Chapter Text
“Ugh,” Xingqiu groans as he hears a knock at his bedroom door.
“Young Master? Are you awake?” Xu, his personal servant, questions.
“Yes, I will be out in a few. Thank you, Xu,”
“Certainly, your father is waiting for you,” Xu concludes before Xingqiu hears him walk away from the door.
He has been dreading this day for weeks. Today is the day he must leave for a two-month business trip to Fontaine with his father. Two months of pure agony and boredom for Xingqiu. His only solace is the opera house trials and Fontainian literature. He hears that Fontainians love their drama, which Xingqiu is also a bit of a fan of. Other than that, he will be in meetings with clients to ensure their business is being taken care of properly in Fontaine.
The dark-haired boy would rather stay in Liyue and go on adventures with his friends. He has never had to be away from home for a family business trip for so long before. Usually, the trip would last a week, two at the most. That amount of time was tough, so Xingqiu knew he was really in for it this trip. Plus, this trip was going to be happening over Chongyun’s nineteenth birthday. Xingqiu felt horrible for not being able to be there on his best friend's most special day. Thankfully, he will be able to send letters.
As soon as he found out he was being forced to attend this excursion, he dreaded telling his friends, especially Chongyun. Telling Chongyun he was going to be gone that long stung his heart, but saying goodbye to him today is worse.
Chongyun was waiting for him near the wagon he was set to leave on. Once Chongyun sees him, he smiles and waves in the most heartbreaking way. Xingqiu is known for holding his composure, yet the sadness in Chongyun’s eyes almost made his reinforced walls come crumbling down.
“Hello, my liege,” Xingqiu says, standing next to Chongyun, shoulders nearly touching as they watch the wagon be loaded up. He makes an effort to seem cheery despite the dread looming over him.
“Hello, Xingqiu…” Chongyun says in a monotone voice. The exorcist avoids Xingqiu’s eyes, choosing to focus on one of the servants carrying some bags.
“Hey… I’ll be back before you know it, silly,” Xingqiu bumps his shoulder into Chongyun's playfully. “I will write you letters when I can. It will be like I never left,” He comforts his friend, trying to convince himself as well.
“Well, I-… I am going to miss you, Qiu…” Chongyun turns to look towards him. The look in Chongyun’s crystalline blue eyes said more than either one of them could say in a million years. Xingqiu’s heart flips in his chest, a new and unknown feeling to him. He quickly dismisses the feeling, the best he can.
“As will I, dearest,” He leans his head on Chongyun’s shoulder. Chongyun stiffens for a moment before relaxing just as quickly. The icy boy leans into him, maybe raising in temperature a few degrees, but Xingqiu can’t tell for sure. Xingqiu tries to relish the last few minutes he has with his best friend. He needs to remember every detail for when he is lonely later and misses Chongyun.
Today will be a long and lonely day of traveling.
--
After a full day of riding in a wagon through the familiar roads of Liyue, the young master and his father arrive in Qingce Village for the night. Xingqiu has always admired the quaint little village in the mountains. It seemed like the perfect place to have a peaceful and fulfilled life. Xingqiu hated being a part of his family's business, he would much rather be a writer and live in solitude. Sure, the wealth was nice, but money wasn’t important to him. He just wanted to live a happy life where he could be himself and not have to put on a show for others all the time. He felt like a show pony to his family, the intelligent, attractive, and ambitious second heir to the infamous Feiyun Commerce Guild. To himself, Xingqiu was none of those things, he was just a boy with dreams of being a hero and living a life of fun with his friends. But since he is now an adult, his father has higher expectations of him.
Xingqiu hops out of the carriage and heads towards the small cabin where they are spending the night. He immediately heads to his assigned room and flops on the bed. His father is not the most interesting person to talk to, so the ride here was extremely boring.
Man, does he wish Chongyun were here. Xingqiu sighs and rolls to grab one of his novels. Perfect, this one takes place in Chenyu Vale. This will be good to read before tomorrow. They are set to travel through Chenyu Vale in the morning. Xingqiu has read plenty of novels where the plot takes place there, and the descriptions of it made him want to visit it at some point in his life. Plus, he has heard that the renowned Guhua Clan originated there.
--
Xingqiu wakes up to birds chirping outside his window and a book on his face.
Damn, he must’ve fallen asleep while reading. He grabs the book from his face and puts it back in his bag. He swings out of bed and heads to the bathroom to freshen up before getting ready to leave again.
Once back into the wagon, Xingqiu pulls the same book from last night out of his bag on a mission to finish it before they get to Chenyu Vale. Xingqiu is a fast reader, so he has faith in himself to finish the last 200 pages. Xingqiu can hear his father chuckle at him and his reading addiction. He can’t blame him, though. He does have his whole face in the book. Xingqiu closes the book in triumph as they approach Chenyu Vale’s border. Just from here, the land looks beautiful, he can’t wait to actually be on it. He sits in anticipation as he starts up a conversation with his father.
“So, have you ever been to Chenyu Vale before?” Xingqiu questions. Despite being his son, he doesn’t know much about his father. He was quite the reserved guy, but that’s what happens when you are high status. Xingqiu did make it a personal goal to get a little closer to his father over this trip, which could benefit him in the future.
