friends with Hua Cheng, that was more than enough of a reason to ask him to stay by his side. He couldn’t imagine a day without talking to the demon at all anymore.

He really might be a little more in love than he thought.

…

…

…

Hours passed and all they could see were the vibrant green trees. The area on both sides of the road made Xie Lian wonder if they had already arrived by the forest area that they were supposed to camp in. He then looked back in front and the other two cars were ahead.

The road was fairly wide and it had only been the three of them passing by for at least an hour now. Xie Lian wasn’t bothered much by it since he was with Hua Cheng and he knew that Shi Wudu wouldn’t exactly lead them to their impending doom.

Well, he couldn’t say the same if it was only He Xuan joining in the trip.

He glanced at the demon and saw that he was more or less relaxed, his eye trained on the road. If he truly didn’t know, Xie Lian would’ve thought that Hua Cheng was a normal man; but a very mature, hotter man that he had ever met.

Xie Lian had to look away when he thought of that because of fucking course that was his mind thought of. Couldn’t he be normal for once?

He tried to focus on the road as well, watching as Shi Wudu’s car moved ahead and Shi Qingxuan’s was just right in front of them. He raised a brow when he noticed that the car was slowing down a bit and he knew that Shi Qingxuan would always like to speed us as much as they could.

Perhaps Feng Xin and Mu Qing begged them to calm down a bit? Or maybe it was He Xuan cursing out that he still wanted to live.

“He Xuan is the one driving,” Hua Cheng suddenly said.

Xie Lian glanced at him, “...Hm?”

The demon looked at him with a lopsided grin, “You saw they slowed down, right? I’m sure that he just wanted to piss your friend off if they asked if he could go faster.”

Xie Lian didn’t know why, but he found that amusing, “Would He Xuan really do that?”

“He would,” the other snickered.

The human hummed, looking back at the car, “Then, San Lang knows who He Xuan is?”

At first, there was silence. Then, there was a soft chuckle.

“Gege is perceptive.”

“It’s not like you tried to hide it well,” Xie Lian replied, voice filled with mirth. “You were aggressive to him the moment you met him.”

“Does it bother you that he’s a demon king, then?”

“No, not really,” the human shrugged casually, “But, I didn't expect that he would be a demon king. Does that mean he has a contract with someone?”

“Usually that’s the case,” Hua Cheng agreed, “I don’t know what that fucker did to be able to stay here, but it’s working. Maybe he does have some existing contract somewhere. Who knows.”

“I take it you don’t talk much?”

“We didn’t talk to each other for centuries,” the demon huffed, “Until recently, that is. He needed to borrow money from me. Again. That trash is just greedy.”

Xie Lian laughed, “You two sound like good friends.”

He looked over at Hua Cheng just in time to see his face contort in disgust.

“We’re not friends, gege. He’s merely a pest.”

Not believing, Xie Lian replied, “If you say so, San Lang.”

The demon whined and if he wasn’t driving, he would’ve clung onto the other, “You clearly don’t believe me, gege!”

“No, no. I do. Don’t worry.”

“Gege, you’re smiling.”

Xie Lian’s smile grew wider, “I’m not.”

Soon, their conversation dissolved to mindless bickering here and there, the topic of He Xuan was left forgotten. Of course, Xie Lian didn’t forget it entirely and he wouldn’t dare ask He Xuan if it was real. It would be insensitive of him! He was still curious, though, especially that the demon king might’ve had a contract with someone to stay in the mortal realm.

Maybe it was Shi Qingxuan?

He stored that idea at the back of his head, not wanting to bring it up at the moment. He didn’t want Hua Cheng’s teasing grin and his fake whines at how Ruoye was being mean to him lately when the snake had gotten that comfortable with the demon king. It was both adorable and hilarious since he couldn't imagine the cute snake being mean to an intimidating figure such as Hua Cheng.

It was already bright noon when they turned right to an unnoticeable road within the forest. Anyone who didn’t know about the Shi’s area would’ve missed it and would simply keep on driving down the long road. It was very beneficial for anyone who wanted privacy.

Xie Lian expected as much that the road wasn’t rocky despite the area. Shi Wudu wouldn’t let anything give his little sibling an uncomfortable time even if that meant spending a lot on making a perfect road for cars to drive on.

The trip going within the safer grounds within the forest took at least fifteen minutes until they arrived by the gate. All the cars paused in a straight line before Pei Ming had to get out of the car before unlocking the gate himself (most like Shi Wudu’s orders). Once opened, the cars continued to go inside and Pei Ming had to lock the gate back quickly before he had to catch up with his ride.

Soon, they arrived by the clearing with the cabin at the right side of the said area, under the shade to beat the heat of the sun as much as the trees could. All of them parked right in front of the cabin as quickly as they could since the heat was slowly getting to them the longer they stayed inside the car.

It was Xie Lian who stepped out of the car first, his eyes trained on the cabin itself. It was big; big enough for them to sleep in comfortably. It was rather old fashioned and it reminded him of the foreign shows that Shi Qingxuan showed him once upon a time except it didn’t look decrepit and haunted.

“Fucking finally,” he heard Feng Xin grunt as he climbed out of Shi Qingxuan’s car, “My ass hurts.”

“Yeah, we know,” Mu Qing followed after him, “You’ve been complaining for a long time.”

“I didn’t exactly complain for a long time! It’s just a few minutes!”

“Oh, please . We were still in the highway when you’re whining like a little–”

“God,” Shi Qingxuan said exasperatedly once they were out of the car with He Xuan. “Can you two, like, stop arguing at least for a day?! My ears are about to fall off!”

Xie Lian sighed, rubbing his temple as he watched the scene unfold. He almost felt bad for Shi Qingxuan since they had to deal with the two for the whole trip. On the other hand, he knew that Hua Cheng wouldn’t like it if he asked Feng Xin and Mu Qing to join him, and he was sure that the two wouldn’t like to bond with Hua Cheng either.

In the end, Shi Qingxuan was the sacrifice.

“They’re children,” the demon’s cold tone made Xie Lian jump slightly in surprise. The former immediately noticed it, “I apologize for scaring you, gege.”

Xie Lian glanced at him with a smile, “Don’t worry, San Lang. I was just thinking.” He looked back at the four that were now causing a scene, “I just… My friends are really unique.”

“That’s a nice way to say it,” Hua Cheng said dryly. The human then noticed that the other was already carrying their bags for their trip. He was about to offer his help but with one look from the demon, the words died on his tongue.

Shi Wudu was ignoring most of them, letting Pei Ming carry their luggage as he asked Ling Wen to join him by the door. He was already fishing out the sets of keys so they could finally go inside the cabin.

“Is the place clean?” Pei Ming asked when he finally approached with his hands filled with bags. His tone wasn’t judging but Shi Wudu scoffed nonetheless.

“Who do you think you're talking to?” He asked wryly as he found the right key for the front door. “It’s not like I’ll let any of us sleep in a place covered with dust.”

“You forgot that Shi Qingxuan is with us, too,” Ling Wen added.

“Right, how could I forget,” Pei Ming said, stopping himself from rolling his eyes.

“Get inside before I kick you,” Shi Wudu said before entering first himself.

They all went inside with different paces. Hua Cheng and He Xuan were trailing behind the group, mostly uninterested in the place. Xie Lian, Feng Xin, Mu Qing, and Shi Qingxuan were clearly eager to look around and take everything in as they walked around the cabin.

They were met with the sight of the living room the moment they stepped in and there were stairs on each side further down, leading to the second floor where the rooms were. Unsurprisingly, everything was fully furnished and clean, definitely well taken care of despite the lack of presence of people majority of the time.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been here,” Shi Qingxuan said as they grabbed hold of Xie Lian’s arm, dragging him around without much fuss. “It’s not exactly fun here if you’re all alone.”

Xie Lian was still looking around in awe as they took the stairs, “I can see why. This place is beautiful, though.”

“Right?!” the other exclaimed, “Come on, let’s set our things down and we could get the whole house– uh, cabin tour–? When we’ll go down to eat.”

Even as Xie Lian let himself be dragged, his eyes searched for his demon companion. The moment their gazes met, Hua Cheng immediately moved faster to catch up to them but still maintained distance to avoid any more chatter from Shi Qingxuan.

The second floor had six rooms. Ling Wen would sleep alone while the rest would stay in pairs. Xie Lian was happy at the fact that Hua Cheng immediately claimed him (was that a show of a new kink incoming?) as his room partner. Feng Xin and Mu Qing were immediately against it, but it wasn’t like Xie Lian would ever listen to them.

“And you two,” Shi Qingxuan pointed at the said pair, “Are going to room together. No excuses.”

“What the fuck?” Feng Xin exclaimed, rudely pointing at Mu Qing. “I’m not going to do that with him !”

“Me either,” the other scoffed, glaring at Feng Xin. “I would rather die.”

“Then, one of you could stay on the floor or out the hall,” Shi Qingxuan said with a huff, “I could care less. He-xiong and I are going to room together, so there’s really no choice–”

“Qingxuan,” Shi Wudu cut them off, “I’m not going to let you stay with him.”

Those words alone devolved into arguing between the two siblings, He Xuan wishing that he could run away, and Feng Xin and Mu Qing joining in the fray just because they didn’t want to stay in the room together.

Xie Lian wondered if the group’s shouts could be heard throughout the forest since they were the only people in the area at the moment. He glanced at Ling Wen and saw that she had already turned her back on them and started walking to her assigned room without a word while Pei Ming just sighed helplessly.

He then looked over at Hua Cheng who unsurprisingly looked uninterested as he glared daggers at them. When the demon felt his eyes on him, his attention diverted and his expression cleared to a soft smile.

“Do you want to go to our room?” he asked casually, “We can leave these trashes alone for now.”

Xie Lian chuckled softly, “Ah… Well, I guess there’s no point trying to break up their fight.”

No one would listen to him no matter how many times he would try to mediate.

So, the two of them took a step back, away from the group to go to their room. While no one explicitly said which one was theirs, Hua Cheng would just glare at them and no one would fight him. In the end, they chose to open the door at the other end of the hall. The noise was already muffled when they entered the room, so Xie Lian thought it was a good choice in case they would be rowdy later.

The room was plain yet big. There were only simple decorations, clearly devoid of any personal touch or life. There was a closet to the right that was too big for the two of them, two desks and chairs on the right by a small window, and two double beds at the center with their own respective nightstands. There was even a door that led to their own bathroom.

Xie Lian was eyeing the soft white carpet by the beds, curious if it would feel nice if he stepped on it with his bare feet.

“This is less suffocating than I thought,” Hua Cheng said as he scanned the room with a critical eye.

(But, he didn’t like the fact that there were two beds.)

“The Shis are used to large spaces,” the human replied, making his way to the closet. “It’s reflected here. Come, San Lang. Let’s unpack our clothes.”

The demon dutifully followed, dropping their things on the floor with a soft thump the moment Xie Lian opened the doors of the closet. It wasn’t the first time that they had fixed their clothes together considering that Xie Lian had urged him before to share his closet with him back at the apartment.

The human knew that Hua Cheng didn’t really need it, but it felt nice that he had someone to share his space with. It made living in such a decrepit place more bearable and fun. He also had to admit that the place looked better on the inside since Hua Cheng did a lot to fix the place to avoid any accidents like last time.

Xie Lian moved and placed his clothes on the left while Hua Cheng put his on the right like usual. There was a small space for the demon’s accessories and extra little things that he had. He had the space all for himself since Xie Lian didn’t have anything of the sort on his person. Then, they put their necessities in another space to keep everything in order.

When he was done packing, Xie Lian put his own bag to the side as he glanced towards the beds. He didn’t want to admit it out loud, but the fact that he wouldn’t be able to share a bed with the demon was…

He immediately shook his head. He shouldn’t think that! He had gotten too used to them cuddling (yes, he would openly admit that it’s indeed cuddling) every night that sleeping separately felt off to him.

“Gege?”

Xie Lian blinked, averting his attention to the demon when he called for him. Realization dawned on him when he saw Hua Cheng slightly smirking at him, his eye glinting knowingly. For a moment, he thought that the demon could read minds.

Oh, god. He hoped not. That would’ve been so embarrassing.

He then coughed awkwardly before sprinting towards the bathroom. He didn’t care if he looked ridiculous at the moment. All he wanted to do now was literally run away from Hua Cheng’s piercing stare, “I’m… I’m going to wash my face!”

Hua Cheng was chuckling, more amused than ever as his gaze followed the human’s every movement, “Okay, gege. Take your time.”

“Thanks–”

“And, gege?”

Xie Lian paused even when he already opened the bathroom door just to look over his shoulder. He could already tell that he was regretting his actions based on the demon’s expression alone. He was trying to escape him but there he was, willing to fall for the trap that was clear as day.

“We could still share a bed,” the said demon raised a brow, gesturing towards the beds with a shit-eating grin. “I don’t mind.”

The human didn’t even hear the last part as he slammed the bathroom door close in an attempt to hide his reddening cheeks and embarrassment from the other.

After they had their lunch, Xie Lian and the others roamed around the house and the area surrounding it. To Shi Qingxuan, it wasn’t all that much when they were under the sun since it looked like a normal forest with beautiful tall trees, small creatures running around here and there, and that the air was calming.

The thing they mostly did was complain about the stupid heat and the bugs that were pestering them. The others were curious and fascinated with the area, the place was clearly taken care of despite the lack of human presence for the longest time. As expected from a property owned by the Shis.

With that in mind, it wasn’t a surprise when Shi Qingxuan proposed the idea of a test of courage for all of them to participate. No one was allowed to stay behind and kill the mood, so He Xuan was forced to be there whether he liked it or not.

Shi Qingxuan would tell Hua Cheng that as well, but they knew that once Xie Lian agreed, Hua Cheng would join as well. After all, he was only there just to keep Xie Lian company and it was obvious that he didn’t care about anything else.

So, they all waited for the sun to set and the night to consume the forest. If the cabin they were at wasn’t pristine clean and the lights shining brightly, it would’ve been creepy.

“Alright!” Shi Qingxuan clapped their hands to get everyone’s attention. “Now, let’s discuss the rules.”

All of them were settled in the living room, everyone taking every available space while looking at Shi Qingxuan that was right at the center. Most were intrigued, others were either bored or uninterested.

