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The water was still and the sky cloudless. For a brief moment, Xie Lian had braced himself for a storm to sweep in, but they were now far out into the water and nothing was coming to sweep them away from the sight of the shore, so Xie Lian relaxed, trusting his husband's luck.
"Does gege have much experience with fishing?"
"Ah, I'm ashamed to say, but I usually just use my hands."
"Oh?" Hua Cheng appeared intrigued, but then, Xie Lian often felt his husband was easy to impress. Hua Cheng drank in new facts about him like precious treasures, always delighted to hear there were still memories or skills he had yet to hear.
This memory wasn’t an especially impressive one though.
"I tried with a rod and the line kept snapping. I tried with nets and they kept floating away. I also had a few bad incidents with boats so I decided it was best to just stay on land."
Hua Cheng reached out to take his hand, squeezing it tightly. "Your highness won't ever have to deal with that again."
"I know," Xie Lian squeezed back. Then, to lighten the mood again he asked: "Will San Lang teach me how to fish?"
"En." Hua Cheng leaned forward to give him a chaste kiss before moving back to ready the fishing rods. "This line won't snap on gege either, I've made sure to strengthen them."
"San Lang thinks of everything." Xie Lian praised as he took his rod.
Hua Cheng moved in a bit closer, not that there was much room on the little boat in the first place. Sliding his hands down Xie Lian's arms slowly, he slotted himself chest to back with Xie Lian.
"Is San Lang going to make sure I have good form?" Xie Lian smiled, amused and more than familiar with his husband's habit of clinging to him at any given chance.
"En. Gege is always such a thorough calligraphy tutor, shouldn't this husband return the favor?"
"So thoughtful," Xie Lian murmured, settling in contently against him as Hua Cheng finally slid his hands over Xie Lian's. Gently, his husband shifted their hands into a more relaxed grip.
"Then we cast like this," Hua Cheng guided their hands and the fishing rod with a confident flick, letting the line settle out on the water. "And wait. Does gege need me to stay in case something bites?"
Xie Lian shook his head. "This is San Lang's hobby, he should get to do it properly too."
"It's not so important. Just something Black Water and I did from time to time." Hua Cheng shrugged it off, but still let go, moving to cast out his own line off the other side of the boat, settling back to back with Xie Lian.
"We should invite him next time."
"Gege, don't invite people on our dates," Hua Cheng pouted.
Xie Lian smiled, looking out at the tranquil waters. "Would you rather I invite him over for dinner?"
"Only if gege is cooking," he replied with no small amount of smugness.
"I don't think he'll come over if I'm cooking."
"I could make him if gege really wanted. He still owes me money."
Xie Lian laughed, feeling the last of his tension ease out of his body as his line remained untouched. Conversation lulled, the gentle slosh of the water against the boat a quiet melody filling the silence.
Fishing was nice, he decided. His husband's back was warm and reassuring against his own, a comfortable pressure keeping each other upright. It was a wonder Xie Lian had never gotten into fishing before. It seemed to be a good fit for a slow lifestyle. Meditative almost.
Xie Lian was snapped out of his meditation by frantic splashes. Trying to keep his hands as still as possible, Xie Lian looked back to check. "San Lang caught one already!"
Hua Cheng reeled it in, plopping it into the bucket they'd brought. "I'm sure gege will catch one soon."
"It's alright if I don't. Just being here is nice."
Hua Cheng made a noise of agreement, flicking his line back out.
"How did San Lang get started fishing?"
"Black Water. There's some who think fishing can aid in obtaining spiritual harmony. Fishing in the South Sea makes it hard to catch much though."
"It is a bit like cultivation. Is that how San Lang got so powerful?" He teased.
"No, I have another cultivation method."
"Oh?" Xie Lian tilted his head. He smiled as he saw a little butterfly flutter in front of him, wondering what exactly the joke was going to be that Hua Cheng was already ensuring he could see Xie Lian's reaction. "What is it?"
"Kissing gege of course."
"San Lang," He snorted, shaking his head at the butterfly as it landed on his fishing rod. "That's not cultivation."
"But every time gege kisses me I ascend to the heavens."
Xie Lian nudged him with his elbow, feeling more fondness flutter in his chest as Hua Cheng nudged him back.
Happy silence fell between them again, the butterfly resting peacefully on the fishing rod. A short hour later, that frantic splashing broke the quiet again.
Xie Lian turned to get a look at the fish, this time even bigger than the last as Hua Cheng plopped it into the bucket with the first one.
"San Lang."
"Yes gege?" Hua Cheng tilted his head to look at him better as he adjusted his line. An unnecessary gesture considering Xie Lian knew full well his husband could already see him.
"I don't think the mediation works if San Lang is spying on me with his butterflies the whole time."
"Gege doesn't even know I was looking through it."
Xie Lian grinned. "Weren't you?"
Hua Cheng settled back against him again, rod flicking out. "Perhaps. But gege, my devotion to you is what makes me strongest. So looking at you should only aid my cultivation, not hinder it."
Xie Lian had to admit, he wasn't sure enough on the specifics of ghosts and Hua Cheng's cultivation to know whether or not that was true. "Doesn't it distract from fishing?"
"Is that why gege hasn't caught anything? He's distracted by me?" Hua Cheng teased.
"En. It's very hard to cultivate fish with my husband being so distracting."
"This husband offers his apologies gege, he had no idea he was being so distracting sitting here.”
“San Lang takes up all of my mind just sitting there.” Xie Lian declared, though it was a bit embarrassing. After all, it was true. It wasn’t necessarily that he was thinking of anything in particular, but his whole heart swelled with fondness when he sat with his husband doing little things like this. He found his thoughts wandering to how such trips must have gone in the past. To how nice it was to sit with him like this. To how much he loved him in general. It was nothing new. Xie Lian found he was a wellspring of love for his husband.
“If gege can’t focus on fishing, I can help him cultivate using my method.”
Xie Lian had never intended to really try cultivating while they fished, but he knew for a fact that Hua Cheng’s ‘method’ definitely wasn’t cultivation at all. “Kissing is not a method of cultivation.”
“Doesn’t gege gain spiritual energy when we kiss?”
“Not as part of my cultivation.”
“Is gege sure?”
“Positive.” Xie Lian leaned his head back against his husband’s. “But San Lang can help me double check when we get home.”
Xie Lian could picture his husband’s smile in that moment, playful but content. But for now they let conversation fade again, the gentle rocking of the boat lulling them into affectionate silence.
Truly, to be happy was such a simple thing.