Chapter Text
Xie Lian knew he was about to experience his very first kiss.
He just… felt it in the air. Or so his intuition told him.
Surprisingly, he wasn’t nervous; in fact, it was quite the opposite. He felt happy. He felt giddy. Oh, how many times he had dreamed of tasting the lips of that gorgeous man sitting so close to him, the same one who had confessed his feelings to him two weeks ago.
Hua Cheng. Hua Cheng. Hua Cheng.
Xie Lian couldn’t count how many scenarios he had imagined of their first kiss—
—and one of them was bound to happen, finally!
Hua Cheng’s thigh was pressed tightly against Xie Lian’s, and his hand slowly and delicately traced circles on that very spot; like this, Hua Cheng openly showed his affection and love for Xie Lian, but at the same time, he still seemed too shy to try to make a bolder move.
Like always, yet it felt… different.
Hua Cheng, although he always seemed nonchalant and cold to others, acted differently around Xie Lian. His touches were hesitant, delicate, and very gentle. He was always whispering sweet nothings into Xie Lian’s ear to make him blush like crazy, holding his hand as if afraid to let go, taking him out on dates whenever they both had some free time after all the responsibilities at the university. To put it simply, they took their sweet time exploring the unfamiliar yet very wonderful path called love.
Xie Lian didn’t mind it at all. Their pace was sweet. Hua Cheng was cute.
Hua Cheng, however, hadn’t looked at Xie Lian’s lips before, and now that changed; was Hua Cheng ready to take the next step? Was Xie Lian himself ready? Yes, he had thought about it many times, but ah, maybe he was nervous after all? A kiss meant—
“What are you thinking about?” Hua Cheng suddenly asked, snapping Xie Lian out of his sweet reverie. Hua Cheng’s lips curved into a love-dovey smile, his eye—usually dark but tender—now shone brightly, almost twinkling, as his gaze occasionally flickered to Xie Lian’s lips.
It looked that for Hua Cheng, what mattered most was the man in front of him, not the world around them. Xie Lian and his lips.
If there was a child near them, running and laughing because life was beautiful, neither Hua Cheng nor Xie Lian paid it any mind. If a dog was barking because it saw a cat and wanted to play with it, the sound wouldn’t even reach the couple’s ears…
…because at that moment, the other’s presence was the most important thing—as was the promise of what was about to happen.
“About you,” Xie Lian replied timidly, looking to the left for a moment before returning his gaze to Hua Cheng. Being with someone as wonderful as Hua Cheng felt like a dream. “I like our dates so much.”
“I like them too,” Hua Cheng whispered, leaning close to Xie Lian’s face and hovering there, not daring to look away. Being suddenly so close, Xie Lian couldn’t help but feel warmth spread across his cheeks. Would they really kiss? “Is this even real?” Hua Cheng continued, his tone light, and raised his hand to tuck a strand of hair behind Xie Lian’s ear. He was always so attentive whenever it came to Xie Lian. “I always wake up feeling like I’m dreaming, but then I see your sweet morning text, every single day. I am so lucky to have you, gege.”
Hearing this, Xie Lian laughed lightly, his smile turning shy again. He was the lucky one! “San Lang’s morning texts are very sweet, too,” he replied, and then gave in. His eyes fell on Hua Cheng’s lips.
In his imaginations, even if they kissed each other, Hua Cheng would be hesitant in his actions; he would barely press his lips to Xie Lian’s, treating him like the most delicate flower in the world. The kiss would be slow and gentle, yet so sweet and satisfying. Maybe a little awkward too, Xie Lian thought further. Neither of them had any experience, so if they ended up doing something wrong… hopefully they could laugh about it later.
That would be a good excuse to repeat the kiss, over and over again. For practice purposes, Xie Lian thought before scolding himself. A couple doesn’t need an excuse to kiss, for god’s sake!
“Gege,” Hua Cheng’s soft voice snapped Xie Lian out of his thoughts again. When he looked up, the first thing he noticed was the faint blush covering Hua Cheng’s cheeks—was it from the sun?—and his hesitant expression. “Do you mind… sitting on my lap?”