Xie Lian was one of the people who looked very much curious, letting the demon king plaster himself on his side. If Hua Cheng just scooted a bit more, he would’ve been sitting on the human’s lap. Or, if he ever felt mischievous, he would’ve dragged Xie Lian on his lap instead.

“Why do we even need rules for this?” He Xuan grumbled, “It’s just walking in the dark.”

“Order veiled in chaos,” Shi Qingxuan answered with a pointed look, “No complaining! Anyways, first things first; We have to go in pairs and we have to wait for at least three minutes before another pair can enter the forest again.”

“Isn’t it boring that we have to go in the same direction?” Feng Xin asked.

“Well, it’s not like we’ll risk ourselves to get lost, right? We can go inside different points but in the same directions. The area behind this is pretty wide, so we can start at the middle and the rest can go to the sides.”

The people who were listening nodded slowly in understanding and Shi Qingxuan continued, “The end point is the waterfall by the clearing. We can walk back together once we’re done.”

Hua Cheng huffed slightly before leaning close to Xie Lian's ear to whisper, “I’d rather leave them alone.”

Xie Lian ignored the way his body shivered at the breath tickling his ear and patted the demon’s arm, “Don’t be mean, San Lang.”

The said demon chuckled softly, but remained silent for the most part. Xie Lian was also glad that he wasn't glaring daggers at He Xuan anymore, but he knew that the peace wouldn't last long.

“Well, if there's no complaints, let’s start!”

Shi Wudu looked like he was ready to give up and retreat, but Pei Ming was there to stop him.

“Do it for your little sibling,” Pei Ming said as he got up with everyone else, “It’ll be fun.”

“I’m grouping with you and Ling Wen. That doesn’t sound fun to me,” the other retorted with a roll of his eyes.

Hua Cheng was glancing at them with an unreadable look in his eye. Xie Lian caught something, though. He didn’t know why, but he had some sort of sixth sense that the demon was about to do something impish in nature.

They all stepped out of the cabin once they went to their rooms to retrieve their jackets. Despite being hot in the morning and noon, it was chilly in the evening. It helped that the place was covered with trees, so it helped them a lot.

In the end, they all agreed (most reluctant) that they would be grouped with their roommates for the vacation. Shi Qingxuan reasoned that it would create a stronger bond for everyone. While Feng Xin and Mu Qing complained to no end, the rest weren’t wasting their energy.

“San Lang?” Xie Lian asked, moving towards the center of the starting point. “Do you want us to go first?”

“I’m fine with whatever you choose,” the demon replied smoothly.

Xie Lian raised a brow before stopping. He then stepped to the right, away from the center and Hua Cheng easily followed him. The others were out of earshot, too busy bickering who would get which spot.

“I suppose you have something in mind,” he ended up saying.

Hua Cheng blinked innocently, “I have no idea what you mean, gege.”

The human rolled his eyes, fond, and finally stopped at the farther right. He saw that the others were already moving to their own places with Shi Qingxuan and He Xuan right at the center.

“We can go after A-Xuan, if you want,” Xie Lian offered, “Or after Feng Xin.”

Hua Cheng snickered at that, “Perfect either way, gege. It’s your choice.”

Xie Lian looked at him one more time before turning to Shi Qingxuan, “We’ll go after you, A-Xuan!”

“Okay!” they responded with a wave, “We’ll go first, so start counting!”

Everyone watched as Shi Qingxuan cheerfully dragged He Xuan in the forest, pushing the bushes away. The latter looked like he wanted to run away but at the same time, he didn’t want to leave Shi Qingxuan alone. He was grumbling along the way, pushing the bushes with his partner.

Feng Xin turned towards Xie Lian, snickering, “We’ll go after you. This scaredy cat keeps on trembling beside me.”

“Why the fuck are you lying?!” Mu Qing hit his partner’s back, making Feng Xin grunt in pain, “You’re the one holding onto my sleeve, shaking.”

“Ha! Xie Lian and I both know that you've been scared of ghosts ever since we were young.”

“There’s no ghosts here!”

“You don’t know that!”

Xie Lian sighed, looking away from them to drown their screams out, “San Lang… how long until we have to enter?”

“Not for long,” Hua Cheng replied quickly. It was easy for him to ignore the other pair’s bickering, “Is gege scared?”

“I’m not particularly scared of things like this,” Xie Lian said, “I agreed with the demon summoning some time ago as well, remember?”

“That’s different,” the demon retorted lightly, “But, you have a point. I can tell that both of your friends are scared, though.”

“I know. They were the ones clinging to me before,” The human laughed, then shook his head, “In any case, are there actually any ghosts or demons here?”

Hua Cheng hummed, averting his gaze to scan the area, “Not really. There are wandering souls but they’re totally harmless. More or less, the evening will become uneventful. Though, I’m sure your friends will spook themselves by stepping on branches.”

Xie Lian then blinked when realization hit him, “So, the thing you had in mind earlier…”

The demon grinned at him, “If you’d let me, I’ll make tonight more entertaining.”

“San Lang,” Xie Lian sighed, but he was smiling. He couldn’t resist the demon’s roguish behavior at all, “Okay, fine. Don’t give them a heart attack, though.”

“I’ll try,” Hua Cheng responded, but Xie Lian could tell that he was both teasing and sincere about it.

When it was their turn, Hua Cheng outstretched his hand towards him, “Let’s go, gege.”

Xie Lian took the cold, comforting hand without hesitation. He didn’t mind the looks that he was getting as Hua Cheng gently guided him to the forest, pushing the bushes for them. When he caught his friends’ gazes, he simply waved his free hand until the darkness consumed his sight.

It was rather tough to navigate an unfamiliar place with zero light. He had explored the place earlier, but he didn’t get to memorize the area, too busy looking up and being in awe at the view. Xie Lian let the demon guide him and assist him whenever he was about to trip.

He had to admit that the place was eerie with the silence surrounding them. It had the creep factor to it that even if he knew that the place was entirely safe, there was a sense of unknown to it.

“San Lang?” he called out, voice barely a whisper. If he talked in a normal volume, he would think that it would echo throughout the area.

“Hm?”

“Can you see in the dark?”

Hua Cheng let out an amused huff, holding his partner’s hand tighter, “En. I also have some of my wraith butterflies surveilling the area. Extra protection.”

Xie Lian perked up at the mention of the butterflies, “Oh! Can I see them, too?”

“Later,” the demon promised soothingly, “For now, let’s keep things interesting.”

Xie Lian should’ve really stopped him when he could, but there was something within him that was both curious and mischievous to let Hua Cheng’s plan unfold.

“Alright.”

As soon as he got the signal that the rest of the groups entered the area as well, Hua Cheng snapped his fingers without hesitation. The noise rang in Xie Lian’s ears, considering it was an unexpected sound that took him by surprise.

At first, he was met with silence. He expected that he would immediately hear chaos, so this was odd.

Then…

“HOLY SHIT–! WHAT THE FUC–”

“STOP GRABBING ME, ASSHOLE–”

“DON’T FUCKING LEAVE ME THEN, YOU DICK–!”

“HE-XIONG! SAVE ME–!”

“WHAT THE FUCK, PEI! GET OFF ME, YOU HEAVY OAF–!”

“NOBLE JIE! DEFEND ME!”

Xie Lian choked in surprise and amusement when he heard the deepest screams he had ever heard. He could tell that those were coming from Feng Xin and Pei Ming, the latter being more shocking to hear. The others weren’t doing well either with Shi Qingxuan still crying out to He Xuan for help.

“...They’ll be fine, right?”

“Of course, gege,” Hua Cheng said and in Xie Lian’s mind, he could see the way the demon would smirk, “Let’s say.. It’s realistic images. It won’t harm them.”

As if on cue, more screams were heard. There was a lot of rustling despite the chaos, the wind carrying the loud grunts and the harsh curses from everyone trying to run away from whatever they saw.

If Xie Lian didn’t have a clue who was the mastermind of all this, he would’ve been concerned.

Even if he did know, he should. What slipped out of his mouth, however, was an undignified snort. That didn’t go unnoticed by the demon as Hua Cheng turned around to glance at Xie Lian’s face that was filled with unmistakable mirth.

“Look at you, gege,” the demon teased with a grin. “Laughing at your friends’ demise.”

“No, I’m not,” Xie Lian said, though he was mirroring his grin, “I would never do that to them.”

“Ah, and you’re lying now. What would they say if they saw you so happy, gege?”

This time, Xie Lian couldn’t hold back his laugh even as Hua Cheng continued guiding them towards the said clearing that they were supposed to meet at.

“Well, I have to say that I’m happy because of you , San Lang.”

Xie Lian wasn’t sure if he was imagining it, but he swore that he felt the demon trip on something. He didn’t mention anything when Hua Cheng acted like nothing happened as he resumed walking.

Soon, they were finally out in the clearing and the moon above illuminated the area for them. Xie Lian also saw a few wraith butterflies here and there, flapping its wings in greeting. He smiled at the few of them, though his attention was grabbed by the sound of the calming waterfall. It was definitely better than hearing his friends’ screaming all night.

Speaking of the screams, it had lessened as soon as they got out. Hua Cheng must’ve dispersed the images he had created as they ran through the forest without looking back. All Xie Lian hoped was that no one got injured on the way.

As he was deep in thoughts, he didn’t even flinch when the demon’s arms wrapped around his waist as he hugged him from behind. Their closeness was a normal occurrence to them now.

“They’re almost here,” the demon murmured in his ear. “No one was injured.”

Xie Lian hummed, melting in the touch as he watched the butterflies move out and about like they were dancing for him, “Thank you, San Lang. I know you took extra measures to make sure of that.”

“Of course,” Hua Cheng said, ghosting his lips over the shell of his ear, “I don’t want you to be sad, knowing that my prank caused them harm.”

“You’re very thoughtful.”

“Or, I just want to be in gege’s favor forever.”

Xie Lian chuckled, “If that’s your goal, then it’s definitely working.”

Even before that, Hua Cheng had already gained his favor, his attention, and even his heart.

A few moments later, Shi Qingxuan was stumbling out of the bushes with He Xuan trailing behind with a very irritated look. Xie Lian was about to go over and check if Shi Qingxuan was okay, but the said friend stood up and huffed.

“Ge said that it was safe!” they complained. Their hair and clothes were a mess with leaves and small branches sticking out. There was dirt smearing their paler than usual skin, but they were fine overall. “And He-xiong, you said it was, too!”

“It was,” He Xuan said before glaring at the other demon king, “Something was just fucking us up.”

Hua Cheng snickered, “Maybe you drew the scary ghosts in with that attitude.”

“Oh, fuck you–”

“San Lang,” Xie Lian sighed, patting the demon’s arm and hoped that He Xuan would stop growling as well.

Then, both Feng Xin and Mu Qing made it to the clearing looking just as messy as Shi Qingxuan was. The only difference was that they were sporting bruises, but it definitely looked like that it was made because of each other rather than falling off somewhere. They were glaring daggers at each other despite the fact that they were both trembling in fear.

Maybe Hua Cheng showed something worse just for the two of them.

Lastly, Pei Ming’s group arrived last. It was a rather odd, but amusing sight. Pei Ming was clinging both onto the very irritated Shi Wudu and Ling Wen. From their positions, it looked like Pei Ming was using Ling Wen as a human shield. There was a bruise on his cheek, so Ling Wen must’ve punched him as revenge.

Xie Lian sighed fondly as he observed more of their states. He was already mentally preparing himself that he would get an earful since both he and Hua Cheng were completely fine and even hugging comfortably.

Well, the demon certainly made everything more entertaining than it would’ve been without his interference. 

Chapter Text

Once they had finally calmed down and regained their composure, everyone decided that they would return to the cabin. With a flashlight on to guide them and everyone would huddle up together. Of course, Hua Cheng had to drag Xie Lian to the back so neither would get suffocated in the group.

“I feel like it’s not even safe to have Xie Lian and his San Lang behind us,” Shi Qingxuan grumbled, still bothered at the fact that the pair weren’t scared in the slightest, “I feel like they’re going to jumpscare us at any moment.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” the demon drawled. “I have to say, though. It’s quite tempting.”

“San Lang,” Xie Lian elbowed Hua Cheng’s side gently as a warning, “Be good.”

Hua Cheng glanced at him and grinned, “Yes, gege.”

The demon king was aware that He Xuan, who was still being held by Shi Qingxuan, was glaring daggers at the both of them. It had a mix of frustration and disgust. Xie Lian noticed that immediately and shot an apologetic look at him. It didn’t help much, but it was worth the try.

“Disgusting,” He Xuan grumbled before facing the front again.

Hua Cheng snickered, “Don’t talk about yourself like that. It’s not nice.”

“Fuck you–”

“Guys,” Xie Lian cut them off as he laughed nervously, “Behave and watch your steps.”

“I think you need to tell yourself that,” Shi Qingxuan teased, “There’s more chance of it happening to you.”

“Well, with me, that won’t be a problem,” Hua Cheng said as he pulled Xie Lian closer.

Shi Qingxuan looked like they were about to say a remark, but ended up silent when they caught the small pleading look on Xie Lian’s face. It was dark and cold, the others being on edge after Hua Cheng’s scare, and their ‘conversation’ might end up causing more chaos than necessary.

In the end, they huffed and turned away, clutching onto He Xuan tightly again. Xie Lian sighed in relief, finally seeing that things were calming down since he really didn’t want to stop and let the others argue in the middle of the forest. It would be more exhausting than it would be entertaining for everyone in the group.

Once they returned to the cabin, everyone went their separate ways. Pei Ming, Ling Wen, and Shi Wudu went back to their rooms, Shi Qingxuan followed He Xuan to the kitchen to find food for his sanity, and the two idiots were nowhere to be seen.

All that was left were Xie Lian and Hua Cheng walking up the stairs like normal.

“I’m so tired,” Xie Lian mumbled as he held back a yawn. There was too much excitement for the day, even for him. Their trip was also so long that he could still feel his body aching from sitting too long.

Hua Cheng hummed, glancing at him, “Does gege want to sleep early?”

“Early?” the human echoed. “San Lang, I’m pretty sure it’s way past midnight.”

“But gege sometimes stays up later than that, yes?”

Xie Lian chuckled, remembering the times where the demon king had to make food and coffee for them whenever he needed to pull an all-nighter. It was nice and comforting that there was someone looking out for him like how Hua Cheng would always bring him to bed if he fell asleep on the couch, or he would fix all his papers if he was too exhausted to even do it himself.

