Work Text:
In.
One, two, three.
Out.
One, two, three.
In.
One, two—
A soft breeze carries the sweet scent of silk flower into Chongyun's next breath, and with misery, he holds it in until his lungs begin to ache.
"Chongyun?"
Out. One, two, three, four, five...
He resists breathing in for as long as possible, but his body's natural instincts protest, and when he sucks in a deep gasp of air the scent of silk flower is stronger than ever.
Chongyun's eyes snap open and meet brilliant sparkling gold.
"Your breathing pattern changed," Xingqiu observes, leaning back from where he'd moved in on his knees to get Chongyun's attention. With the hand that isn't keeping his place marked in his book, he reaches out and touches Chongyun's forehead. "Are you feeling all right?"
No, thinks Chongyun.
"Yes," says Chongyun, reaching up to take Xingqiu's wrist. Not for the first time, he's thankful for the thin barrier the palm of his glove provides against the contact. "Just got distracted."
There's a smile playing on Xingqiu's lips as he allows Chongyun to lower his hand. Xingqiu has plenty of smiles, each for different purposes and occasions, and the one on his face now is playful but light—a way to show his concern without bringing undue pressure or urgency to the situation. "It seems to me as though you've been easily distracted all week. Is something troubling you?"
"No," says Chongyun, hyper-aware of how his own breathing remains erratic the longer Xingqiu looks at him. "Please don't worry about me." He closes his eyes again, mentally fortifying himself against the alluring scent that lingers within his space.
"Hm, if you say so," says Xingqiu, not sounding convinced, but he moves back to his previous spot on the floor and Chongyun is finally able to breathe in peace.
It's a beautiful spring day in Liyue Harbor, and the two of them would normally be out and about, running errands for their aunties and uncles and, if it were up to Xingqiu, tracking down any hints of suspicious criminal activity that may have escaped the Millelith's purview. But this weekend, the city is playing host to a spring children's festival, which means dozens and dozens of families both local and from the country are swarming the streets—dozens and dozens of parents, to be specific.
Unfortunately, for the charming and intelligent second son of the Feiyun Commerce Guild, this means dozens and dozens of marriage proposals. Xingqiu may not have his elder brother's status as the current heir to the family business, but the appeal of being connected to the family is still strong enough for parents to offer up the hands of their daughters alongside gifts and favours and just about anything else to win Xingqiu's attention.
As for Xingqiu's own preferences, well—he has made it very obvious on more than one occasion that he has more interest in picking up a new book than a new girlfriend, never mind a fiancée. Chongyun can't blame him. He's suffered his own parents' attempts to pair him off with a suitable wife and the results have never been anything but excruciatingly awkward. (It probably doesn't help that Chongyun is fairly positive he isn't even interested in girls that way.)
Suffice to say, Xingqiu and Chongyun both have no interest in being subjected to the possibility of an awkward proposition in the middle of a crowded street as young children run and shriek around them, and that is what brings them to Xingqiu's third-floor bedroom, where they are able to hide away from the public in peace. As much peace as being around Xingqiu can ever bring, that is.
Xingqiu's bedroom is not somewhere Chongyun often finds himself despite their many years of friendship, and the sheer extravagance of both its size and decor in sharp contrast to Chongyun's own humble abode is something he doubts he will ever acclimate to. It is a little funny, perhaps, that the two boys would choose to sit on the floor as opposed to the elegant rosewood sofa two meters away, or the matching bed behind it, but Xingqiu had been the first to choose his seat and Chongyun had followed his lead without question.
Xingqiu makes a sound that jolts Chongyun out of his breathing exercises again, which Chongyun would have been more upset about had they been going particularly well. (They had not.)
"Amazing," Xingqiu mutters to himself as he turns the page in today's novel of choice, shifting in place until his legs are stretched out in front of him—his very long, very shapely legs, bare all the way from the tips of his toes to the hem of his shorts, which are riding even higher on his thighs than usual due to the way he's sitting.
Chongyun has always been impressed by the way Xingqiu has managed to evade carrying active scars and bruises despite how often he gets into fights. Granted, Xingqiu must take extra steps to be careful if he wishes to avoid probing questions about what he truly gets up to in his spare time, but it seems downright supernatural the way his visible skin remains smooth and flawless... and surely must feel just as soft as it looks.
Chongyun can feel own body temperature rising rapidly, and in his panic to cool down before something regrettable can occur, a burst of snow appears in a cloud above their heads. Xingqiu doesn't notice until the first snowflake hits the page his eyes are glued to, at which point he blinks twice before looking up.