Oh.
Now it was Xie Lian’s turn to become shy. Did it matter that it was the middle of the day? They ended up on a park bench, with families with kids around them, making the most of the beautiful weather—someone may see them. Someone may comment on their inappropriate behavior. Someone may whistle and congratulate them, wishing all the best. But... did any of this matter, really? When Hua Cheng was trying to leave his comfort zone and be closer to Xie Lian?
If Xie Lian said no, would that also mean they wouldn’t kiss?
…
Xie Lian really wanted to kiss Hua Cheng. Right here, right now.
Mustering all the courage he could, Xie Lian placed his hand over Hua Cheng’s and squeezed it lightly, catching the way his boyfriend’s breath hitched at the touch. He then stood up from his seat and, feeling like his heart would explode at any moment, sat down again, but this time on Hua Cheng’s lap. Very comfortable lap.
He did it!
Wrapping one arm around Hua Cheng’s neck, Xie Lian rested the other on his chest to ground himself, then looked up and instantly felt his entire face grow hot. They were so close that their lips were only millimeters apart—they had never been this close before, they never…
“I am so happy,” Hua Cheng suddenly confessed, his voice breaking slightly, and rested his forehead on Xie Lian’s shoulder, as if to hide the beautiful and love-filled grin that had bloomed on his face. Xie Lian wished he could see it. “Gege has no idea how much he has changed my life for the better.”
Hearing this, Xie Lian smiled; people really needn’t say “I love you” to show their feelings. Just “I’m so happy because of you” is enough to express the same meaning. His left hand, the one that had previously rested on Hua Cheng’s chest, was now on his boyfriend’s head, stroking his soft hair with the utmost gentleness. “San Lang is also very important to me,” he admitted with words flowing straight from his heart, his voice trembling slightly under the influence of strong emotions.
At that, Hua Cheng didn’t say a word; truth be told, none were needed. Raising his head a little, his soft lips touched Xie Lian’s cheek in a light kiss before the latter had time to realize what was happening.
A few seconds had passed when it dawned on Xie Lian: it was their first kiss.
A kiss on the cheek—so sweet, and yet so innocent.
“Too much?” Hua Cheng asked hesitantly as soon as he pulled away, having read Xie Lian’s frozen reaction as him crossing a line. If it weren’t for Xie Lian currently occupying his lap, he would have given him much more space by now. “I should have asked, I’m sorry.”
“What?” Xie Lian snapped out, blinking twice, then raised his hand and touched his cheek, still feeling the ghost of Hua Cheng’s lips on his skin. A broad smile spread across his face, as did a blush of embarrassment, because someone was whistling at their public display of affection; if Xie Lian had paid a little more attention, he would have realized it was someone from his lecture group, but his mind was occupied with more important matters: Hua Cheng. Hua Cheng. Hua Cheng! He gave him a kiss! A kiss on the cheek!
Did that count as a first first kiss? It wasn’t a kiss on the lips, but a kiss is a kiss, right? It wasn’t at all how Xie Lian had imagined it, but that didn’t make it any less perfect—in fact, he liked it more that way. They took it slow, no pressure, no—
“Gege?”
“I love you,” Xie Lian blurted out, then covered his face with his hands as soon as it dawned on him what he had just said out loud. “And I loved the kiss,” he mumbled, embarrassed, because that was what he had meant in the first place—it had just slipped out!
“I’m glad,” Hua Cheng replied quietly, and then, as if to shield Xie Lian from prying eyes, he put his arm around him and pulled him close to his chest.
Hadn’t Xie Lian’s mind stopped working, having only “San Lang kissed me, San Lang kissed me” in his head on repeat, would he have realized that Hua Cheng had actually kissed him again, although this time on the top of his head, and whispered,
“And I love you.”
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Did Hua Cheng stare at Xie Lian's lips? Did he chicken out? ...yeah
more chapters soon!