It was rather embarrassing that he would let the demon clean up after himself, but he could always tell that Hua Cheng enjoyed doing those little things. There was an extra hint of joy whenever he would try out different drinks from tea to hot chocolate, or even the late night snacks that could keep Xie Lian going.

It was adorable. Though, the human didn’t want to say that out loud lest Hua Cheng didn’t like being complimented that way.

“That’s still not a good excuse to stay up,” Xie Lian said, smiling, “Besides, A-Xuan said that we need to do something tomorrow morning.”

Hua Cheng immediately frowned at that, but schooled his expression just as quick, “If gege is going, then I don’t mind.”

“You can sleep in, you know,” the human said in between laughs as he opened the door to their room. “No one would mind.”

“But that means I’ll be alone here,” the demon said almost petulantly.

Xie Lian shook his head, amused, “Okay, okay.”

He entered the room first, followed by the demon king. Xie Lian sighed in relief that as soon as the doors closed, the noise from his friends dulled down and he could finally relax. The two moved in sync as they grabbed a change of clothes and Hua Cheng took his time taking off all his accessories.

There was a time when Xie Lian asked about it. He knew that the demon was capable of removing it with a snap of his finger, but Hua Cheng said that it felt more domestic and relaxing to do such a routine with him.

It made the human more at ease and giddy at the same time. It was an odd combination of feelings, to say the least.

“You can go ahead and shower, gege,” the demon said as he removed his last accessory. “I need to check up on Yin Yu and the demon realm for a minute.”

Xie Lian’s brow raised, then smiled cheekily, “I see San Lang is concerned.”

Hua Cheng scoffed, but there was a small smile present on his face, “Nonsense. It’s just better with less mess to clean up.”

“Hm,” the human hummed, his hands full with his clothes and towel. “If you say so.”

He didn’t want to tease the other man too much since the demon king’s revenge teasing was more embarrassing than he could handle, so quickly dashed to the bathroom with his things. For a moment, he thought that if it didn’t feel like this kind of thing was a normal occurrence to them, he would’ve panicked at the thought of taking a shower with the demon just outside the door.

Luckily for him, it was like this almost on the daily. Though the demon didn’t actually need to bathe or change clothes manually, it still felt nice that they were sharing their space comfortably. So, Xie Lian didn’t put much thought when he stripped off his clothes to take a quick shower.

As if it was engraved in his body, Xie Lian managed to finish showering and dressing up within the same amount of time he would usually do at home. The only difference was that the space was big and things weren’t at the spot he would usually put, but that wasn’t surprising at all.

He then made his way out the bathroom, fully clothed with his white shirt and blue jogging pants. Dirty clothes were thrown in the provided hamper as his one hand kept drying his hair with a towel.

“It’s your turn, San Lang,” Xie Lian said as he watched the said demon stand up from the bed. He saw that he was talking to Yin Yu or another subordinate until Hua Cheng dropped his hand from his temple.

Xie Lian sat on his own bed, “Something wrong?”

“Nothing,” Hua Cheng replied and turned towards the other, “Yin Yu said that Ruoye is well.”

“Ah, that’s good to know. Maybe you should let Yin Yu go home. Ruoye can handle a few days alone.”

The demon huffed as he grabbed his own clothes, “He can handle it, gege. Ruoye shouldn’t be alone.”

Xie Lian chuckled, “I can tell that you care about Ruoye a lot. I’m sure he’ll give you hugs when we get back.”

“He better. I just ordered Yin Yu to get better food for him,” the demon said, his tone light. Then, he started walking towards the bathroom with his things,  “I’ll go take a shower now, gege.”

Xie Lian hummed in acknowledgement before letting his body plop down on the surprisingly soft mattress. It could be a bit odd, thinking that a demon king was taking a shower. There were times that he wondered how demons lived in their own realm; if they were like humans, but with more power than they could ever imagine.

That could be the case when Hua Cheng looked like he knew a lot of things about the human realm, but his business ventures within the said realm could also help supply such knowledge. Or, well, he ordered Yin Yu to take a crash course about everything.

The human shifted in his bed, putting the covers over his body as he stared at the ceiling. Why would he think about such things now, he wondered. It was strange that his thoughts had been racing and jumping to different topics lately, mostly the many memories he had with Hua Cheng and the curiosity about demons. Though, wouldn’t anyone think of it when they would witness anything that’s not common?

He remained silent as he let the calming sound of rushing water ease his nerves. What was he nervous about? He couldn’t even tell himself. Maybe it was because he was alone again in his bed. Even he himself was a bit taken aback at how much he got used to Hua Cheng’s warmth by his side every night.

What would he do once everything would come to an end?

“I’m such a fool,” Xie Lian mumbled to himself, hiding his face under the covers.

 “Who is?”

Xie Lian almost jumped out of his bed in surprise when he heard Hua Cheng’s smooth voice clearly. Only then he noticed that it was now quiet in the room, saving the demon’s footsteps as he moved around the room to fix his things before settling in his bed.

“No one,” the human replied slowly. “I’m just thinking.”

“Hm,” Hua Cheng eyed him, though Xie Lian couldn’t see from under the covers. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“...”

“...”

“Maybe…” Xie Lian muttered softly, “Maybe another time, San Lang.”

Hua Cheng easily complied, “Of course, gege.”

Xie Lian could hear the dip of the other bed and the rustling of the blanket. It reminded him of the fact that they were staying in separate beds, much to his dismay. Even so, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything about it. He didn’t want the demon to think that he was too clingy or attached to him but he knew that the both of them were close enough to notice that.

“...”

He didn’t know how silence could be so deafening, his body slightly twisting around to distract himself. Xie Lian wanted to laugh at how absurd he was being. Where did the Xie Lian of the past, who wasn’t afraid to be alone anymore, gone?

He couldn’t take it anymore.

Xie Lian lowered the covers, unsurprised to be met with the darkness of the room. Hua Cheng’s side was silent, but he could tell the demon was awake.

“...San Lang? Are you awake?”

“En,” came the immediate reply. “Can’t sleep?”

“Sort of,” Xie Lian muttered as he turned his head to the side, meeting Hua Cheng’s gaze, “It feels uncomfortable.”

“Staying with me?”

“No…”

“Is the bed hard? Do you want me to change it?”

The human shook his head, “No, it’s fine.”

They stared at each other for a moment, the demon’s eye wandering as if he was searching for something but Xie Lian couldn’t tell what he was looking for. He pursed his lips when Hua Cheng remained quiet, his face neutral.

Just when Xie Lian was about to look away, Hua Cheng shifted in his bed to create more space and opened the covers like a silent invitation. The demon raised his brow when their eyes met again, a small smile present on his face as he patted the space.

Xie Lian didn’t hesitate throwing his covers away and scrambled to his feet, immediately walked towards the demon’s bed and crawled under the covers. Hua Cheng wordlessly lay down and opened his arms, letting the human slot himself in the space provided. The demon covered themselves with the blanket before holding Xie Lian close, holding back a wider smile when Xie Lian held him tightly.

“Goodnight, San Lang,” Xie Lian murmured against the demon’s chest.

“Mn,” Hua Cheng hummed as he lightly kissed the top of Xie Lian’s head, “Goodnight, gege.”

“Are we really doing this?”

Feng Xin stared blankly at the fishing poles that were handed to him while Mu Qing glared at the spears in his own hands. Shi Qingxuan somehow managed to have this in their car even if the said car was already filled with their bags. The group were already walking towards the river where there might be fishes swimming around and they hoped to catch some.

“Where did you even get this?” Mu Qing asked, suspicious.

He Xuan replied for Shi Qingxuan, “It was in the trunk.”

“There wasn’t when we took the bags yesterday??”

“Yes, there were,” the demon king grunted. “You’re just blind.”

“ What the fuck– ”

From behind, Xie Lian and Hua Cheng were watching the whole thing unfold and the former had no plan in mediating their arguments. As much as he wanted peace during their trip, Xie Lian wasn’t a saint . He could let the others get tired from arguing while he would watch with his own demon king.

He motioned for Hua Cheng to lean down before whispering in the demon’s ear, “Where did they really get it?”

Hua Cheng hummed, smirking slightly, “He Xuan created them, of course. He made them appear in the trunk so it’s less suspicious. Though, that aspect seemed to have failed.”

Xie Lian chuckled, “I suppose. No one will question it anymore with how gloomy He Xuan is looking right now.”

The said man was already storming ahead, ignoring Shi Qingxuan calling out for him and that left the others to bring the rest of the equipment. Xie Lian and Hua Cheng weren’t suffering since the latter wouldn’t let them, meanwhile Pei Ming tagged along since the rest of his group wanted to stay in bed.

“It’s not camping if we don’t do something ,” Pei Ming said, keeping his distance from the group as he avoided Hua Cheng’s glares, “So, I don’t know why they’re wasting their time in the cabin.”

“Let them be. It’s not like they’ll die without the experience,” Mu Qing rolled his eyes in distaste, “Besides, I’m sure that Shi Wudu only came for the child right there.”

“Hey!” Shi Qingxuan retorted, “I’m not a child!”

“Fooled me there,” Mu Qing scoffed.

Xie Lian sighed as they argued again. It was almost tempting to turn back and just rest in the cabin like Shi Wudu and Ling Wen were. What kept him going was that he had to watch his friends and he wanted to experience something new in his life.

The forest they were treading through was less scary, so they were more lively. Xie Lian stuck to Hua Cheng’s side just in case anything happened. He was confident that his friends would be able  to run fast or that the demon king would protect them despite his distaste towards them.

Xie Lian then asked for Hua Cheng’s attention again and whispered, “By the way, San Lang. Are there really fishes in these parts?”

The demon king hummed, “I don’t think so. Why? Does gege want to catch fishes?”

“Of course,” the human nodded eagerly. “It’d be a nice experience, don’t you think?”

“It’d be interesting, that’s for sure,” Hua Cheng agreed and if the others would be able to overhear their conversation, they would tell that the demon only agreed because Xie Lian looked very excited. He then snapped his fingers before nodding to himself in approval.

Xie Lian tilted his head, merely watching, “Are you pulling another prank on them, San Lang?”

The demon chuckled, “No, gege. I just made sure you can enjoy yourself here.”

“Ah, San Lang is so considerate.”

“Only to you, gege.”

The group continued to move along the forest, dodging branches that hit both Feng Xin and Pei Ming at least once. To them, it was a miracle that Hua Cheng was never hit, but it wasn’t like he could say that he could easily break or avoid them while still having his attention on Xie Lian.

It wasn’t too long until they arrived at the river and everyone was surprised that there were fishes swimming here and there. Xie Lian held in a laugh, knowing that it would cause his friends’ heart attacks if they knew that Hua Cheng was the one who summoned them just so they could spend some time doing what they were actually planning.

“Alright!” Shi Qingxuan exclaimed, “Let’s settle our things down so we can get started.”

They quickly settled their things since most of them, whether they would admit it or not, were pretty much excited for the activity. Luckily, all of them wore something that they wouldn't mind getting dirty so they could move as freely as they could.

Both Hua Cheng and He Xuan were merely watching at first, eyes kept on their respective humans that they wanted to protect. They didn’t care about the rest, but Hua Cheng would check from time to time. He didn’t want Xie Lian’s experience to be ruined, after all.

Feng Xin and Shi Qingxuan decided to make a small competition on who would catch more fishes with the spears in their hands. The punishment would be treating the winner to lunch for a week when they would come back to their boring university life.

Mu Qing, on the other hand, settled with the fishing pole. He didn’t feel like getting too wet, so he simply moved to the side and sat at the edge, muttering ‘utter buffoons’ as he did so. It would’ve been catastrophic if Feng Xin heard it since they would end up fighting with their equipment in hand.

“Xie Lian,” Pei Ming called after he jumped down the river, promptly scaring some fishes away, “Let’s catch them with our bare hands!”

That caught the said man’s attention and he followed Pei Ming to the river, “We can do that?”

“I’ve seen it in movies. We can try.”

Xie Lian glanced at the demon king as if he was asking for permission or simply asking if it was even possible.

Hua Cheng huffed, grinning, “You can, gege. It’s not easy the first time, but I’m sure you’ll get used to it.”

“We’ll try, then!”

Xie Lian smiled at him before turning towards Pei Ming to start their attempts already. It was strange that everyone wanted to do different things, but that was what made it more entertaining for the demons who were watching. Though, in Hua Cheng’s case, he was still focusing on Xie Lian.

He kept holding in a laugh when he saw the human pout whenever a fish would slip through his hold and swim away as fast as it could. Xie Lian was still determined, though, since he tried to sneak around another fish.

When the demon king felt another gaze on him, he glared to his left, “What.”

He Xuan let out a breath, averting his eyes, “Nothing. You just seem happy.”

“Is it that unusual?”

“You’ve always been cranky in your throne,” the other demon king said. “Now look at you; playing house with a human.”

Hua Cheng scoffed, “That’s none of your business. I don’t meddle with you staying here, so why are you?”

“Who said I was meddling? I was merely stating my observation.”

When the demon king remained silent, He Xuan continued, “And your contract?”

“We don’t talk about it,” Hua Cheng sighed irritably, “I’m waiting for him to bring it up.”

“Your time is…”

“I know,” Hua Cheng responded before walking towards the river, “I’ll deal with it when the time comes. Follow me; I want to show gege how to catch fish.”

Seeing that the other demon king had no interest in listening to him anymore, He Xuan shook his head and followed the others to the river. He didn’t want to get wet, but it wasn’t like he could disobey the other lest he wanted to get kicked back to the demon realm just because he was in a bad mood.

To say that Pei Ming and Xie Lian were both disappointed and fascinated that the two demons managed to catch their own fishes on their first try was an understatement. Xie Lian then eagerly asked Hua Cheng if he could teach him, eyes sparkling with hope. Hua Cheng demonstrated again before urging the other to try.

“Do it,” Hua Cheng said, nudging him, “Try.”

Xie Lian and Pei Ming stood side by side, their faces contorted in seriousness. It was hilarious to see them in such a state, but Hua Cheng remained silent just so Xie Lian could concentrate.

The said human was looking down, eyes darting from fish to fish. When he targeted one, he didn’t hesitate to drive his hand into the water. He grinned when he felt that he held something solid.