"Snow," he states, bewildered, holding out a hand to catch the flakes that melt immediately upon contact. He glances over at Chongyun. "Did you...?"
Chongyun realizes a second too late that he'd been fixated on the way the tiny shards of ice had melted against Xingqiu's ankle, turning into small drops of water that slowly trailed down the skin. By the time he realizes Xingqiu has addressed him, he knows he's already been caught staring, and he hastily tears his eyes away.
"Ah," he says, feeling his face heat up, and he unfolds his legs as he moves to climb to his feet. "Please forgive me. It was an accident. I can fetch a cloth to clean the mess—"
A firm hand on his knee stops him from getting up, and Chongyun is once again forced to bring his gaze up to meet Xingqiu's.
"It's only a little water," says Xingqiu, amused, but his smile and tone quickly drop into something more serious with his next words. "Chongyun, it is very unusual of you to lose control over anything, never mind your own Vision. You do know that you can tell me anything, right?"
Xingqiu's face is filled with genuine concern; brow furrowed, eyes warm, voice gentle. Chongyun cannot help but think about how beautiful he is. He breathes in deeply, and once again, he's filled with silk flowers.
"It's..." he begins, and then trails off, eyes caught in Xingqiu's stare. Briefly, they flick down to Xingqiu's mouth, where a snowflake rests on the crest of his upper lip, yet to melt.
"Oh," says Xingqiu under his breath—it's the same noise he makes when all of the clues in a story have just added up and he's figured out exactly how it's going to end.
"Oh?" repeats Chongyun, heart beating rapidly in his ears.
Xingqiu sets his book down on the floor, then places a hand on Chongyun's flushed cheek and leans in close. They stare at each other in silence.
It's Xingqiu who finally breaks it when he asks, soft and hesitant, "Can I... kiss you?"
Yes, thinks Chongyun instantly, not realizing how loud a single thought could sound in his head until that very moment.
"Okay," he whispers, but before Xingqiu can move, Chongyun leans in and kisses him.
And when Chongyun pulls away, barely breathing as his heart hammers in his chest and adrenaline rushes through his bloodstream, Xingqiu waits only a split second before chasing after him. They kiss again, sweet and careful, and then Xingqiu opens his mouth under his and their tongues meet, and when Chongyun realizes this is really happening, that he is really kissing his best friend, a familiar sensation of joy rises in his chest and it's all he can do to not start laughing.
He wants to apologize, because the wide grin on his lips is probably making it look like he's not taking this seriously, but Xingqiu just digs his fingers into Chongyun's hair (oh) and pulls him in closer, and Chongyun closes his eyes and lets the euphoria take him.
"I always wondered," Xingqiu admits quietly as they break for air, resting their cheeks together, "how your condition would react to something like this."
"To kissing?" Chongyun asks, smile still wide and helpless.
Xingqiu moves back just far enough for them to be able to see each other's faces again, mouth curved up in a smile of his own—this time, sincere and a little bit bashful. "To kissing me."
How long have you been thinking about me kissing you? Chongyun wants to demand, incredibly indignant and deliriously happy at the same time, but his train of thought is abruptly derailed when Xingqiu shifts until his legs are straddling Chongyun's lap—his long, bare, flawless legs.
"Is this okay?" Xingqiu asks tentatively, and Chongyun doesn't immediately know how to answer without his voice getting caught in his own throat.
"Yes," he manages, sounding strangled. "Yes, it's okay."
"Okay, good. Then—"
Whatever Xingqiu was about to say gets cut off when Chongyun brings their mouths together again in a kiss so deep and aggressive that Xingqiu is left panting for breath when they part, all words forgotten. Chongyun's hands have dropped to Xingqiu's thighs, and he suddenly feels like cursing his gloves, because even though they're fingerless, the thin fabric is in the way nonetheless.
Xingqiu seems able to read his mind, or maybe desires the same thing, because he drops his hands over one of Chongyun's and begins to take his glove off for him, tugging at each finger until it's loose enough to slide off. He does the same for the other hand, and then guides each one back to their previous positions on his thighs—no, higher.
"You can touch me," murmurs Xingqiu, and the flare of heat the words bring to every inch of Chongyun's skin makes him wonder how much of this his condition is going to be able to tolerate before he ends up passing out. "You can touch me anywhere you want, Chongyun."
Oh, he's really going to pass out.
The skin on Xingqiu's thighs is just as soft as it looks, and when Chongyun's fingers slip under the hem of his shorts, Xingqiu's breath catches.
"Anywhere?" Chongyun asks in a low exhale.