“Yes, I have. I met your mother here,” His dad says blankly, looking towards the mountains. “She was a talented tea maker in Qiaoying Village. I went to the village in hopes of expanding the guild in my early days for your grandfather,”
“So, how did you introduce yourself?” He asks. He has never heard his father talk about his and his mom’s past.
“She actually introduced herself to me,” His father smiles at the memory. “I was walking down the street when she came up to me with a huge basket of tea leaves, urging me to buy some or try it. She was confident and persistent, so I couldn’t say no. I then told her I would only try some if she were to have some with me,”
“Wow, who knew you were so smooth?” Xingqiu chuckles, holding a hand up to his mouth to stifle his laugh.
“She was the smooth one. I ended up leaving with three industrial-sized bags of tea leaves. After that, I knew she was the right woman for me,” His father laughs at the memory. “My father wasn’t too happy with my budgeting choice there,”
“I never knew Mom was from Chenyu Vale. How come she doesn’t share it?” Xingqiu questions.
“She’s just not too proud of her poor past. She prefers to avoid the subject,” His father responds.
“Ah, I see,” The two fall into a comfortable silence, and Xingqiu notes to ask his mom about her life here when he gets back home. They are now fully into Chenyu Vale, and the view is breathtaking. The rich green landscape and flowing rivers are everything Xingqiu hoped for.
Chongyun would love it here... He imagines the two of them running through the hills looking for treasure and then spending the afternoon playing in the river, splashing each other. Xingqiu smiles, a warm, fluttery feeling settling into his chest. He grabs his shirt at the strange feeling. It’s the same feeling as before. He brushes it off again, not wanting to delve into the meaning. Xingqiu sits back and admires the scenery for the rest of the way to Yilong Wharf.
“The wharf is huge!” Xingqiu’s eyes widen at the sight, “It has to be around the same size as Liyue Harbor, I can’t believe I haven’t traveled here yet,”
The view was truly breathtaking. The city had the hustle and bustle Xingqiu expected, but it also had this calm, tranquil side that he absolutely adored. In the distance, Fontaine’s waterfalls are seen flowing endlessly. Xingqiu is suddenly slammed with inspiration. He grabs his personal journal and flips to his writing inspiration page. He furiously jots down descriptions of things of interest that stood out to him in the scene he is witnessing. Xingqiu has some time before the sun sets, so he takes a walk around the shopping stalls of the wharf. He has always loved shopping, well, not necessarily buying anything, but more so seeing what people had to offer. Chongyun makes fun of him for this guilty pleasure. His friend doesn’t see any purpose in shopping if you aren’t planning on buying anything. After perusing some stalls and buying a small bag of tea, he heads to their guild headquarters on the wharf. It’s a small building compared to their headquarters in Liyue, but it gets the job done.
He lies on his bed and looks at the ceiling. Xingqiu wonders what his friends are up to. He is starting to miss them already, and it’s only been two days. At least they are getting on the ferry to get to Fontaine tomorrow morning, maybe he will be able to distract himself once he’s there. With that thought, the boy drifts off to sleep.
--
Fontaine’s border is beautiful yet a little terrifying. The cascading turquoise water looks otherworldly, graceful yet powerful. Xingqiu loves the message it gives. A writer knows how to appreciate such a thing after all. Everything he has seen in the last few days has given him so much inspiration. Xingqiu has been itching to write; if he doesn’t soon, he will start to get antsy. The ride to the capital is a breeze thanks to the Aquabus. The technology in Fontaine is advanced and is blowing Xingqiu’s mind. The capital itself is even more impressive with its elegant and grand architecture, complex streets, and overall aesthetic.
“What is the agenda for the afternoon, Father?” Xingqiu asks after handing his bags to a servant. He hopes nothing is planned because he is practically foaming at the mouth, anticipating exploring this place.
“Hmm, I do believe there is one small meeting around three, but you don’t need to be there for that one if you don’t wish to,” His father grins, giving him an out for the afternoon. “Tomorrow is when work really starts, so go get some fresh air,”
“Of course, thank you, father!” Xingqiu smiles and turns away.
His first stop is a café, where he has been dying to try a cup of authentic Fontainian coffee. Xingqiu is normally a tea drinker, but that’s what is most accessible in Liyue. He likes to indulge in coffee when he can. Something about its richness and creaminess makes him feel so at ease. After ordering, he goes to sit outside to people-watch. It’s another one of his guilty pleasures; some people think it's creepy, but he has no ill intentions. He finds the daily lives of others very intriguing. It’s probably because his life is anything but ordinary, so he takes comfort in watching others live theirs.
While observing the streets, he sees three vision holders in unique outfits walking up to the café where he is sitting. The one with the top hat leads while the other two follow shortly after. That’s when Xingqiu caught the eye of the leader, he was caught staring. He quickly averts his eyes, but the damage is already done. Xingqiu sips his coffee nervously.
“Hey! You don’t look like you are from here, are you?” The leader smiles, walking up to him. Xingqiu mentally curses and puts on his ‘genuine’ smile.
“Ah, hello! No, I am from Liyue Harbor,” He replies dryly, hoping to be left alone.