“I got one–!”

As he pulled it harshly, not even thinking why it was heavier and different from the last time he held a fish, his eyes widened when he was suddenly splashed with water that came from his side. He turned to look and expected to see Pei Ming wet from head to toe like he was. What he didn’t expect was to see him drowning as he let out a few bubbles from breathing.

“What–” Xie Lian looked down at his hand and paled when he saw that he was holding Pei Ming’s leg.

This time, Hua Cheng didn’t hold back his laughter, “Oh my god, gege! What a show of strength, yanking that monkey down.”

Xie Lian let go of Pei Ming’s leg and tried to hastily save him, “I’m so sorry, Pei Ming! I didn’t mean to!”

All Pei Ming responded with were a series of bubbles again.

For the rest of the day, Xie Lian was bright red. Whether it was from embarrassment or shame, no one could tell. Then again, he kept on apologizing to Pei Ming even if the man said that it was alright, laughing it off as a ‘good experience in his youth’ and ‘something to tell his grandchildren in the future’.

The others were teasing about it a lot at first but with a glare and a snarl coming from Hua Cheng, it made them silent. Xie Lian was still sure that he’d get teased about it when they would return to classes, but at least it was delayed somehow.

They spend the rest of the day relaxing. They didn’t expect fishing and cooking it to be exhausting, but it took a toll to some. Some of them even took a nap in the living room just because they couldn’t bring themselves up to the cabin to rest in their respective rooms.

When night arrived, Shi Qingxuan was unsurprisingly adamant on making the group have a campfire before they returned. What was surprising was that Pei Ming was backing up on the idea along with Feng Xin.

“It’s essential!” Pei Ming continued to press, forcing Ling Wen and Shi Wudu to listen, “Who the hell goes camping without having a campfire?!”

“Me,” Ling Wen replied blandly.

“Me as well,” Shi Wudu responded, uninterested.

Pei Ming huffed, “Traitors! I guess Feng Xin and Mu Qing are my new best friends now!”

The said men glared at him and it was rather hilarious that they would be so in sync in hating at the idea of Pei Ming being their best friend. It wasn’t like the man was… unsavory but neither of them were willing to be best friends with him.

“Keep that weird shit to yourself,” Feng Xin countered, his hands filled with wood, “We’re fine.”

“Yes, please spare us from the torture,” Mu Qing added, worsening the blow.

Xie Lian immediately tried comforting the dejected Pei Ming, though he was stopped when Hua Cheng kept pouting at him. Of course the demon king would quietly ask for his attention again even if the human would give it to him majority of the time.

It didn’t take too long for everyone to do everything that they were tasked to do. Xie Lian was assigned to make the fire along with Hua Cheng, but the demon made sure that he was the one who would do it. The huge pile of wood lit up the moment everyone had their eyes off of them.

“Wow,” Xie Lian murmured, watching the flickering flames from a distance, “It really appeared in an instant.”

“Like instant noodles?” Hua Cheng jokingly said.

The human laughed as he nodded in agreement, “En. Like instant noodles.”

They were huddled up together like they were in their own little world. It didn’t matter that everyone was still moving around to gather more wood, the others grabbing blankets that could be used just so they could sit down on the ground. Shi Qingxuan did propose to get chairs instead, but no one felt like doing it.

“Wow, you guys did it so fast,” Shi Qingxuan commented, their hands occupied with holding a bag, “How did you do it?”

“Lighter,” Hua Cheng pulled an actual lighter from his pocket while Xie Lian held in a snort, “Comes in handy sometimes.”

Shi Qingxuan squinted at both of them, “Sounds suspicious, but I have no complaints.”

Hua Cheng and Xie Lian gave each other a knowing look, not minding that the latter’s friend kept eyeing them suspiciously. However, Xie Lian started moving when everyone came back to gather around and finally take their respective places once they started laying out the blankets, letting them sit around the fire.

Xie Lian couldn’t help himself from looking around while the others were talking, fascinated that he got to experience such a thing in his college life. He didn’t expect for it to happen, really, since all he expected was a boring yet productive life similar to his highschool days. Perhaps it was because he let himself be open in trying things like this with his friends now.

Summoning Hua Cheng was also one thing he didn’t expect.

He glanced at the demon and as soon as the latter noticed, Hua Cheng gave him a bright smile. Xie Lian let out a soft amused huff as he returned the gesture, thinking that he was glad that his curiosity got the best of him and joined the others summoning the said demon, and the fact that they used his blood to be bound to him.

It was like fate, he thought.

Shi Qingxuan suddenly cleared their throat, gaining their attention, “So, I have another plan.”

“Oh, god. Not again,” Feng Xin grumbled, looking like he was ready to bolt away.

“Shush. It’s nothing bad,” Shi Qingxuan then presented the bag that they had been holding since earlier, “Tada! I have brought the necessary ingredients for s’mores!”

Xie Lian, He Xuan, and even Pei Ming clearly looked interested while Shi Wudu muttered under his breath that it was childish. It seemed that Shi Qingxuan heard it since they glared at their brother’s direction before keeping up their cheerful personality for the rest of them.

“What the hell are we gonna use to cook it, though?” Feng Xin asked with a raised brow, “I don’t think there’s anything in the kitchen–”

As soon as he said that, Mu Qing brought out something that looked like tools that were especially for s’mores. Mu Qing looked embarrassed as hell, but the others were mostly impressed.

“Stop looking at me and just take it,” he grumbled as he shoved the tools in someone else’s hands. He didn’t care who got it, all that mattered was that the attention would get diverted somewhere else.

“Don’t be embarrassed, Mu Qing!” Shi Qingxuan said, their voice both teasing and sincere, “It’s nice to see someone other than me being enthusiastic over camping!”

“Hey, I am contributing something, too!” Pei Ming countered.

Shi Qingxuan promptly glared at him, “And who asked, you himbo?!”

Ah, they still didn’t like Pei Ming’s guts.

That was definitely more than enough for the peaceful night to devolve into arguments, even dragging Mu Qing and Feng Xin in. Xie Lian wanted to intervene to calm things down, but Hua Cheng stopped him, clearly amused by the events happening at the moment.

Instead, Hua Cheng murmured near the human’s ear, “Maybe we should start on the s’mores while they’re fighting.”

Xie Lian laughed slightly, glancing at his friends then back to the flickering flames, “Are they really going to be okay?”

“I can put them to sleep if they won’t stop later.”

“Alright, then,” Xie Lian said, mildly amused, “Hopefully their argument will die down before that.”

The rest who were just sitting down watching the fight go down decided to just feed themselves. Ling Wen distributed enough for them and left the others’ share to the side. He Xuan couldn’t care less about the others, so he was the first one to do his own s’mores.

Once everything died down, the rest got their share and they enjoyed the rest of the food. Shi Qingxuan and Ling Wen started sharing scary stories that made both Feng Xin and Pei Ming almost drop their marshmallows in fear.

Hua Cheng surprisingly joined in the fun and made everyone but He Xuan and Xie Lian scared to the point that they demanded for the demon to stop it already. The demon king continued on, their complaints clearly falling on deaf ears.

Soon, he decided to tell his last story, saying that he had tortured them enough.

“It isn’t fair that you two,” Shi Qingxuan pointed at He Xuan and Xie Lian, “aren’t scared at all!”

“We’re not cowards,” He Xuan said as Xie Lian said at the same time, “Oh, it’s more fascinating to me than scary.”

The others continued telling stories; some were just stories that happened in their past rather than a horror story. Some were things that they planned to do once they got back and it wasn’t a surprise that most would either spend their time relaxing at their respective homes, or they would just drown themselves with the council work that they left behind for the trip.

Hua Cheng would mindlessly throw wood to the fire every now and then, and Xie Lian couldn’t help but watch. Sure, he was listening to Shi Wudu saying something about a celebration that would be held at school soon, but he was more attentive to what the demon was doing.

“Gege,” Hua Cheng said in a low tone, avoiding to get the others’ attention, “Getting bored already?”

Xie Lian hummed, resting his head on the demon’s shoulder comfortably, “No, not really. I just wanted to watch you.”

“I don’t think throwing wood is that interesting.”

“Well, you don’t need to do anything interesting to have my eyes on you.”

“Oh?” From the way Hua Cheng’s body shook slightly, the human could tell that he was holding in a chuckle, “Then, I’m glad that I have gege’s attention all to myself.”

Xie Lian held in a groan of embarrassment, but that didn’t stop his face from getting red. There was a flitting thought in his head that his cheeks might as well be as hot as the flames that kept them warm from the chilly air.

…

…

…

Once they were done, everyone somehow decided that it was time to retire and sleep. They weren’t sure of the time, but the sky was dark and the forest was silent aside from their loud voices. They might’ve stayed up longer if Feng Xin and Shi Qingxuan didn’t yawn out loud. They were quick to stand and pack everything in, already grumbling that cleaning was too much work after a long day.

“We can kill the fire,” Xie Lian said to Shi Qingxuan, “San Lang and I will stay behind.”

“Oh?” His friend was surprised and so was the mentioned demon king, “Do you need the blankets?”

Xie Lian didn’t know what they were implying, so he shook his head, “No. We’ll just walk around.”

“Okay, then,” Shi Qingxuan then went ahead to grab the rest of the blankets, “Don’t stay out too late!”

Xie Lian simply waved at them with a slightly awkward smile, watching as the others bid them goodnight with things filling their arms. Soon, one by one entered the cabin with everyone debating if they would put the items away now or just leave it when they would wake up.

He didn’t hear the rest of their conversation as the cabin door was closed shut, leaving him and the demon king alone outside. They were still by the fire that weakened as time passed. Hua Cheng remained silent, however, waiting for Xie Lian to speak up.

Then, the said man glanced at him, smiling softly, “Join me for a walk?”

Hua Cheng stared at him for a few moments before nodding, “Of course, gege.”

Xie Lian started walking just as the demon put out the fire with little effort. The latter caught up to him in no time, letting the comfortable silence and wraith butterflies lighting their way accompany them to what the demon assumed was the clearing they went to before.

It didn’t take long for them to arrive at the clearing. Xie Lian knew that Hua Cheng kept throwing curious and concerned glances at him, but he needed to prepare himself for the decision that had been on his mind for a good while now.

He watched as the wraith butterflies that he grew to love even more roam around the area, illuminating the clearing with a soft, silvery glow. Some flew over to the waterfall, its light reflecting on the water’s surface. Xie Lian still remained silent, walking aimlessly around and his eyes were landing on anything but the demon king accompanying him.

He had to admit that he was grateful that Hua Cheng was respecting his space, waiting for him. He had always been caring and attentive, making Xie Lian think that he didn’t deserve that treatment at all. Though, he could tell that the demon begged to differ on that thought.

Xie Lian sighed softly, finally stopping right where he could hear the waterfall roar loudly. Surprisingly, it wasn’t deafening despite the cold and quiet night. He could feel that Hua Cheng was right beside him; waiting and patient as ever.

“San Lang.”

Xie Lian’s smile was soft, lonely. His eyes were focused on the waterfalls, as if he was afraid to see what kind of face Hua Cheng was making at the moment.

The demon wanted to pull him close, but responded quietly instead, “Yes, gege?”

“I’m happy, you know,” Xie Lian said, his smile dimming slightly, “I got to try new experiences with both my friends and you. I even got to know these past few months…”

He felt like he was in a dream. There were small ups and downs, but that was the way of life. He could still genuinely say that his time those past few months were truly a joy.

“I didn’t expect to get acquainted with a demon,” he continued, chuckling a bit, “But I truly had the most fun with you. Even this trip was quite an experience.”

Xie Lian slowly fell silent after that, letting the demon take that in. It was ironic how it sounded like a goodbye when he didn’t want that at all. He wanted Hua Cheng to stay a little longer.

“Gege,” Hua Cheng finally said. His tone was slow, deliberate, “...You say you’re happy, but why do you look so sad?”

Xie Lian blinked slowly, not realizing the tears that were staining his cheeks. He quickly wiped it with the back of his hand, laughing wetly, “I’m sorry, San Lang. I don’t know what came over me.”

He gasped in surprise when Hua Cheng held his shoulders and turned him to finally be face to face with the demon. His eyes widened when he saw how much Hua Cheng looked like he was in pain; his brows pinched with distress, his lips formed to a frown.

“Something has been on your mind lately,” Hua Cheng didn’t frame it as a question and more as a statement, “I’d be lying if I said I haven’t noticed at all.”

Xie Lian averted his gaze, ashamed that he was caught, “...I thought I hid it well.”

“To the others, yes,” the demon said softly, squeezing the other’s shoulders gently, “Maybe I just know you too well, gege.”

He didn’t know what came over him (or perhaps he did), but Xie Lian stepped closer and wrapped his arms around the demon’s waist, holding him tightly as buried his face in that broad chest. Hua Cheng wasted no time in reciprocating the gesture, holding him just as tight.

“You’re too good to me,” Xie Lian mumbled, his words muffled by the fabric of the demon’s shirt.

“You deserve the world,” Hua Cheng responded in kind, “If you asked for it, I would give it to you in a heartbeat.”

Xie Lian bit his bottom lip when he felt that it was trembling. He didn’t want to cry on the other’s shirt, but Hua Cheng was giving him a hard time stopping himself. Instead, he gripped onto the other’s shirt tighter to ground himself.

“I don’t want you to leave, San Lang,” Xie Lian admitted softly, tears already threatening to spill again,  “I don’t want to be lonely again.”

He knew that he wasn’t technically alone, not when he had his friends by his side. But Hua Cheng filled a gap in his heart that he never knew existed until he had met him, and the thought of the demon leaving him hurt him so much that his body would recoil at the thought of it.

He… He couldn’t bear it.

“I will never leave you,” Hua Cheng said, like a promise or a prayer. His voice was both shaky and strong, he sounded so reverent, “I have too many stories to tell you that you haven’t heard yet.”

It was then that Xie Lian realized that the demon couldn’t bear it as well.

“But our contract…” he reminded the other as much as it pained him, “It’s coming to an end, San Lang. There’s… only a few months left.”

Hua Cheng held him tighter, “I… I know, gege. I have heard something that may give us an option–”

Xie Lian pulled back slightly, his cheeks wet with tears but his eyes were determined, “I’ll do it, then.”