"Anywhere," Xingqiu confirms in a matching whisper. His fingers are still lightly resting on Chongyun's hands, and he closes them around his wrists, guiding them up to the waistband of his shorts. "But if I take these off, I want you to take yours off too."
They were born and raised in the land of contracts; it's a fair arrangement.
Xingqiu ends up directing them to the bed, which makes Chongyun's heart race even faster when he thinks about the wide variety of activities that typically take place in a bed. He undresses in record time, leaving his clothes in an untidy pile on the floor, before settling back on the luxurious silk sheets of Xingqiu's bed to wait. Xingqiu takes longer despite having fewer parts to his outfit, and Chongyun alternates between staring longingly and glancing away in embarrassment. Seeing each other naked is nothing new when they've camped out in the wilderness together and shared public baths, but seeing each other naked in this context is a completely different story.
When Xingqiu finally steps out of his shorts and underwear and drops them on the sofa, Chongyun can't tear his eyes away. Xingqiu seems to be in a similar state, judging by the way his eyes scan over Chongyun's body, lingering in certain areas long enough to make Chongyun's entire body feel flushed again.
Xingqiu climbs on to the bed to join him, and nothing could have prepared Chongyun for the sheer amount of skin contact between them when Xingqiu straddles his lap again. Every touch of Xingqiu's skin against his own is soft and unbelievably warm, and between them...
"You're beautiful, Chongyun," says Xingqiu, leaning forward to rest their foreheads together. The statement is bold and confident, but the breath he takes has a tremble in it, which oddly makes Chongyun feel better.
"Not as beautiful as you," mumbles Chongyun, finding Xingqiu's hands and interlacing their fingers. Impulsively, he lifts one up and presses a kiss to Xingqiu's knuckles, which makes Xingqiu turn a new shade of pink altogether. "We're really doing this, huh?"
"It seems so," says Xingqiu, playful smile back on his lips, though there's also something there that looks like affection.
Chongyun kisses him again, and Xingqiu meets it with more fervour than ever before. Gradually, the awkward tension and mutual embarrassment dissolves, giving way to a familiar and comfortable sense of trust Chongyun thinks he would only be able to have with his longest and closest friend. The desire grows too, slow but steady, until it pounds deep in the pit of his stomach and turns urgent. Xingqiu's fingers wander down Chongyun's chest, brushing over his nipples and drawing a hitched moan from his throat.
"Sensitive," Xingqiu whispers against his lips, sounding pleased, and Chongyun somehow gets the feeling that he's in trouble, which is quickly confirmed when Xingqiu drops down to mouth kisses against his chest. His fingers are replaced with a tongue that drags hot and wet against his nipple, and Chongyun makes another choked sound that is apparently very motivational, if the way Xingqiu closes his lips around the sensitive skin and sucks is anything to go by.
"Xingqiu," groans Chongyun in the beginning of a half-hearted scold, covering his mouth with a hand to stop himself from making any more embarrassing noises. Xingqiu only hums in response, and Chongyun might not be able to see it, but he can certainly imagine the smug smile on his lips.
Xingqiu dutifully keeps up his efforts, alternating between nipples and using his fingers on whichever one his mouth neglects, until Chongyun is a panting, whining mess below him, and, as Xingqiu no doubt discovers when he moves lower down his body, very hard.
Chongyun barely has time to register that Xingqiu's attentions have left his chest before he feels the head of his cock taken into a warm mouth, and when he looks down and finds Xingqiu's golden eyes looking right back at him, he comes instantly.
It is not Chongyun's first orgasm, but it's his first orgasm with another person involved, and the burst of euphoria it comes with is like nothing he's ever felt before. It floods his entire body with weightlessness and warmth, and in that moment, he thinks he could probably die and be perfectly at peace.
Xingqiu either doesn't move fast enough or doesn't care—honestly, Chongyun cannot tell what's going on in his best friend's head at times—because even though his eyes widen in surprise, he keeps Chongyun in his mouth until he's done, and even takes the time to pump and squeeze the rest of his spend out with his hand.
"I'm so sorry," gasps Chongyun as he comes down from his high, feeling delirious when he realizes that he is not in fact floating on the softest cloud in Celestia, even though Xingqiu's bed is a very close second.
There's some movement on the bed (Chongyun is frankly too disoriented to know what's going on) and then Xingqiu is lying down beside him, one arm folded beneath his head.
"Don't worry," says Xingqiu, sounding breathless but self-satisfied. "I'm taking it as a compliment."
In. One, two, three.
