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Tenderly soft piano notes filled the night air with a beautiful lover’s ballad. Hundreds of luminous silver butterflies flew across the sky, competing against the stars for their loveliness. Xie Lian took all this in with wide wondrous eyes. He took a step after the butterflies, then another, and another. Before he knew it, he was outright running and calling for them to wait for him.
Soft laughter echoed around him, over the sound of music, bringing a gust of wind that swept him off his feet and into the air. The wind spun him around like an invisible partner, and all the while, that laughter stayed with him.
Playful. Affectionate. Familiar.
The wind finally released him, and he dropped from the sky though not for long. A giant silver scimitar with a gleaming red eye on its hilt met him in the air. In true dreamlike fashion, Xie Lian managed to gently land on its curved blade.
Xie Lian thought he should be afraid, but he wasn’t. The eye squinted up at him in clear happiness and seemed to almost vibrate with excitement as Xie Lian flew through the air on the deadly weapon.
Once he was sure he wouldn’t fall, Xie Lian spread his arms wide, embracing the brisk air tugging at his clothes and hair.
The exhilarating ride came to an abrupt end when a giant, white cry-smiling mask appeared from nowhere. It loomed over Xie Lian and his new friend. Despite the menacing air coming from the mask, Xie Lian’s blade showed no fear. If anything it became outright defiant, pointing its tip at the mask.
Xie Lian held on as best he could as the two figures began to fight, but alas, one particular quick move caused Xie Lian to lose his grip and once again he was falling.
No, that wasn’t quite right. The air cradled him gently, allowing him to lazily drift down into a sea of beautiful red lanterns. There must have been hundreds, no, thousands of them. They lit up the sky like glowing red pearls and Xie Lian, awestruck, couldn’t help but reach out to touch one.
So distracted he was that it took him a moment to notice the outstretched arms reaching to embrace him. These arms curled around his back and under his legs, holding him close, like a treasured gem, to a figure in red robes. Xie Lian looked up and gasped. The man before him was dressed in ancient red robes. His ebony-kissed hair was long and wild, falling well past his shoulders and almost to his waist. He carried a smaller version of that wonderful, red-eyed blade Xie Lian had traveled on earlier. And, behind those rebellious strands of dark hair, a familiar dark eye twinkled mischievously at him. Utterly bedazzled, Xie Lian reached out to touch that lovely face. His heart pounded with excitement at the sight of his most precious person, or as Xie Lian called him –
“San Lang.”
Xie Lian blinked his eyes open to meet Hua Cheng’s tender gaze.
“Good morning, gege,” he whispered.
Hua Cheng dipped his head to press a soft kiss to Xie Lian’s lips. Humming with pleasure, Xie Lian ran his fingers through Hua Cheng’s dark strands, over the curve of his shoulders, down his arm to grasp his hand and squeeze his fingers.
“Good morning, San Lang.”
Xie Lian flicked a glance outside their apartment window where the brightening sky foretold the dawn’s arrival. Hua Cheng murmured his name and nuzzled his neck, effectively drawing Xie Lian’s attention back to him.
“Gege, are you ready for breakfast or do you want to sleep in a little longer?” Hua Cheng asked, pulling back slightly to meet Xie Lian’s gaze.
An image from his dream popped into his mind, and Xie Lian blushed. Could he really ask that?
“Gege can ask me anything,” Hua Cheng said. It never ceased to amaze Xie Lian how easily Hua Cheng could read him. How lovely it was to be known.
With that in mind, Xie Lian pulled Hua Cheng’s face down to whisper in his ear. Hua Cheng blinked in surprise and then laughed with pure unfiltered joy. Without another word, he rolled off the bed and scooped Xie Lian up into his arms.
Laughing as well, Xie Lian wrapped his arms around Hua Cheng’s neck taking his turn to breathe in the scent of his lover.
Dreams were nice, but nothing could beat the real thing.