“Gege,” Hua Cheng was slightly taken aback when Xie Lian said it without hesitation. He knew that Xie Lian was stubborn when it came to certain situations, so he didn’t argue. He then sighed fondly, “You haven’t heard what it entails yet. It might be dangerous, you know.”

“That doesn’t matter,” the other replied almost petulantly, “If there’s a way, then I’ll do it. Nothing you say will change my mind.”

“You should think about it carefully first…”

Xie Lian pulled away even more and before Hua Cheng could playfully complain about it, his hands flew to the demon’s face, cupping it gently. The demon’s eye widened as he studied the other’s face. Xie Lian looked like he was about to burst in embarrassment, but he kept going.

Adorable.

“I don’t need to think about it, San Lang. I know that my answer will be the same,” Xie Lian said firmly, pulling the demon closer to let their noses touch. He knew that his face was turning redder as time passed, but he didn’t care.

He closed his eyes as a soft and genuine smile appeared on his face, nuzzling his nose against the other’s, “After all, I have grown to love you so much that I couldn’t bear imagining a future without you.”

Xie Lian’s hands trembled nervously, knowing that he let those words slip past his lips. It was intentional; if he didn’t say it now, it might be too late for either of them was what he thought when he firmly decided.

He wasn’t sure if he was imagining things– Hua Cheng froze on the spot and his breath hitched. Xie Lian didn’t get to think more of it when he suddenly felt cool thin lips pressed against his own. He let out a soft sound of surprise, startled at the demon’s actions.

Once he recovered from the initial shock, he reciprocated the gesture. Though, he was embarrassed that he could feel his own inexperience with such things. After all, he hadn’t felt something like this with anyone until he met Hua Cheng.

He let his instincts and Hua Cheng guide him; his hands slowly fell to the demon’s shoulders, gripping him tightly as Hua Cheng wrapped his arms around his waist, flushing their bodies close. At first, their kiss was a simple press of the lips, then Hua Cheng led him with slow, reverent movements as if he was pouring out his emotions through his actions.

It was making Xie Lian dizzy with emotions that he couldn’t contain any longer.

He tried to pull Hua Cheng impossibly closer, as if they weren’t already close enough. But he forgot his strength and accidentally pulled them down to the soft grass, making them groan softly in pain once Xie Lian hit his back on the ground and Hua Cheng tried to keep his weight from crushing him.

Xie Lian was still holding him closer, but now they were looking each other in the eye as they caught their breaths. He would’ve teased the demon above him that his usually pale cheeks had a tint of red, but he knew that his own situation was worse.

“San Lang–”

“I love you.”

Xie Lian’s eyes widened when Hua Cheng said it with so much sincerity that it knocked the wind out of him. There was adoration and warmth in that dark eye that he thought that he would drown in it.

“I love you,” Hua Cheng repeated before leaning down to place a chaste kiss on Xie Lian’s lips, then his forehead and cheeks, and finally his nose. “I love you so much that I couldn’t find the right words to explain how I truly feel.”

The demon pulled back slightly to look the other in the eye, but he was surprised when there was an unexpected sound from the human.

Hua Cheng pouted when he realized that it was a laugh, “Gege– Gege, why are you laughing? Don’t you believe me?”

Xie Lian kept chuckling, pulling the other down again to hug him, “I’m sorry. I’m just– I’m very happy to hear that, San Lang. I love you, too.”

The demon’s expression immediately softened as he nuzzled his nose against the other’s neck, “Then, I’ll keep saying it until you get sick of it.”

“I don’t think I ever will.”

…

…

…

When it was getting too cold for Xie Lian to lay down in the grass, they both finally decided that they needed to return to the cabin. They were treading through the forest hand in hand and Xie Lian had to admit that he felt rather giddy about it, knowing that his feelings were actually reciprocated.

Once they made it to the cabin, Xie Lian made sure that they went inside and climbed the stairs as quietly as possible. He did his best to resist the mischievous handsome smile that Hua Cheng sported, knowing that he was planning to scare his friends.

He quickly dragged them to their room, aware that the lights of Shi Qingxuan’s room were on. He didn’t want his friend to question him more than he would in the morning, so they swiftly entered their room.

They didn’t even bother freshening up and headed straight to bed. Xie Lian was feeling cuddly, Hua Cheng noticed, and the demon let it be. After everything tonight, he felt the same way as well.

When they lay together in bed, they let the comfortable silence consume them as they held each other closer than ever before.

Chapter Text

Xie Lian wondered if his friends thought too late that it was a stupid idea.

Of course, Shi Qingxuan was the one who suggested that they should explore the forest one last time before heading home. After all, no one knew when they would return since they would either be busy or they wouldn’t feel like returning in the future at all. Still, they should’ve learned by now that Shi Qingxuan suggesting things was a recipe for chaos.

They never learned, obviously.

Xie Lian was walking right beside Hua Cheng, who was unbothered as ever. The former wanted to join the group since it might be indeed his last camping trip and he was mildly concerned for them. Something might happen to them even if the forest wasn’t exactly haunted.

Pei Ming, Ling Wen, and Shi Wudu stayed behind to make lunch, so their group wasn’t that huge. Either way, the remaining people could still potentially create more chaos than they would’ve had when the other three would be around.

“They’ll be fine, gege,” Hua Cheng said. The others were right in front of them and they were staying behind, but they weren’t too far. “There’s literally nothing here.”

“I know that,” Xie Lian sighed, “But, even with twigs on the ground could make a situation worse when it’s them involved.”

“Ah, I suppose you have a point.”

While they were walking, eyes darting everywhere with a clear view of the forest, Xie Lian couldn’t help but think of what happened last night. The kiss he shared with Hua Cheng was something he never expected to happen, but he was glad that finally gathered the courage to say something and that the demon king reciprocated his feelings just as much.

They were closer than ever; stealing kisses when the others weren’t looking, holding each other’s hand when they could, and basically sticking to each other like glue. Shi Qingxuan was already throwing questioning glares at Xie Lian, but he pretended that he didn’t understand or notice their looks at all.

It was still a bit embarrassing for Xie Lian.

Xie Lian reached out for Hua Cheng’s hand and the latter took it without a second thought, making the human smile. It was warm, perhaps even warmer than the rays of light filtering through the trees. They squeezed their hands at the same time, making them chuckle quietly.

Shi Qingxuan glanced back at them, “Hey, what are you two doing so far back?”

“Taking our time,” Xie Lian said, pulling Hua Cheng so they could step a bit forward, “We can still see you there.”

Besides, they were still close enough that his friend could hear him, or it was merely because his voice echoed in the relatively quiet forest. Shi Qingxuan gave them a suspicious look before turning ahead once more, annoying He Xuan one more time.

Feng Xin and Mu Qing were moving around in sync as well, looking like they would kill each other at any moment. Xie Lian wouldn’t even bother stopping them from the amount of times that he had to intervene the last few days. It was taxing as hell. Even worse than working on assignments the whole day.

With nothing much to look at, Xie Lian decided to sneak in a look at his boyfriend (yes, he was still taking everything in) and was surprised to see that the demon was already looking at him. His expression was fond and bright, and it got even brighter when their eyes met.

“Something on your mind, gege?” the demon asked.

Xie Lian shook his head, squeezing the other’s hand again, “I think I’m just… I feel like I’m dreaming.”

“About last night?”

“...Yes.”

Hua Cheng raised an amused brow at him, “What makes you say that?”

“Well, I just thought that you wouldn’t consider me , you know,” Xie Lian shrugged casually, “You’re a powerful man– quite literally and figuratively– and I’m just me.”

The demon took a quick glance at the group before leaning down to capture Xie Lian’s lips into a brief, gentle kiss. He pulled away with a smile, running his thumb over the back of Xie Lian’s hand comfortingly.

“I fell in love with you for that exact reason,” Hua Cheng murmured, delighted at the human’s flushed face, “Being you was the reason why I was intrigued in the first place.”

Xie Lian snorted a bit, still embarrassed but he was smiling now, “And not because of my blood?”

“Well, that as well, but that’s besides the point. You shouldn’t tease me so much, gege.”

“I can’t tease you, but you can tease me to no end?”

“You allow me, anyway,” Hua Cheng said cheekily, “But to play fair, I suppose I should let you poke fun at me as well.”

Xie Lian held himself back from rolling his eyes from both exasperation and adoration. Maybe he spoiled the demon too much with cuddles and a lenient attitude, but he did like doting on him just as much as Hua Cheng loved reciprocating the gesture as well.

They continued to walk around with more chatter and this time, Xie Lian would chime in on the discussion that the others were holding with Hua Cheng merely trailing behind. The demon was close enough to make Feng Xin and Mu Qing uncomfortable, but far enough to not feel suffocating. He just liked tormenting Xie Lian’s friends apparently.

The group passed by the river they were fishing at the other day, reminiscing the memories they created as if they hadn’t visited for more than twenty years. Then, they moved on and continued wandering around until they had made it to the waterfalls that they visited at first. It was a familiar sight to Xie Lian now considering that he had visited there more than once by now.

It was loud, the water crashing down the rocks, but it was oddly calming to them.

Shi Qingxuan was sighing as they hopped around, “It’s too bad there’s no place like this near the city. It can be a nice place to visit after finals, or something.”

“What for?” Mu Qing asked with a raised brow. Though, everyone could see that he liked the place, “There’s not a single place that holds its peace with you around.”

The other gasped in mock hurt, “How dare you?! I know when to be quiet when it’s needed!”

“Right. Like the time I asked you to shut up while I was concentrating for my exams,” He Xuan countered dryly.

“He-xiong! That’s utter betrayal!”

“I’m merely stating the truth.”

Xie Lian held in a laugh while Feng Xin was not gracious about it; he was already snorting his ass off while agreeing with He Xuan. Unsurprisingly, Shi Qingxuan took it as a fight and decided to cause more chaos than it already was.

“Don’t make me tell them that you cried during that first Pokemon Movie we watched months ago!”

“What the fuck–” Feng Xin wanted to strangle them, his face turning a bright red, “What’s the fucking point when you basically screamed it just now?!”

Mu Qing snickered, “What a baby.”

“You!” Feng Xin pointed an angry finger and growled at Mu Qing, “Shut the fuck up! The scene was fucking emotional, okay?!”

“Oh, yeah? What will you do if I don’t?!”

Then, it devolved into a fighting match where He Xuan, Xie Lian, and Hua Cheng started moving away from the other three that had their faces turning red in anger by the second.

“Well, I’m curious about the movie now,” Xie Lian muttered, darting his eyes back to his friends then to the waterfall, “If it made Feng Xin cry, then it must really be touching.”

Hua Cheng clicked his tongue, but his voice was soft, “We can look it up when we get back, gege. That’s not a problem.” Then, he glared at the three who were still fighting, “Your friends are really annoying.”

Xie Lian laughed, shaking his head, “I’d prefer saying endearing , but you have a point. They can get out of hand sometimes. I’m sorry about that, San Lang.”

“It’s not your fault that they’re insufferable, gege,” Hua Cheng averted his gaze to the human beside him, “You’re just too nice.”

There was a small tug at the corner of Xie Lian’s lips, “Maybe I am.”

Perhaps he was too nice like Hua Cheng said, or maybe it was because they were the people that stuck with him for a long time and that they saw both each other’s good and bad sides, completely (or reluctantly) accepting each other.

Xie Lian shook his head as his thoughts continued to run in his mind. He wouldn’t interfere with their fight for now.

Then, he glanced back around to actually do what they came there for: To admire the view one more time. He drowned out the noises from his friends as he took everything in with a soft sigh. He was glad that Hua Cheng was still standing beside him, silently observing him in the process.

“You look like you’re going to miss this place,” the demon pointed out.

Xie Lian hummed, “I guess. We made a lot of memories here, after all.”

His traitorous mind immediately flashed back to the events last night; from his bold confession, to their shared kisses. He could feel the heat creeping up his neck as he wished that he could fade away for a moment.

It must’ve been obvious on his face since he heard a chuckle from beside him. He sent a heated glare at the demon and the latter merely sent him a knowing look and smile. Xie Lian hated (or loved) that he couldn’t exactly be mad at Hua Cheng even if the demon was too mischievous sometimes.

“Gege’s thoughts are wandering.”

Xie Lian averted his gaze and faked a cough, “No such thing.”

Liar , he told himself. His whole face was probably redder than Hua Cheng’s shirt by now.

“Okay, gege,” the demon conceded, a playful smirk still present on his face, “How about I give you a distraction?”

“...A distraction?” Xie Lian’s eyes flickered at the other, curious. When he saw the roguish look on the demon’s face, he could take a guess, “Are you going to pull something on them, San Lang?” 

“Maybe,” Hua Cheng’s grin grew wider, “Just a little heart attack, if you’d let me.”

If Xie Lian felt like it, he would’ve asked the demon to stop. But just like Hua Cheng’s first prank, he didn’t. As soon as he gave a nod of approval, the demon’s eye glinted in delight, his mind already brewing whatever diabolical plan he wanted to execute just for shit and giggles.

Once they diverted their attention to the group, they had already calmed down by now. Shi Qingxuan returned to He Xuan’s side, gushing about something that no one could understand. The other demon king didn’t even hide his scowling face and the fact that he wanted to run away right then and there.

Soon, they decided to head back to the forest when He Xuan complained that he was hungry and wanted to eat lunch already and Shi Qingxuan was so whipped that they would literally drag everyone else back if they wouldn’t listen.

They trekked through the forest again and oddly enough, they still somehow ended up in the same order with Feng Xin and Mu Qing leading them and Xie Lian and Hua Cheng trailing behind the four. After all, it was the perfect place just so the demon could start with his plan.

Xie Lian and Hua Cheng exchanged knowing looks before the demon’s eye looked back at the group with an impish smirk. He quietly snapped his fingers like he always would whenever he would activate his magic. There was a time Xie Lian wondered if the snap really helped or if it was for show.

Immediately enough, there was the rustling of the trees and it made the others jump considering it didn’t sound like the wind.

“What was that?” Shi Qingxuan looked around and flinched when there was more rustling accompanied with a shake of the ground.

He Xuan squinted to the right, “It’s probably nothing.”

The ground shook again and Feng Xin grunted, “Earthquake?”