Out. One, two, three.
In. One, two, three.
"Okay," says Chongyun decisively, once the blood has finally returned to his brain. Xingqiu glances over at him inquisitively, and then Chongyun rolls over and pins him down by the wrists, drawing a startled cry. "Your turn."
"My turn," repeats Xingqiu faintly, and those are the last coherent words he can manage before Chongyun is feverishly pressing kisses all over his neck, and then his chest (oh, revenge is so sweet) and then his stomach (where he learns that Xingqiu is actually very ticklish, and revenge becomes twice as sweet).
"You said I could touch you anywhere," says Chongyun, voice so confident and bold that it sounds foreign to his own ears. "Do you mean that?"
"I do," mumbles Xingqiu, eyes closed.
"Even here?" Chongyun asks, running light fingers down the line of Xingqiu's abdomen and over his cock, which has evidently been hard for long enough that it's beginning to leak.
"Please," groans Xingqiu, hand shooting out to grab a fistful of his expensive sheets.
"Even..." (Chongyun swipes a gentle thumb through the fluid collecting at the head, then continues following a trail down the underside of Xingqiu's cock, over the delicate skin of his balls, and then—) "... here?"
"Oh," breathes Xingqiu, eyes flying open as he lifts his head to look down.
"Is that a yes?" asks Chongyun. He pushes his finger, slick with Xingqiu's own precum, just a little harder against the tight ring of muscle, just shy of penetrating.
"Yes," whispers Xingqiu, opening his thighs for better access, and he exhales a shaky sigh when Chongyun gently, slowly works his finger inside him.
Chongyun pauses to let his eyes roam over the sight of Xingqiu spread out beneath him, trusting and wanting, and thinks it might be the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. Then he pushes in deeper, carefully pressing against the sensitive muscle until he finds what he's looking for—and Xingqiu arches his back and moans, and that is the most beautiful thing he's ever seen.
"Chongyun," gasps Xingqiu weakly. "H-Have you done this before?"
"Uh..." Chongyun hums thoughtfully as he combs through his memories. "Maybe? I can't remember, but it feels familiar."
Xingqiu picks his head up again to stare at him for one long, pronounced second, before dropping it back down against the pillows.
"Incredible," he mumbles to himself, and then Chongyun's finger presses in again and the question of experience is abruptly set aside once more.
Chongyun's free hand comes up to wrap around Xingqiu's cock, and it only takes a few strokes before Xingqiu is clutching tightly at the sheets with both hands as he comes. He collapses, his own stomach a mess, and Chongyun pulls his finger out, but doesn't let go of Xingqiu's softening cock just yet. He eyes it, curious, and then leans forward to lick the tip, causing Xingqiu to jerk up at the unexpected sensation.
"Wh—"
"I wanted to see how it tasted," says Chongyun, looking contemplative. "Since you ate all of mine. I thought it would be worse, but it's really not bad."
Xingqiu can't stop the huff of laughter that escapes him. "Chongyun, you're so... Never mind, just come up here."
Dutifully, Chongyun crawls back up the bed, and when Xingqiu turns his head to face him, Chongyun realizes he's never seen his best friend so... debauched before. His hair is sticking up in every direction against the pillows, and a few locks are plastered to his forehead and cheeks with sweat. His cheeks are still deeply flushed from their exertions, but his eyes are bright and warm and looking straight back at him.
Chongyun wants to decide that this Xingqiu is the most beautiful thing he's ever seen, but maybe he should stop thinking in absolutes, because he has a feeling it's just going to keep changing. (Except for the part where it's always Xingqiu, of course.)
"Hey, Xingqiu," he says, remembering a question he'd been dying to ask earlier. "How long have you been thinking about me kissing you?"
"Ah. Well." Xingqiu averts his eyes for a moment, before sighing and bringing his gaze back to Chongyun. "Since we met."
Since they—
They'd met when they were children.
"This whole time?" asks Chongyun, high-pitched and faint.
"It was just a crush," asks Xingqiu, trying his best to sound casual despite the way his own voice has taken on a high pitch of its own. "But I thought it would go away eventually. Instead, I just ended up..." He trails off, uncharacteristically struggling with his words, and eventually manages to say, "I just ended up liking you more."
Chongyun hardly needs to think about it before he says, "Well, I like you, too."
It sounds silly to say such a thing after what they just did together, especially when they're still covered in the evidence of it. But Chongyun's response still brings a wide grin to Xingqiu's face, and he shifts closer, hooking their ankles together.
"Guess what I'm thinking about now," Xingqiu says, smile turning sly.