“Oh, cool! My siblings and I are from here. Ah! Where are my manners?” The leader clears his throat and grabs his hat, bringing it to his chest with a bow. “I am Lyney, this is my dear sister Lynette, and this is my brother Freminet,” Lynette gives him a polite smile, and Freminet gives him an awkward wave.
“No worries, I am Xingqiu,” He smiles again, waving politely. At least they don’t know who he is.
“You mind if we join you for a bit? You look like you could use some company,” Lyney asks, putting his hat back onto his head.
NO.
“Sure! The seats are yours,” Xingqiu grins, screaming internally. He just wanted to have a peaceful afternoon to himself and not have to put on an act.
“Great, let us go order,” The three walk into the café. Xingqiu sighs and tries to soak in the last few minutes of solitude. Xingqiu hypes himself up when he sees the three emerge from the café with their drinks.
“Hello again!” Lyney chirps while taking a seat next to Xingqiu. The other two take their mentally assigned seats; they must do this often enough not to have to discuss the seating arrangement. The shy one sits across from him with Lynette at his other side. “Say, what are you in Fontaine for?”
“I am here on a trip with my father,” Not a lie, but not the whole truth either. “What do you guys do around here?” He asks, trying to drift the conversation away from himself.
“My wonderful sister and I are magicians, as for my brother here, he is a renowned diver,” Lyney proudly smiles at Freminet. The shy boy flushes a bit from the compliment. Now that Xingqiu gets a better look at Freminet, something seems kind of familiar about him. Maybe it’s the great sword on his back, the cryo vision, or the rather repressed personality, but he reminds him of his dearest. That thought kind of shocks Xingqiu. Freminet is different from Chongyun, but there are enough similarities to the point where his cold friend is on his mind.
“Ah, that’s interesting!” Xingqiu stumbles out, realizing he kind of got stuck in his head. “Can’t say what I do is that interesting,”
“Well, what do you do?” Lynette blankly asks, surprising Xingqiu a bit.
“I am a bit of an author, I write in my free time,” Xingqiu responds to the question, still wanting to hide his connection to the Feiyun Commerce Guild. More small talk ensues until they all finish their drinks. Xingqiu finds that he doesn’t completely despise talking to these three. At least he found some makeshift friends for his two months in Fontaine. He is about to announce his departure, but Lyney starts before he gets a chance.
“So, since it’s your first time in Fontaine, my siblings and I could give you a bit of a tour?” Lyney offers with a smile. Xingqiu sighs internally, he just can’t escape these three, can he?
“That would be very kind! But, I don’t want to trouble you,” Xingqiu responds earnestly.
“Nonsense! Let us show you around, it’s the least we can do for your hospitality,” Lyney says, the other two nod in agreement. Xingqiu sighs; he supposes it can’t hurt.
“Fine, but under one condition. You must show me the city's best souvenir shop and bookstore!” Xingqiu demands with a smile.
“Of course, friend!” Lyney smirks with success, “Let’s get to it then!” The group leaves the table after cleaning up. Xingqiu walks alongside the trio and gets a little self-conscious. He sticks out like a sore thumb compared to these three. He distracts himself by admiring the beautiful city and unique storefronts. The city has a very peaceful atmosphere. They soon arrive at what Xingqiu assumes to be a souvenir shop. Perfect, he can look for gifts for his friends! Xingqiu immediately makes a move toward the jewelry section of the store. He has a lot of friends who are girls, some of whom like jewelry. He quickly spots this golden necklace with a series of different musical notes on it. The tag it comes on says it connects to a well-known Fontainian lullaby.
“This would be perfect for Yun Jin!” Xingqiu excitedly whispers to himself, putting the necklace into his basket.
“You know Yun Jin?” Lynette asks, “She’s super famous,”
“Oh, yeah. I’ve known her since we were babies,” He responds honestly. He laughs at their shocked faces and moves to continue looking around the store. He finds a screw that was made in the Fortress of Meropide, it's supposedly haunted by an inmate so he thought it would be good for Hu Tao. He finds a cool guitar pic for Xinyan, it has a famous stage on it that is in Fontaine. She has probably already performed there. He then finds some dried regional specialties he can give to Xiangling, maybe she can use some of them when experimenting with a new recipe.
Now, what to get Chongyun…? He wants to get his best friend something meaningful, not something that’s just going to sit on a shelf. That’s when he sees it, two tassels are sitting on a shelf next to the jewelry section. One is a pale icy blue with a white rope infinity sign wrapped around the top of it, the other is a tan twine with an amber jewel wrapped by netting around the same spot where the white rope is on the other one.
IT’S PERFECT
Xingqiu grabs the tassels immediately. They can be a sign of their true friendship. Xingqiu goes to buy all his gifts, and once he is finished paying, he attaches the tan tassel to his vision.
“Who’s the lucky lady receiving the matching tassel?” Lyney nudges Xingqiu with his elbow in a teasing manner. Xingqiu flushes at the implication
“Ah, you misunderstand. It’s for my best friend, I think he would love them as much as I do,” Xingqiu tries to soften the blush on his face.
“Ohh, I see…” Lyney smirks, “It’s for your best friend? What’s he like?” He pries for more information.