Before anyone could reply, there was a huge being that suddenly appeared. It casted a large shadow, its body covering them from the sun and it was terrifying with its size. It was bigger than any tree, even more so with its horns, its demonic eyes (there were four!) shining dangerously at them, and its long black hair covered most of his face, saving the long fangs that were peeking out of its lips.

The demon growled at them, taking a step towards them. The ground shook as it did and that was when they realized that there was a demon right in front of them.

“What the fuck?! Is that an actual demon?!” Mu Qing reacted first and started running.

“W-Why is there a fucking demon?!” Feng Xin screamed, his usually deep voice got an octave or two higher as he ran after Mu Qing. “They actually exist?!”

He Xuan didn’t look scared (more like bored), so he grabbed the frozen Shi Qingxuan and dragged them away from the demon, following the first two through the forest. Meanwhile, Xie Lian had to make a show that he was running as well, glancing at Hua Cheng every now and then.

The said demon looked smug as he ran right beside Xie Lian. The large demon was “running” after them; its pace was slow and there wasn’t a lick of killing intent from it. Its appearance, however, was enough to scare the others to not even sense anything from it. As they ran, Xie Lian thought that the demon looked similar to Hua Cheng’s true form when they met for the first time. Only this time, the fake demon was larger and more sinister looking.

‘Maybe I should’ve stopped him this time around,’ Xie Lian thought as he continued to run. He could tell that his friends were freaking out more than they did during Hua Cheng’s first prank, but maybe it was because they could see the threat as bright as day.

As they approached the clearing with the cabin still a few feet away, Hua Cheng made the demon disappear with a wave of his hand. The only time the others noticed that the tremors stopped was when they collapsed on the grass with a loud grunt. Feng Xin was at the bottom of the pile, so he was suffering the most compared to Mu Qing, Shi Qingxuan, and He Xuan that were on top of him.

(Note: Never ask why the demon fell down, too.)

Xie Lian approached them with an awkward laugh before he tried to catch his breath, “Are you guys alright? I think it’s gone now.”

Feng Xin, Mu Qing, and Shi Qingxuan were too tired to respond aside from grunts and a thumbs up.

“Tell your stupid boyfriend that I want to strangle him,” He Xuan grunted without looking at the human, already exerted all his energy from running.

Xie Lian laughed again, scratching his cheek, “Uh–”

“Then, do it,” Hua Cheng said haughtily as soon as he stood right beside Xie Lian, “Or are you still that weak?”

He Xuan mumbled angrily and threw a dirty look at the other demon king, “You piece of shit.”

Xie Lian stood in between them, blocking He Xuan’s line of vision, “Now, now. Let’s not get hasty. Besides, we should probably help them up so we can go inside.”

“Well, if it wasn’t for him, then we wouldn’t be having this problem now, would we?”

“Who said it’s my fault?” Hua Cheng scoffed, “You might've angered the ghosts that reside here.”

“But there’s no ghosts!” Shi Qingxuan complained weakly, their voice strained under He Xuan’s weight.

“You’re not sure about that.”

As Xie Lian watched them devolve to a debate, he wondered if it was too late to just walk away and eat lunch with Ling Wen and the others.

Well, at least the trip would end on an interesting note.

“A-Lian!”

Xie Lian froze by the school gates as soon as he heard his friend’s familiar. He turned around just in time to catch Shi Qingxuan in his arms, a very comfortable greeting that he had long got used to. It felt like it had been awhile since they had done it, however.

“A new semester, yet you’re still like that?” Mu Qing clicked his tongue, already approaching the two.

“I don’t mind,” Xie Lian laughed while Shi Qingxuan looked back to stick out their tongue at Mu Qing, “We’ve been busy recently.”

With the new semester came new subjects and more projects. So, while Xie Lian could still hang out with Feng Xin and Mu Qing, he couldn’t say the same for the others. Their departments were busier, but that didn’t mean that Xie Lian had less workload. It was just… a bit complicated, but fulfilling.

“You got a shift today at Yushi Huang’s, right?” Shi Qingxuan asked, still not letting him go, “Can we go?”

Xie Lian raised his brows, “...Are you there to annoy Banyue again? She already told you she won’t give more materials to blackmail Pei Ming.”

“I would do no such thing!” Shi Qingxuan exclaimed, feigning hurt as they pulled themselves away from Xie Lian, “She’s very fun to hang out with!”

Xie Lian didn’t believe them one bit, but he let it slide knowing that his friend wouldn’t budge. He looked over at Mu Qing, Feng Xin, and He Xuan, “What about you guys, then?”

“I’m still not done with the assignment prof gave us yesterday,” Mu Qing replied, then glared at Feng Xin, “Meanwhile, this idiot hasn’t started yet.”

“I was busy, okay?!”

“Busy doing what? You don’t have a part time job like Xie Lian,” Mu Qing countered with a scoff, “And he managed to finish it last night .”

“Don’t be too hard on him, Mu Qing,” Xie Lian said placatingly with an awkward chuckle, “You guys can go ahead, then, so you can have more time to work on it.”

Feng Xin and Mu Qing looked reluctant to leave, most likely wanting to join them but due to circumstances, they couldn’t. In the end, they bid them farewell and left them all alone by the gates where no one was luckily not paying them any mind. It would be a bit embarrassing if people kept watching their antics.

Xie Lian kept his eyes on them until they were out of sight. Then, he looked over at He Xuan, “How about you?”

The demon king huffed, “I have business to attend to.”

And from his tone, Xie Lian could tell that it was something that Hua Cheng ordered him to do. He wasn’t sure if Yin Yu would be there to help, but even if he was there, He Xuan didn’t look too excited to work on whatever it was.

“Aw, He-xiong. Couldn’t that wait?” Shi Qingxuan whined.

“No,” He Xuan glared at Xie Lian and the latter raised his hands defensively. He didn’t do anything, in case the demon king forgot. “It can’t. Unless I have a death wish.”

Shi Qingxuan furrowed their brows, “What kind of business is that makes you fear for your life?”

He Xuan stared blankly at them before saying, “Bye.”

“He-xiong, you didn’t even answer me!”

The demon king picked up his pace, hastily walking away from them before anyone could even stop him. Shi Qingxuan tried to go after him, but Xie Lian easily held them back with a sigh, hoping that He Xuan would run faster .

“A-Lian, I can’t believe you’re siding with him,” Shi Qingxuan pouted at him, though they didn’t look mad in the slightest.

Xie Lian smiled at them, “He Xuan looked like he was in a hurry. Let it slide for now, yeah? You can talk to him about it tomorrow.”

Shi Qingxuan eyed him for a moment and finally relented with a sigh, “Fine, only because you asked me, A-Lian.”

“Good,” Xie Lian replied, then thought, ‘Good luck, He Xuan.’

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Shi Qingxuan hooked their arm around his and said cheerfully, “Now, come on! Let’s not keep Yushi Huang and Banyue waiting!”

“Hi, we’re back!”

Xie Lian sighed when Shi Qingxuan barged with a large grin on their face. Luckily, there weren’t any customers at the moment, so their booming voice didn’t startle anyone. The only one who was shocked was the girl behind the counter. Banyue immediately recovered, however, as she plastered the customer service smile.

“Welcome back,” Banyue said, her voice strained, “I hope you’re not here for that .”

Shi Qingxuan gasped, “No way! I’m here as a normal customer this time, so don’t worry!”

Banyue looked at them suspiciously before sighing, shaking her head. Xie Lian chuckled softly, carefully guiding Shi Qingxuan out of the way, “Sorry, Banyue. I didn’t stop them in time.”

“It’s fine, Xie-ge. I know there’s no stopping them, anyways.”

“Hey, I’m still here!”

Xie Lian and Banyue looked at each other before breaking into giggles, not minding the pout that Shi Qingxuan kept sending their way. Then, just in time, Yushi Huang emerged from the back to greet them with that usual gracefulness of hers, smiling politely at them. Shi Qingxuan immediately fling themselves towards her, complaining that Banyue and Xie Lian were bullying them.

Yushi Huang looked resigned but still helpful, asking if they wanted their usual coffee and pastry to make them feel better, fully distracting Shi Qingxuan.

Xie Lian took that cue to run off to the back to put his things in his locker so he could start working.

He passed by the kitchen, greeting Hei Niu and Xiao Ying in the process. They were busy as usual, but they greeted him back anyway. Xie Lian flashed them a quick smile before heading to the locker room and threw his things on his own after sending a quick text to Hua Cheng that he was going to start his shift. Then, he grabbed his apron and headed back to the front where Shi Qingxuan was still chatting by the counter with the other two.

“Oh, Xie-ge,” Banyue took notice of him immediately, “You’re back already.”

“I was worried about you,” Xie Lian replied, glancing at Shi Qingxuan before returning to Banyue, “Just in case.”

He then joined Banyue behind the counter, enjoying the fact that it looked like it was going to be a slow day. While it wasn’t exactly good for the business, it was definitely good for his sanity and that he could talk with the three comfortably. Their topics would jump from different ones and it was normal when it was Shi Qingxuan leading the conversation. Luckily, the other two weren’t put off, going with the flow with ease.

Every now and then, Banyue would steal glances at Xie Lian. The latter was curious about what was on her mind, but he remained silent and tried to focus more on Shi Qingxuan to not pressure her. He could  tell that she was going to break at any moment, anyway.

And, he jinxed it.

Banyue nudged him slightly, “Xie-ge.”

Three pairs of eyes looked at her curiously. Xie Lian smiled, “Yes?”

“Is your boyfriend going to pick you up?”

Xie Lian blinked, surprised by her question. From the look in her eyes, he could tell that she was trying to tease him. Perhaps if she asked that months ago, he would’ve been so red by now and wished that he could run away from them as far as possible. In the end, Hua Cheng showered him with so much love and kisses (and bites, but no one needed to know that) that it reduced his embarrassment a bit.

“Oh, yes,” he replied so casually that it threw all of them off, “Why? Do you need to talk to San Lang?”

Banyue stared, faltering for a second, “Oh… Not really… I was just curious.”

Xie Lian held his laughter in, “I see.”

“Wait,” Shi Qingxuan slammed their hands on the counter, almost spilling the coffee near them, “You guys are together together ?”

This time, Xie Lian didn’t hold it in anymore. He laughed with a nod, “En, since the camping trip. I suppose I forgot to tell you about that.”

“The betrayal!” his friend exclaimed and the others wholeheartedly agreed, “That was months ago, A-Lian!”

“Things got busy. It slipped my mind,” Xie Lian said defensively. It wasn’t exactly true, but it wasn’t entirely false. Either way, it didn’t please Shi Qingxuan, “I’m sorry, A-Xuan.”

Shi Qingxuan huffed, “I’ll forgive you if you tell me how good your San Lang is in bed!”

Now, Xie Lian’s face was fully red as he sputtered, “A-Xuan!”

“What?! I’m sure the guy would shoot his shot the moment you agree! Now, tell me if he’s good or not!”

“I don’t think that’s something I should share–”

“Maybe if you told me sooner, I wouldn’t ask this!” A complete and utter lie. They would still ask regardless.

Xie Lian was wrong; he still wanted to run away from them as far as possible.

Time flew by pretty fast.

Xie Lian was sitting down by the counter; a coffee cup in one hand and his phone in the other. He had almost slept through his alarm for staying up way too late finishing his assignments, but luckily he had Hua Cheng with him to drag him out of bed and into the shower.

At the moment, the said demon was preparing their breakfast. Xie Lian still had time, so he could eat with Hua Cheng no problem. The only thing that was distracting him, however, was something that he had been staring at his phone for a good ass while.

It was the calendar.

Maybe it was stupid to open it to see their remaining days together coming to an end right before his eyes. He sounded a bit dramatic, but having a month left with their contract wasn’t exactly a comfortable spot.

If he were to be honest, Xie Lian was quite upset that he and Hua Cheng didn’t get to talk about their contract when they got home from the camping trip, acting like it never existed as they lived out their blissful days. While Xie Lian was happy that they got to be more intimate and closer than before, there was still the fear that he would wake up all alone one day.

He closed his phone when Hua Cheng set down a plate of meat buns in front of him and the demon was holding the coffee pot, slightly gesturing to it.

“Do you want more?”

Xie Lian looked up at him and smiled; a little thing that didn’t reach his eyes like usual, “En, thank you.”

Hua Cheng’s piercing eye was on him, pouring coffee in Xie Lian’s cup without spilling any of it. The latter would comment about it, but from the way the demon looked at him, it wasn’t the right moment to say anything comedic.

“Is it about a project?” Hua Cheng asked, returning the coffee pot somewhere with a flick of his wrist just so Xie Lian couldn’t escape his gaze, “Or, is it something else, gege?”

Xie Lian looked down at his phone, then back at the demon. Hua Cheng looked concerned more than anything, knowing that Xie Lian’s mood had shifted ever since he held his phone. He didn’t mean for it to be obvious, but Hua Cheng had always been able to read him no matter how well he covered his feelings up.

He swallowed a lump in his throat. He couldn’t understand why it was hard to say it out loud. It was a problem that the both of them should solve; not dwell on the possibility of losing each other.

Hua Cheng frowned slightly before finally saying, “It’s something else, then.”

Xie Lian lowered his gaze, “It’s just stress, San Lang. Don’t worry.”

The demon’s frown deepened, his eye searching for something that he couldn’t quite place, “Gege…”

It was obvious that Hua Cheng wanted to ask him what was wrong and what he could do to fix it, but the demon was afraid that it would pressure Xie Lian instead rather than soothing his worries. In the end, he remained quiet, standing close to the human with clenched fists.

Xie Lian took notice of that and immediately reached out to gingerly hold Hua Cheng’s fist in an attempt to calm him down, “San Lang…”

“Sorry, gege,” the demon murmured, slowly unclenching his fist to intertwine his hands with the other, “I couldn’t help but worry seeing your face like that…”

The human then tugged his hand and Hua Cheng let himself be pulled, engulfing each other into a tight hug. It felt warm and safe in each other's arms that Xie Lian couldn’t help but tighten his hold even more, as if he was afraid that the demon would disappear without him knowing.

“I should be the one saying sorry,” Xie Lian murmured, burying his face in the demon’s shirt, “There has been something on my mind lately.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Xie Lian sighed, wondering what was stopping him. Fear? Perhaps. In reality, he shouldn’t be scared at all. It was Hua Cheng he was talking to, after all.