“He is kind of similar to Freminet in a way. He has a Cryo Vision and Claymore as well, except he has this fluffy, icy blue hair and crystalline eyes of the same color. He’s also a famous exorcist in Liyue,” Xingqiu describes with a smile bigger than he has smiled all day, a light blush still dusting his cheeks.
“Hmm, cool! He seems like the perfect match for you. In battle, I mean,” Lyney says, trying not to laugh.
“He really is! We fight very well alongside one another, he whips his claymore around like it's nothing,” Xingqiu gushes about his best friend, not realizing how much he is rambling.
“Sounds like a great friend!” Lyney laughs at the boy's display, “Are you set up to send these gifts in the mail?”
“No? I was going to give them all the gifts when I return to Liyue,”
“Well, if you ever change your mind, or want to write a letter, I can hook you up,” Lyney offers with a trusting smile and a small card disappearing trick.
“Thanks for the offer!” Xingqiu replies.
After buying the souvenirs, stopping by the local bookstore, and saying goodbye to his new friends, the afternoon goes by quickly. Xingqiu picked up a few novels based on some real trials that took place in Fontaine. He is excited to dig into those, but what he is most excited about is the few romantic dramas he picked up. He is known for loving adventure story novels, but his guilty pleasure is romance. Not that he shares that knowledge with anyone, not even his best friend Chongyun. Xingqiu will take that secret to his grave.
He has always been a bit of a hopeless romantic. He can’t wait to find that someone to sweep him off his feet and whisper sweet nothings into his ears. Xingqiu has had people confess to him before. The first time a girl confessed to him, he accepted it and started dating her. He quickly found out he wasn’t interested in her romantically, and she was just after him for his position. This was when he was fifteen, she was around the same age, and her family put her on the task of dating him. The most they did was hold hands.
After that, Xingqiu lost all interest in dating because he didn’t want to be lied to or used. He developed some minor crushes on celebrities and novel characters over the years, but nothing serious. Through these small crushes, he realized he was bisexual. He definitely preferred men, but there were some women out there he fancied as well. Although he hasn't told any of his friends, he is sure they have their suspicions.
With a sigh, he opens the door to his temporary hotel room. The room is luxurious, it has a blue and gold theme throughout the room. When you first walk in, there is a walk-in closet to the left of the door, and across from the closet is the door to the bathroom. The bathroom features a white marble tub with a separate shower area and a toilet. There is also a large marble countertop housing a sink. A queen-sized bed takes up the rest of the bedroom with a canopy of sheer white curtains to contrast the signature Fontainian blue silk bedsheets. Despite the elegance of the room, Xingqiu still prefers his homey bedroom in Liyue.
The young master drops his gifts off by the closet and flops onto his bed. He is really starting to miss his friends; he wishes he had someone to talk to right now. He thinks of his light-blue-haired friend. He and Chongyun could talk for hours, or well, more like Xingqiu would talk for hours and Chongyun would listen. He loved how attentively his friend would listen to him, no matter the topic. Xingqiu would listen to him just as attentively if Chongyun were to talk that much, but he rarely does. Xingqiu has always enjoyed the way Chongyun looked at him while in conversation. Chongyun looks at him like he is the most important thing in the world. His entire focus is on what is coming out of Xingqiu’s mouth. The thought of it makes Xingqiu’s stomach swirl. The things he would do to have Chongyun listen to him right now.
With that thought, the young master drifts off to sleep in his luxury bed.
--
The next four days are packed to the brim with meetings. There is barely enough time to eat, despite there being meetings discussed over food. After today, he is officially one week into his two-month trip. Chongyun’s birthday is in three weeks.
Xingqiu has been aching to relax in solitude and start one of the books he bought. He needs to feel something other than stress, he needs the romantic suspense! The drama!
Thank the Archons, he doesn’t have anything to do after dinner tonight. Finally, some free time!
The book the young master decides on is an adventure romance novel that is set in Fontaine, which is the perfect fit for him. The protagonist is a young girl named Valentina from a rich family, she wants nothing to do with her family, other than her older sister, whom she admires. One day, she reaches her limit with paperwork and decides to run away from home to start an adventure. On her first night away, she gets ambushed by a group of hilichurls and struggles to hold them off on her own. Suddenly, a traveler, Felix, jumps out in front of her and finishes off the hilichurls. The traveler becomes the main love interest with his cool, calm, and collected demeanor, contrasting the main character’s feisty, snarky, and confident personality.
While reading the book, Xingqiu finds that he connects to the main character pretty well despite her being a woman. Because of this, he is able to put himself in the main character's shoes. Plus, he loves how the love interest is written. Normally, the love interests in novels are egocentric, hot-bodied men, which isn’t the worst, but it gets boring. The love interest in this novel isn’t egocentric whatsoever, he is compassionate, smart, and empathetic. He keeps a level head and gets bashful around the main character. Which is adorable in Xingqiu’s opinion, he loves a shy yet tough man. The traveler kind of reminds him of Chongyun in a way.
Oh, how he misses Chongyun… Xingqiu loves to tease Chongyun because of his shy tendencies, which makes teasing him so much better. The blush on his friend's face when Xingqiu says or does something embarrassing is to die for. Despite growing older and stronger, Chongyun is no less vulnerable to Xingqiu’s pranks. This fact makes him very happy, he truly cherishes his best friend. He wants to be able to prank him for the rest of his life.
The novel he chose is a bit of a slow burn, which is perfect because he is going to be in Fontaine for a while. The novel is part of a trilogy, with each novel being around 500 pages. Xingqiu can’t wait to read more, but he has to stop for the night. The real romance hasn’t even started yet, only the build-up. Despite this, Xingqiu had to take breaks to kick his feet and silently scream when something would happen. This is why he doesn’t read romance in public. He is too expressive when he reads.
With thoughts of the novel and Chongyun in his head, he drifts off to sleep in his luxurious silk sheets.
--
A week of meetings and guild work passes until Xingqiu has a completely free day with no plans in his schedule. With this free time, he decides he doesn’t want to wait to give his friends his gifts in person, he wants to mail their gifts to them as soon as possible. He wasn’t sure how long it would take to ship his letters, so he wanted to make sure his gift would be on time for Chongyun’s birthday. Plus, he felt like writing his friends some letters anyway, so he might as well kill two birds with one stone.
After writing some letters for Xiangling, Xinyan, Yun Jin, and Hu Tao, he needs to write one for Chongyun. All of the previous letters had a very similar format and contents of how he misses them already, and what he's done and seen so far, but Xingqiu wants to write something unique to Chongyun. He is his best friend after all. He truly misses Chongyun the most out of all of them. And with that thought, he starts writing.
Dearest Chongyun,
Oh, how I have missed you, my liege. Every day passing without you by my side is dull. I wish you were here to experience Fontaine with me. We will have to take a trip here together sometime. Everything looks so elegant here, even the people. I will take photos to bring back with me. You would love the pastries here. I have made some new acquaintances during my travels named Lyney, Lynette, and Freminet. They are all siblings and grew up in Fontaine. While they gave me a tour of the city, we stopped at a well-known souvenir shop. At this shop, I found this tassel that I am gifting you for your birthday. This tassel was part of a pair, I am keeping the other. I have attached it to my vision. May this tassel symbolize our strong and everlasting friendship. I am confident you will cherish it as much as I do. With this tassel, you will have a piece of me wherever you may venture. I will forever be with you, Chongyun. I will continue to write you letters when I have the time to keep my sanity in check. If you have the time, feel free to write back. I would love to know what you have been up to, my exorcist.
P.S. We are taking a trip to Chenyu Vale when I get back, just you and me.
Happy Birthday,
Xingqiu <3
Xingqiu stares at the heart he wrote without thinking. Is that too much? Will he think it is weird? He does love Chongyun, he is his best friend. He doesn’t care for anyone more than Chongyun, he is Xingqiu’s number one. At this point, Xingqiu has made up his mind. So what if he loves Chongyun? Of course he loves his best friend, and he is sure Chongyun feels the same way about him. So he is going to leave it there.
Xingqiu sprays Chongyun’s letter in his signature silk flower perfume. He wishes he could smell Chongyun’s signature cologne, so he is guessing Chongyun misses him the same way. While spraying the letter, Xingqiu suddenly feels like a schoolgirl who just wrote a love letter to give to her crush. He shakes the thought away with the premise that he’s just overthinking things.
After getting all of the gifts and letters situated, Xingqiu sets off into the city to track down Lyney. He doesn’t want to bother his father with the gifts because he was kind enough to give Xingqiu a day off, despite himself not being able to. Before he parted with the trio last time, Lyney told Xingqiu that they reside in Hotel Bouffes d'ete. Xingqiu quickly realizes he has no idea where that is and asks for directions from the nearest Melusine. They kindly point Xingqiu in the right direction, and after some light searching, Xingqiu finds the Hotel.
Upon arrival, Xingqiu finds Freminet sitting outside the front door with a newspaper in hand. The newspaper is from The Steambird and looks to be about the most recent opera house trial, which Xingqiu didn’t have the luxury of attending because of meetings.
Freminet quickly notices his presence and turns around with a startled jump. Xingqiu quickly waves, feeling bad that he has scared the other boy.
“Hello! Is Lyney available?” Xingqiu quietly asks, not wanting to startle the boy again. Freminet just nods in response. As soon as he nods, the door to Hotel Bouffes d'ete swings open and Lyney steps out with a sparkle effect.
“You called?” Lyney takes off his top hat and bows.
“Oh, uh, yeah..!” Xingqiu replies in shock. How did he know he was here?
“What can I help you with this delightful evening?” Lyney asks, putting the hat back onto his head.
“Well, I decided I do want to send my gifts to my friends,” Xingqiu explains, “I cannot wait to give them,”
“Splendid! May I see the gifts?” Lyney smiles and takes hold of the gifts. “Now, where are each of these to be sent to?”
Xingqiu gives Lyney the respective addresses and names of his friends. And with that knowledge, Lyney flicks his wrist and the gifts vanish.
“What! Where did they go?” He gasps, “How did you do that?!”
“A magician never reveals his secrets! But trust me, they will get to your friends faster than any mail service can,”
“What do I owe you?” Xingqiu asks, grabbing his wallet.