“Our contract… San Lang, it will end in a month.”

The demon stiffened at that and Xie Lian could understand why. It was a topic that they had been avoiding for a good while now. It was a bit sensitive, thinking what the future would hold for the both of them and now that they were aware of their feelings and acted on it, it was even more difficult to think about it.

“I know,” came the soft reply.

Xie Lian’s hands gripped onto the demon’s shirt, “I told you before, San Lang. I don’t want to lose you.”

“I know, gege,” Hua Cheng swallowed a lump in his throat, “And I have been researching methods… but…”

Xie Lian pulled away slightly, just enough to look Hua Cheng in the eye, “But what?”

Did the demon king change his mind about him?

“Don’t look at me like that, gege,” Hua Cheng murmured, his hand moving to cup the human’s cheek gently, “I still want you to be by my side, of course. That will never change.”

Xie Lian bit his lip. The demon could read him so well.

“Then, what’s wrong, San Lang?”

Hua Cheng looked away and it was the first time Xie Lian saw him so nervous, “Gege, this thing… It’s a serious matter. It’s not an easy decision to make. It’s your life –”

“And I understand that,” Xie Lian cut him off. He would’ve felt bad if it were any other time, but it was a special case at the moment, “I know that you may have viewed it as an impulse when I said it before, but I know what I’m getting into, San Lang. I’m not changing my mind.”

“Gege…”

“I’m serious, San Lang.”

Hua Cheng returned his gaze to the human, now fully seeing the adamant look in Xie Lian’s eyes. His jaw was fixed and he was frowning slightly. The demon, of course, knew that Xie Lian wasn’t reckless for such a huge decision such as this, but it still worried him to no end. Though, that kind of feeling wasn’t what Xie Lian was looking for.

He was waiting for the demon to meet him halfway.

“I know, gege,” Hua Cheng lowered his head, “But maybe you should think about it a bit longer.”

“We haven’t talked about it since the camping,” Xie Lian retorted gently, knowing that it was hard on the demon as well, “I had a lot of time to think about it.” Then, Xie Lian hugged him again, “I promise, San Lang. I won’t regret it.”

The demon slightly winced at his words before nodding slowly, Xie Lian’s sincerity was seeping through his clothes and burning his skin like the hottest flame.

“Are you sure?” Hua Cheng asked hesitantly.

“En,” Xie Lian replied without missing a beat, “I am.”

Silence fell upon them for a few moments, as if they were letting their words sink in and weigh on them. Both of them knew that neither could wait any longer, so Hua Cheng finally steeled himself and relented, giving in to Xie Lian’s wishes. After all, he wanted it to come true as well.

“Gege…”

“Hm?”

…

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Hua Cheng took a deep breath before pulling Xie Lian impossibly closer, burying his nose on top of the human’s head. Maybe he should’ve felt bad for delaying their breakfast and the possibility of Xie Lian coming to university on time, but he knew that Xie Lian wouldn’t care about that unless they would settle their conversation right then and there.

“The safest ritual I saw was something that Yin Yu gave me,” Hua Cheng started, his hands running through the human’s back comfortingly, “It could grant you immortality and a permanent bond with the demon you are going to do the ritual with.”

“A permanent bond?”

“En,” the demon sighed softly, “It means that we’ll find each other no matter what.”

“Oh,” came the muffled response. “Like a red string of fate, then?”

Hua Cheng chuckled, “En. Just like that, but the string resides within us. Is gege scared now?”

“Not in the least,” Xie Lian shook his head, still determined, “What do we need to do?”

“We need to arrange a place that’s quiet enough,” Hua Cheng said slowly, “There’s a specific circle that we can ask Yin Yu to handle and we’ll stand at the center of it.”

“Well, that doesn’t sound so bad,” the human mused.

“That’s not all,” the demon said, “Like our current contract, to make the bond strong, we must be bound by blood.”

Meaning…

Xie Lian pulled away again to meet the demon’s gaze, “Then, I suppose we need to drink each other’s blood?”

Hua Cheng’s eye widened, “Yes, you’re right, gege. Are you… disgusted by it?”

Xie Lian shook his head, “No, not really. I kind of expected it, really.” Then, he smiled at the other, “Well, it seems like something that San Lang should handle to make sure everything will work perfectly.”

For a moment, the demon looked stunned, but it slowly melted into a soft and endeared smile, “Of course. San Lang will make sure that it’s safe for you.”

“And you,” Xie Lian pointed out.

“And me,” Hua Cheng easily relented, “It may take some time, but I’ll make sure that Yin Yu will prepare everything within a week or two. Can gege wait until then?”

“Of course,” Xie Lian agreed softly, turning his head slightly to nuzzle into the demon’s touch, “I can always wait as long as it’s for you.”

Charmed, Hua Cheng leaned down to place a gentle kiss on Xie Lian’s forehead and cheek before murmuring, “Then, it’s settled. I’ll contact Yin Yu after we eat breakfast, yes?”

The human nodded and only then he felt that his stomach rumbled in protest. His head was spinning before eating anything, so he was hungrier than ever. They slowly let each other go and the demon reheated everything from the coffee to the buns in the blink of an eye. Magic did have a lot of benefits.

They both ate in relative silence, now more comfortable compared to earlier. Xie Lian would occasionally check on his phone, replying to his friends since they were pretty much worried that he would be late from staying up too late like last time.

When Xie Lian looked up from his phone, Hua Cheng was already looking at him with a smile on his face and he couldn’t help but return the gesture, his chest warming up with love.

With that exchange, Xie Lian knew that everything would end well as long as they were together.

Chapter Text

Xie Lian kept glancing at his phone, checking to see if there were any messages and what time it was.

It was a strange sight for his friends. He was never the type that had his eyes stuck to the screen, but he simply couldn’t stay away from it. Xie Lian was anxious, fidgety. Even if he saw the questioning gazes from his friends, he didn’t bother acknowledging them. It wasn’t like they could understand why he would even be nervous.

They were at their last class and if someone were to ask Xie Lian: no, he didn’t listen at all. Regardless, it was probably his rare good luck that their professor never called him to recite something and class was finally dismissed.

Xie Lian was quick to pack his things; his notebook, pen, and other papers were shoved in his bag before he checked on his phone again. No word from Hua Cheng or Yin Yu yet. He had always been a patient guy, so to think that he was restless now was surprising in itself.

Still, he walked with Feng Xin and Mu Qing, drowning out whatever they were arguing about this time. Maybe it was to decide what they would have for dinner or something like that. They had always tried to act normal if Xie Lian was being weird.

“Oh,” Feng Xin suddenly said, mid-fighting as his eyes were focused ahead, “Look. It’s Shi Qingxuan.”

“You act like that isn’t a normal occurrence,” Mu Qing rolled his eyes, “They tend to wait by the gate.”

“Well, if you haven’t noticed, they haven’t been doing that for almost a week,” Feng Xin turned to Xie Lian, “Right?”

Xie Lian blinked as he looked at his friend, mind blank, “Oh, I’m sorry, Feng Xin. I didn’t catch what you said.”

Feng Xin looked like he wanted to throw his hands up in the air, but simply huffed instead, “You’ve been distracted all day. Don’t deny it, by the way. We see you looking at your phone the whole damn day.”

“You’re being weird,” Mu Qing surprisingly agreed, “Are you waiting for something?”

“Yes– Wait, no, I’m not,” Xie Lian quickly said. From how nervous he was, he might get a cold sweat. He would sometimes forget that none of his friends (except He Xuan) knew about Hua Cheng’s origins and why he was here in the first place.

“Which one is it?”

“I’m waiting for San Lang to message me,” Xie Lian laughed awkwardly, “I promised him that I’ll join him outside for dinner.”

It wasn’t even entirely a lie. He was waiting for the demon to message him and he was going somewhere outside with him. It just wasn’t ‘dinner’. Well, they could do it after once they succeeded or even before that. Regardless, he just wished that his friends wouldn’t question him further.

Luckily for him, both his friends’ faces contorted in disgust.

“Don’t tell us the details,” Mu Qing said sourly, “And please learn to hide your marks. It’s too obvious lately.”

Xie Lian coughed at that. Maybe he should try telling the demon king to stop marking him where it’s too visible for now.

They continued walking until they approached Shi Qingxuan who was already excited once their eyes laid on their group. They were bubbly and cheery, explaining in a flurry of words why they were not present for the last few days. Apparently, they had an important project assigned to them that even Shi Qingxuan had to stay focused on to finish it.

Now that it was over, they said that they could hang out again.

“It’s been a long time since we ate together at the cafe,” Shi Qingxuan said, as if the group didn’t do that two weeks ago, “Let’s catch up! I have some new gossip from the past few weeks.”

“Of course you do,” Feng Xin mumbled, “I’m going if you’re treating.”

“You’re such a freeloader.”

“Hey– I am not!”

“Right, talk to me when you remember the times when I kept paying for your coffee last sem and the sem before that, hm?”

“I didn’t ask you to pay for it–”

“Oh, so you’re being ungrateful now?!”

Xie Lian held in a sigh. He never knew that there would be a day where he would witness Feng Xin and Shi Qingxuan bicker. Even Mu Qing was surprised, but he hid it while rolling his eyes, muttering something like how immature they were being. The other two must’ve heard it when they sent a look at him, as if telling him that he couldn’t say anything like that.

When they kept arguing, Xie Lian felt his phone vibrate in his hand. He risked a glance and he saw that Hua Cheng messaged him, telling him that everything was almost set. That made him realize that he shouldn’t wait too long anymore.

“Oh, guys,” Xie Lian said loudly enough to gain their attention. He waved his phone with a small smile, “San Lang is, ah, looking for me. I’ll go ahead.”

“What?” Shi Qingxuan gasped dramatically, “You’re ditching us for your date?!”

Xie Lian laughed awkwardly, scratching his cheek, “Ah, yes.”

He wasn’t sure if he could classify holding a ritual as a date, but anything to make them awkward enough to back off. It worked well with Feng Xin and Mu Qing, but Shi Qingxuan looked like they wanted to pry him for details. Luckily, it was like they remembered that Hua Cheng wasn’t… fond of nosy people at all.

“Fine,” Shi Qingxuan huffed, “We’ll let you go for now. I know that your boyfriend won’t be too happy if we keep you here for too long.”

Even if it had been awhile, Xie Lian’s cheeks still went red whenever he heard the term boyfriend . It might be silly, but Hua Cheng found it endearing. Well, the demon would always find the human’s interaction adorable even if it wasn’t exactly that kind of definition.

“I’ll make it up to you guys,” Xie Lian promised as he started walking, “I’ll contact you guys later!”

Before any of them could even reply, Xie Lian had already turned away and started running. He could feel the anxiousness mixed with excitement bubbling inside him once more, wondering how everything would go.

But he didn’t have any doubt that they would be able to execute it perfectly.

“San Lang?”

As soon as Xie Lian arrived at the apartment, he frantically opened the door and called out for his demon. He hadn’t seen him in the morning, so he already missed him despite the fact that they had been together the night prior. He felt embarrassed about it first, but the demon assured him that he felt the same way.

“Dianxia,” Yin Yu greeted him.

Xie Lian was startled, the other demon’s presence not registering to him until now. He turned towards Yin Yu who was standing by the living room, expression calm and the way he stood was not as alert as the human expected.

“Yin Yu,” he replied. “Where’s San Lang?”

“He’s making the final preparations for the ritual,” the demon explained, “I told him that I could do it but he wanted it to be perfect for you.”

Xie Lian shook his head fondly, his anxiousness slowly fading away, “That sounds just like him.”

“En. He told me to bring you there once you’re ready.”

“Oh,” Xie Lian looked around, his apartment quiet aside from the two of them, “I guess I can be fine like this? Let me just put my bag somewhere.”

Yin Yu nodded and remained in place while Xie Lian moved around the apartment. The latter was checking up on Ruoye before he set his bag in his bedroom, not wanting to delay things any further. When he was done, he approached the demon and told him that he was done with everything.

“Alright,” Yin Yu pointed at the spot near him, “Stay close, dianxia. I’ll teleport us there.”

For a moment, Xie Lian was surprised at his words but then again, he shouldn’t. Of course they would be able to teleport to places they wanted to. It was more convenient and definitely faster compared to using a car, or something like that. Xie Lian stood right beside him, waiting for something to happen.

“...Close your eyes, dianxia. You might get sick.”

“Oh, right. Sorry.”

Xie Lian closed his eyes, lips pursed. His nerves were returning to the point that he didn’t hear Yin Yu snapping his fingers and the feeling of the space around them warping at the pressure of the demon’s magic. It didn’t take long for Yin Yu to request him to open his eyes and when Xie Lian did, he was met with a different environment.

It looked like a warehouse that was well kept, but mostly empty. Perhaps it looked nice because Hua Cheng made it so. He also noticed that it was quiet outside, so it must be located pretty far away from the city.

When he looked around, Yin Yu had already disappeared. While he did wonder where he went off to, his attention was caught by the circle that wasn’t too far from where he was standing. He walked closer, curiosity getting to him. It looked different from the circle that they drew before but it was because what they had was a summoning circle.

This one, on the other hand, looked more complicated. It didn’t look like it could be made by humans with its intricate details and a language that most likely didn’t exist in the human realm. The more he observed, the more he noticed other details. More inscriptions he couldn’t read and three circles within it. The one in the center was larger than the other two.

Xie Lian stood in his place, not daring to enter the circle without Hua Cheng yet. He quietly looked at it, wondering how the ritual would go. Then, he suddenly felt a presence near him and if he wasn’t used to it, he might’ve gone to a combative mode. So, he didn’t even flinch when strong arms wrapped around his waist and a nose nuzzled at the crook of his neck.

“What do you think, gege?”

Xie Lian hummed, leaning back as he took in the warmth that Hua Cheng was emanating from his body. It was comforting to him, “It looks good, San Lang. Did you make it?”

“The complicated symbols, yes,” Hua Cheng replied before kissing the human’s smooth skin, “Yin Yu did the rest.”

Xie Lian turned his head just so he could kiss the demon’s cheek, “I missed you.”

“I missed gege as well.”

The two stayed in their place, relishing each other’s presence. As Hua Cheng held Xie Lian close, the latter wondered if the demon could hear his heart racing in anticipation the more he looked at the circle in front of him.