“Nothing, my dear friend! Remember, this is a favor I owe you,” Lyney smiles. “I hope to see you again this week. Unfortunately, I am busy tonight, so we can’t do anything today,”
“Thank you! Yes, we will have to meet up later, my liege,” Xingqiu bows at the two, making his way back to his hotel. He is looking forward to the rest of his free afternoon.
Notes:
Sorry this chapter is a little slow!
The next one is better, I promise!
Thanks for reading!! <3
Chapter Text
With the night still free, Xingqiu decides to keep reading the romance novel he started earlier this week.
A little past halfway into the book, the main character, the love interest, and a traveler head on a quest to find a missing child from a nearby city. The trail they are following leads the group to a nearby abandoned mine. The entrance of the mine is run down and crumbling slightly. It looks hazardous, especially for all three of them to go in. The slightest uncalculated movement could cause the whole mine to collapse. So, the main character, Valentina, decides to have the traveler keep watch at the entrance in case something goes wrong, while she and her love interest, Felix, go into the mine.
Valentina and Felix slowly make their way into the mine, watching their footing with every step, along with clues of the child. After about five minutes of walking, Valentina stubs her toe on a wooden support beam in a narrow part of the tunnel. The wooden beam kicks out, causing some debris to fall from the ceiling.
Quickly, Felix grabs Valentina and shoves her further into the tunnel with him, narrowly avoiding the collapsing ceiling behind them. Next thing Valentina knows, she’s pushed against the wall of the tunnel with Felix pressed up against her. The tunnel is shrouded in darkness thanks to them dropping the torches in a panic. All she can feel is Felix’s hurried breath against her neck, hot yet cold. It sends a chill down her spine.
Xingqiu is rolling around on his bed, kicking his feet in excitement. He has been waiting for a moment like this the whole novel! The romance is finally kicking in.
“That was a close one,” Felix whispers, grabbing Valentina’s shoulders to keep track of her. Valentina can’t form a response. She’s way too focused on how his hands feel so strong and safe.
“You okay?” He asks, leaning in a bit and unintentionally whispering into her ear. His breath feels hot on her ear. Valentina feels heat start to pool in her gut, and her head starts to spin.
“Uh- um, yeah, I am okay!” She squeaks out an octave higher than normal.
“Are you sure?” Felix runs one of his hands up her shoulder, over her neck, finally resting on her cheek. “Did you get hit in the head? Your face is warm,” Valentina lets out a faint whimper from the contact, unable to control herself. She can’t let Felix know he has such an effect on her, but she’s starting to lose this battle.
“Where are you hurt?! Does it hurt when I touch here?” Felix panics, thinking the whimper is one of pain. He begins to run his hands up and down her body, searching for injury. His hands are strong and calloused, yet gentle with care as he caresses her legs. Heat pools in between Valentina’s legs as she slaps a hand over her mouth. Her head is spinning with heat and lust. She doesn’t know if she can hold back. Her legs start to shake as Felix reaches her inner thighs.
“Are you okay? Lay down! You’re going to fall!” Felix helps Valentina to the floor, still equally as close, but his hands have stopped moving. He is kneeling in front of her, a hand on her thigh in worry.
“You dummy…” She whispers, not being able to speak normally due to her nervousness.
Xingqiu has a hand over his mouth, face burning red. Heat starts to pool in his own gut, burning yet fluttering around. He takes a deep breath and decides to take a break and bathe before getting any more excited. He hops out of his bed and starts towards the bathroom. He starts the bath and begins to strip off his elaborate outfit. He throws some bubbles in the bath and lights a candle for the aesthetic.
Once the bath is full, Xingqiu slides in. The bath is a tad too hot, but the burning feels good against his skin. He lets out a sigh and leans his head back against the edge of the tub.
He has read adult romance novels before with scenes more intense than the one he just read, but for some reason, this story is having a greater impact on him. Maybe it’s his loneliness, or maybe it’s because he is self-inserting a bit. Suddenly, Xingqiu’s brain remembers how he thought Felix was a bit similar to Chongyun in the way he acted. Heat rushes to his face in full force. How dare he think about his best friend in that way! He shouldn't be self-inserting into the novel anyway. It never ends up well for him. He gets too attached to the novel and never wants to put it down, no matter how many times he has read it. This book is especially bad because he is not just inserting himself into the story; he is inserting his best friend, too, in the place of the love interest, no less. Xingqiu has never had an issue like this before, and he knows he shouldn't humor the idea, but his mind drifts to thoughts of his icy, cool, and inspiring best friend.
He begins to think back to one of their adventures this last year. Xingqiu had made up a lead about an evil spirit residing in a Jueyun Karst cave. He loved making up leads just so he could see the excited look in his friend’s eyes. Plus, it was a great excuse to spend time together. Once they got to the cave, Chongyun grabbed Xingqiu’s hand and began to sneak into the cave. The cave was dark and damp, it smelled earthy and cool. The only light in the back of the cave was from glowing lichen patches growing on the stone walls. The soft light made Chongyun look ethereal. His icy, cat-like eyes seemed to glow in this light. Xingqiu’s breath hitched at the sight of him. Chongyun scanned the cave, looking for any signs of the spirit. He was still holding Xingqiu’s hand, which Xingqiu wasn’t complaining about. He has always been a fan of physical affection. Unfortunately, it was quite uncommon with his best friend here.