After a while, Hua Cheng murmured in his ear, “Is gege ready for the ritual?”

“En,” Xie Lian nodded, “We can start now?”

“If that’s what you want. Yin Yu is just outside to guard the area. Other than him, we’re alone.”

Xie Lian hummed again before he nodded to himself, “Alright. Let’s do it, then.”

Hearing how firm the human was, Hua Cheng didn’t hesitate to comply at all. The demon slowly loosened his grip around his waist before he guided him to one of the circles. Xie Lian merely watched him do whatever he needed to do; kneeling down right before the circle as he muttered chants, tracing his sharp nail around the painted (or was it drawn in blood?) shape.

After a few moments, Hua Cheng stood up and gestured towards it, “Gege, care to do the honors?”

“Of course,” Xie Lian stepped closer and outstretched his hand.

The demon looked hesitant for a brief second, but he took out a small knife right out of his pocket and handed it over to the human before him. Xie Lian took it and without missing a beat, he made a small cut on his finger. Then, he hovered it over the circle, watching a droplet of blood stain the ground.

“That’s enough,” the demon said as he held Xie Lian’s hand, quickly healing the cut, “Let’s go to the other one.”

They then made their way to the other circle and Hua Cheng was swift with his movements. He used one of his nails to let a drop of blood fall in the center of the circle and healed it just as fast. Xie Lian was in awe as he observed his every move even if the demon was pretty nonchalant about drawing his own blood.

Hua Cheng glanced at him, a small smirk playing on his lips, “I see you’re entertained.”

“You can say that,” Xie Lian smiled at him, “I just want to admire San Lang’s good looks.”

“You flatter me, gege. But we both know that you’re more handsome than I.”

Then human sputtered at Hua Cheng’s words and the demon merely chuckled in response, gently guiding him to the center. The demon knew that Xie Lian was nervous, so distracting him with blatant compliments would work almost every time and luckily for the both of them, today was no exception. The familiarity of it seemed to ease Xie Lian’s nerves that his heart wasn’t racing as fast as earlier.

“Don’t be nervous, gege,” the demon said soothingly, “I’m here with you.”

They were standing in the middle of the circle face to face, both smiling at each other. Xie Lian got the gist of the ritual: they would have to consume each other’s blood. It would be a stronger bond than a blood contract since they would have it inside them at the same time, tying their destiny for eternity. It wasn’t something that could be easily broken, so Xie Lian understood why Hua Cheng asked him to think carefully.

But he had never been more sure in his life than when he decided that he wanted to spend his life (well, eternity) with the demon before him.

“I know,” Xie Lian replied, his body relaxing the more Hua Cheng sent him comforting looks, “And before you ask, I’m ready and I’m not changing my mind.”

“You read me so well,” Hua Cheng chuckled, shaking his head, “I never doubted you for a second, gege.”

“But you still think I’m not thinking carefully,” the human pointed out.

“Only because this is your life we’re talking about,” the demon countered smoothly, “I never doubted your love for me.”

“Because I do love you,” Xie Lian said firmly despite the red forming on his cheeks.

“And I you,” Hua Cheng replied, just as firm.

They looked at each other for a few moments before they devolved into a fit of giggles. It might look strange to outsiders that they were basically laughing while they were standing on a very demonic circle, but neither cared. Besides, no one was actually there to judge them. It didn’t matter to them.

“Let’s start,” Hua Cheng said and waited for Xie Lian’s signal. When the latter nodded, he snapped his fingers and conjured two cups in his hands.

To Xie Lian’s surprise, it was quite an intricate cup. It was like a chalice that emanated something dark and evil, but familiar; almost like it had the demon’s power in it. While Xie Lian couldn’t exactly see or tell, he could sense something familiar and warm to it even if that sounded pretty outrageous.

“Here,” Hua Cheng handed a cup to him which Xie Lian eagerly took.

The human glanced at the contents and saw it was a dark liquid of some sort. Curiously, he swirled it around. It wasn't as he expected (like he would see in movies), it was just… black . A very odd color but Xie Lian wasn’t disgusted by it.

“I thought we were supposed to drink blood,” Xie Lian said after a while and looked up at the demon, “Are we not?”

“We are,” Hua Cheng replied with a small smile, “But we didn’t need to fill the whole cup with our blood. Just a few drops of it is powerful enough. The liquid inside could amplify it so we won’t need to put a lot.”

“...”

“...”

“...Oh.”

“Oh,” the demon echoed, “Did gege expect me to let you bleed that much?”

“No, no. But I thought that was the requirement,” Xie Lian said shyly, “But I should’ve known San Lang knew a way to avoid that.”

“I’ll keep you safe no matter what,” Hua Cheng said, “That’s why it took a while for me to prepare everything.”

Xie Lian should’ve expected that the demon would do everything to keep him safe even if it was something as important and dangerous as the ritual they were doing now. Hell, Hua Cheng didn’t like the fact that he had to make a small cut, but it was unavoidable. How was he supposed to give his blood without doing it?

So, Hua Cheng brought out the knife again and this time, he was the one to make a cut on the human’s palm once Xie Lian hovered his hand over the demon’s cup. It was so light that Xie Lian barely felt it, but he knew that it was deep enough for him to bleed. He watched as droplets of blood fall inside the cup and it easily mixed in with the liquid.

After a moment, Hua Cheng held his hand to heal the wound, “My turn.”

“That’s already enough, San Lang?”

“En. I told you, gege. We don’t need a lot.”

“Alright,” Xie Lian appeased easily, “Hand me the knife?”

Hua Cheng wordlessly flicked his wrist to clean the knife before handing it over to Xie Lian. The latter took it with a smile, waiting for the demon to hover his hand over his cup. Then, just as gentle, Xie Lian cut the demon’s palm. The line easily formed and blood was pooling from it. It was a darker shade of red, but the human wasn’t that surprised. After all, he was bonding with a demon king. Nothing about this was normal, but he was fine with everything anyway.

Droplets of blood fell inside Xie Lian’s cup until Hua Cheng retracted his hand and easily sealed the cut. The demon took the knife as well and made it vanish into thin air. Then, they checked each other’s cup to see if it was okay. Well, Xie Lian had zero idea if it was right, but since Hua Cheng didn’t say anything negative about it after observing both cups, it must’ve been okay.

Now, they were holding cups of each other’s blood with their right hand.

“Ready, gege?” Hua Cheng asked, eye searching the human’s face.

“Yes,” Xie Lian nodded, raising his cup, “Do we need to do something or can we just drink straight?”

For a moment, Hua Cheng was silent but then, a smirk curled on his lips. The human easily concluded that he was being mischievous even now.

“Good question,” the demon purred, his smirk more evident, “We can drink without ceremony, but I have an idea.”

Before Xie Lian could even ask what, Hua Cheng hooked their right arms together and pulled the former closer. The roguish glint in his eye never left as he gestured towards their position. It took awhile for Xie Lian to understand and when he did, his face flushed a deep red.

“Really?” Xie Lian croaked out, embarrassed but definitely not opposed to it.

“Wouldn’t it make it more meaningful?” Hua Cheng replied, still grinning, “You can pull away if you want, gege. I don’t mind.”

“That’s not it,” Xie Lian replied quickly, “I thought you were talking about… I don’t know… saying cheers or something– San Lang , don’t laugh.”

The demon let out a louder chuckle, “I can’t help it. You’re so cute.” Then, he pulled the other closer, “Let’s say our vows instead.”

“San Lang!”

“Gege.”

Hua Cheng was filled with mirth while Xie Lian just wanted to melt and be with the ground. It sounded like a sweet idea but with how much the demon was teasing him, he didn’t know how long he would last under such embarrassment.

“I’m not opposed to that either, okay,” Xie Lian mumbled and he could tell that Hua Cheng was a bit smug at that, “But you’re killing me here.”

“I would do no such thing. Gege’s life is precious.”

Xie Lian held back rolling his eyes out of fondness, so he let out a soft snort instead. Hua Cheng grinned widely as he gestured towards the cup. When the human nodded, he cleared his throat and schooled his face to a calmer expression.

“Xie Lian, my gege,” Hua Cheng started, his face not breaking even if Xie Lian looked like he wanted to melt yet again, “There’s never enough words in this life and the next where I can describe how much I love you, but I promise you this: I will never leave you and I will fight heaven and hell for you.”

After the demon said that, a soft and warm smile appeared and that kind of expression was solely reserved for the man before him. Xie Lian stared at him in awe, not even acknowledging the fact that there was a sting at the corner of his eyes. He took every word to heart and it made his chest beat faster than earlier.

Xie Lian truly loved him with his whole heart.

“Hua Cheng, my San Lang,” he echoed with a smile of his own, “I… I may be powerless and a man that has nothing on his name, but I promise that I will make you the happiest man for as long as we live and that… I will treasure you with my whole being. You have always been important to me.”

More than I ever knew that I could be capable of.

He didn’t know if he was hallucinating or not, but Hua Cheng looked like he was about to cry himself as he let out a wet laugh.

“Forever, then?”

“En,” Xie Lian nodded with conviction, letting out a puff of laughter himself, “Forever.”

They stared at each other for a long time, or perhaps it was only a few seconds before they broke out of the trance. They both nodded towards their cups in acknowledgement, their arms still hooked together as they drank the contents of their cups. Once it was finished, they could feel something forming between them like an invisible thread.

An unbreakable bond, for all eternity.

EPILOGUE

“Xie-ge, are you in here?!”

The said man jolted in surprise, almost dropping the item he was holding when someone barged in his little shop. It was an antique store; something that helped him greatly when he wanted to keep himself busy and to own something that was his. While he did like managing other businesses with his husband, something as small as this felt more fulfilling to him.

“As always,” he replied, setting down the item on the counter. He waited patiently for the person to come into view.

Then, Feng Xin appeared.

Or, well, a different one from the one he knew too well all those years ago.

“You were closed yesterday,” Feng Xin said as he strode over to the counter and was now face to face with Xie Lian, “We thought something happened to you.”

“Oh,” Xie Lian blinked, “Is Mu Qing here too?”

Feng Xin gestured behind him, “Must be hiding behind the shelves. You know him; never forward with his feelings even if he was just as concerned.”

“Oh, shut up!”

Both Xie Lian and Feng Xin turned towards wherever the voice was. It was definitely Mu Qing.

“See,” Feng Xin snickered, “Fucking coward.”

“Don’t fight in the store,” Xie Lian sighed, rubbing his temple in distress, “I’m sure you two didn’t forget the time you broke a vase or two, right?”

“...”

“...”

Of course he was met with silence.

“Anyways, I’m sorry that I forgot to inform you about yesterday,” Xie Lian said instead, hiding his delight when Mu Qing finally came into view, “My husband needed my help with something.”

“You don’t look like someone who’s married,” Mu Qing commented, most likely jabbing at Xie Lian’s youthful appearance. After all, his time stopped at the age of twenty-one.

“I’m older than I look,” Xie Lian chuckled, waving his hand dismissively, “Right. You were here since you need to get something for your project, yes?”

“Yeah. You said you got some history books we can borrow?”

Xie Lian hummed as he turned around to check the box that he had brought out from the back. He opened it and pulled out two books that were in pristine condition despite its age since he… might’ve asked Hua Cheng to teach him a simple magic or two. Or… maybe a lot since they had a lot of spare time.

“Here,” he said once he faced the two familiar figures, “You can return it anytime but my only request is to keep it safe, okay?”

Mu Qing snatched it right from Xie Lian’s hands, “I’ll take it. I’m sure I can take better of it than this idiot here.”

“Who said I can’t take care of a fucking book?” Feng Xin shot his project partner a glare, “It’s just a damn book.”

“Which is delicate and I’m sure that’s not in your dictionary.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”

Xie Lian sighed again when they devolved into their argument and he couldn’t help but reminisce about his college days when he would wait for his friends to stop or get tired of their childishness. Though, he noticed that there was a spark with these two compared to the ones before. Perhaps they would be together in this lifetime?

Perhaps.

Once they were done, it was like they realized something and they both glanced at him, screaming, “We’ll see you later, Xie-ge!” with such sync that it honestly scared Xie Lian. Maybe they would end up together rather than just staying as frenemies. That would be an interesting sight to see.

When they finally disappeared, Xie Lian could feel a familiar presence behind him. He was only certain of it when Hua Cheng’s arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him to a very tight hug.

“They’re as youthful and annoying as ever,” Hua Cheng commented lightly.

“And I missed them,” Xie Lian chuckled as he turned around to hug his demon tightly, “They still like to argue even in this life.”

“You met them in five lifetimes, gege. In each lifetime, you were always there to mediate their arguments one way or another.”

“Well, it is them that we're talking about,” Xie Lian replied, burying his face in Hua Cheng’s firm chest for comfort, “By the way, has He Xuan met with A-Xuan already?”

“I don’t think so,” Hua Cheng murmured, “Not in this life, I think. Maybe he’s still searching, but I’m sure he’ll annoy us when he gets the chance to.”

“I hope he finds them soon… I’m sure he’s lonely.”

“And annoying. So, yes, I agree. They should meet already just so he would stop raiding my fridge.”

“San Lang!”

“Gege, we’ve shopped three times already because of his stupid appetite.”

“He’s just stress eating,” Xie Lian defended the other demon king and hit the demon’s chest light to prove his point, “Let him be.”

Hua Cheng pouted at him, but that didn’t work since Xie Lian was still busy plastering himself on the demon’s large frame, “Fine, fine. For now, he can be insufferable.”

“For now,” Xie Lian easily agreed, holding back a small giggle. Then, he asked as he pulled away slightly just to meet Hua Cheng’s eye, “Oh, San Lang?”

“Hm?”

“Is Ruoye still with Yin Yu in the palace?” Xie Lian continued, “I can close the store now and return. They already got the books they were searching for, anyway.”

“I’m sure Yin Yu will be fine, gege. Ruoye seems to like him too, anyway.”

“San Lang…”

“Okay,” Hua Cheng sighed, defeated, “We can check up on them but if I remembered correctly, gege promised that I’ll have his whole attention today, yes?”

The way the demon said attention made Xie Lian avert his gaze, cheeks flushing a bright red, “Right… Yes, I did promise that. Let’s be quick, then.”

Hua Cheng chuckled as he pulled his husband close to him once more.

“Close your eyes, gege,” he murmured softly, “Let’s go home.”