“Ah, the spirit must have run away already…” Chongyun huffed, kicking the stone floor in disappointment.
“Don’t be too bummed out, my liege,” Xingqiu said, “We still had a good time exploring!” He gestured to the cave they were in. It truly was a beautiful spot.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Chongyun hummed. Xingqiu then grabbed Chongyun’s other hand and moved closer in front of him.
“Would you care for a dance?” Xingqiu questioned.
“I can’t dance!” Chongyun choked out, embarrassed. Xingqiu just giggled and started to guide him around the cave in a dance-like manner. Xingqiu loved the way Chongyun’s hands felt in his own. They were much bigger and rougher thanks to all of the claymore training. Chongyun always made Xingqiu feel so dainty and graceful. Sure, he likes being strong, but he also wants to feel protected at times. He remembers the way Chongyun looked at him with bashfulness gracing his features. His eyes glued to the floor, trying not to step on Xingqiu’s feet. Until he eventually did. Both the boys tumbled to the ground, Xingqiu being the one who fell first, ended up dragging Chongyun down with him. The wind was knocked out of Xingqiu’s lungs, but his head was cushioned thanks to Chongyun.
Chongyun landed on top of Xingqiu. One hand was positioned behind Xingqiu’s head and the other above his shoulder. Both of his knees were trapping Xingqiu’s legs between them.
“You okay?” Chongyun whispered, eyes wide. Xingqiu just nods, the view too breathtaking for him to say anything. The way Chongyun looked, hunched over him, had his mind racing. His shoulders looked so broad, and the way his bangs fell from his face was intoxicating.
At the time of the event, Xingqiu brushed those thoughts away, embarrassed by them. But now, after reading that romance novel scene, the memories resurface. He remembers how his heart tumbled in his chest, and how Chongyun's eyes studied him. He remembers the way Chongyun smiled at him after he realized he was okay. He can almost feel how Chongyun's hand lingered against his head longer than was really necessary. Unintentionally, Xingqiu begins to imagine the two of them in the scenario of the romance novel.
Heat begins to pool into his gut once more. The idea of Chongyun’s hands on his thighs is a little too vivid for him. The way his breath felt on his face. The way his eyes looked at him with the utmost care. His lower region begins to stir with the wild imagery.
Curses…
He really shouldn’t be thinking about Chongyun in this way, maybe his teenage horniness is coming back. If it ever really left, he just hasn’t thought about Chongyun in this way before. Maybe he’s just pent up? He hasn’t had the time to relieve himself since he left Liyue. Yeah, that must be it. With that thought, he convinces himself the feeling is fine. He’s sure Chongyun won’t mind, not like he’ll ever know. It will just be his little secret. There is nothing wrong with finding your best friend sexually attractive, right..?
Xingqiu slowly runs a finger down his erection, the touch sends a wave of pleasure up his stomach. He lets out a soft hum, trying to stay quiet despite the thick walls. He wraps his hand around his length, slowly moving it up and down.
He imagines Chongyun pushing him out of the way of the falling rocks. Chongyun’s breath in his ears as he holds him against the wall to protect him. He imagines those blue glowing eyes piercing him with concern and worry. He feels the way Chongyun’s worn hands run up and down his arms, over his chest, around his hips, and finally his pale thighs. He thinks of the way his strong hands would hold him with the utmost delicacy as if he were a piece of porcelain. The way Chongyun would be oblivious of the effect he has on Xingqiu, and how Xingqiu would hide it. Finally, Xingqiu imagines Chongyun kneeling down in front of him after running his hands down his legs, eyes looking up at him in concern about his muffled whimper.
With that final thought, Xingqiu releases into the bath. White clouds his vision as his muscles spasm, pleasure coursing through his veins. He breathes heavily as he comes back to the real world. Guilt is already seeping into his bones.
What did he just do…
Suddenly, Xingqiu is glad he doesn’t have to see Chongyun soon. He would not have the strength to face him normally after what he just did. Thank the gods he has six weeks to figure all of this mess out. Xingqiu gets out of the soiled bath and finishes up in the shower. Waves of guilt continue to wash over him throughout the rest of the night. Xingqiu refuses to read further in his novel, at least for now. He needs time to think.
--
“My liege, I have something I wish to discuss with you,” Xingqiu bows his head in greeting, “It’s a tad personal, if you don’t mind,”
“No problem at all, friend. What’s the topic?” Lyney questions, taking a seat at the table they agreed to meet at.
It has been a few days since the 'incident' as Xingqiu has called it. And he has been itching to get an outside perspective or information of any sort that could help him out. So here he is with Lyney at the café where they met. Lyney was Xingqiu’s best option. He was a new friend with no knowledge of Chongyun and he was quite the open book. He was a few years older than Xingqiu, so he hoped he would have some romantic experience. Not that he has romantic feelings for Chongyun, he just needs a little guidance to solidify that he positively doesn't have feelings for his best friend of thirteen years. There is no chance of that being true.
“Uh… Have you ever taken an interest in someone?” Xingqiu whispers out, keeping his voice low, “Like romantically?”
“Oh hoho! I wasn’t expecting this topic. So you want to know about my love life~?” Lyney teases, poking Xingqiu’s shoulder.
“Only if you are comfortable with sharing!” Xingqiu squeaks out, face turning red from the teasing. He’s not used to people as bold as Lyney.
“Fine, fine! Only because you are being so cute about it,” Lyney winks and pinches Xingqiu’s cheek. “Well, I met this guy a little before the prophecy situation. I was handing out these magic bags that can hold all of your belongings when I saw him strike up a conversation with my sister. His long, golden hair shone in the sunrise and swayed in the light breeze. It was love at first sight, at least for me,” Lyney smiles at the memory.
Xingqiu chuckles at how love-struck Lyney looks. It makes him feel a little less awkward about this whole situation.
“I was completely captivated by him from then on out. I needed to get to know him and learn more about him. Thankfully, I saved him from getting arrested by Lady Furina shortly after meeting him. So, I was able to talk to him more because of that situation,”
“Wait… did you say that the archon tried arresting him as soon as he set foot in Fontaine?” Xingqiu blinks in surprise. He had heard that story from the Traveler before. Suddenly, the clues start piecing together in his mind.
“Yeah, it was quite the funny ordeal, I rememb-“
“YOU’RE IN LOVE WITH THE TRAVELER?!” Xingqiu shouts with a huge smile on his face.
“You know him?!” Lyney’s jaw drops, and his face turns bright red.
“Yeah! When he visited Liyue last, he told me about his experience in Fontaine because of my trip here,” Xingqiu laughs at Lyney’s flustered face. He didn’t know it was possible for a man that confident to get flustered.
“Ah- Well, yes. I am sort of in love with the Traveler..?” Lyney rubs the back of his head, feeling bashful.
“What do you mean sort of? It seemed pretty sure to me, my liege,” Xingqiu smirks poking his shoulder to tease him.
“I never actually told him about my feelings,” Lyney sighs, “But we did have a very heated make-out session in prison,” Lyney winks, getting his confidence back.
“No way!” Xingqiu slaps a hand over his mouth, “That seems very romantic actually,”
“It was, I wish we could have done it at least one more time,” Lyney smiles, “Anyway, why did you want to ask about my love life? Trouble in paradise?”
“I have never been in a relationship, so I wanted to see how it develops..?” Xingqiu flushes, embarrassed by his unsure answer. He has done some thinking over the last few days and all he concluded was that his situation was definitely not normal friendship feelings. “But your situation seems a lot different than mine…” he whispers, not wanting Lyney to hear him.
“Ah, you are talking about your friend, right? What was his name? Chongyun?” Lyney leans back in his chair and sends a sly smirk to Xingqiu. Lyney must have heard him. Xingqiu’s face burns a brilliant shade of crimson as he looks down to hide his face.
“How did you know…?” He says, slumping into his chair.
“Well, in the very short time I have known you, I realized you talk about him a lot differently than the rest of your friends. You seem very proud of him, it’s quite cute,” Lyney teases. Xingqiu swallows his pride and looks to Lyney. He needs to get something figured out.
“I didn’t know my feelings for him weren’t platonic up until a few days ago. Now I don’t know how I will be able to face him when I return to Liyue,” Xingqiu sighs and puts his head on the table.
“How long have you been friends with him?”
“Since we were six. Our families were introduced to each other at a banquet,”
“Well, I am sure you know him well, thirteen years is a long time,”
“Exactly! I don’t want to throw all those years away because of a measly infatuation with him!” Xingqiu digs his hands into his hair in distress. He supposes that what he is feeling is an infatuation. He is scared of it being more.
“Do you think he would just end your friendship because of how you feel? From what I have heard, he doesn’t seem like that type of person,” Lyney reaches for Xingqiu’s hands to calm him down a little. “I am sure he cares just as deeply for you as you do him, at least platonically. I don’t know if he does romantically,” Xingqiu freezes. Lyney thinks he has romantic feelings for Chongyun.
"I don't know if they are romantic feelings..?" Xingqiu says, embarrassed. He really is in the dark about how this type of thing happens.
"What makes you say that? It seemed fairly obvious you felt that way about him. You gushed to me about him like he was the greatest thing in the whole world," Lyney looks at him with an honest expression. Xingqiu blushes, heart sinking in his chest. The realization crashes over him like a piano.
He likes Chongyun... doesn't he?
"Ah... Well, it's... complicated?" Xingqiu weakly responds. Not wanting to go into details about the 'incident'. His thoughts swirl with the uncertainties of Chongyun.
“Well, you have plenty of time to think about him. Plus, I am always available to talk if you want an outside opinion,” Lyney smiles. “Also, if you want to send him another letter at any point, let me know! I will send it free of charge, of course, as long as you keep me up to date on the romance drama,” He winks.
“I suppose you are right, thank you, Lyney,” Xingqiu flushes with embarrassment.
“Oh! One more thing, you got a response from him already~!” Lyney pulls out a letter and waves it around. “With your letter, I gave him instructions on how to set up letters to send back,”
“Oh, archons!” Xingqiu yells in surprise, “That was so quick!” This is amazing, but also bad for him. How is he supposed to respond to Chongyun after his discovery? He is going to act like a fool in his next letter.
Lyney winks and slides him the letter. “Let me know when you want to send one back,”
Lyney and Xingqiu return their cups and bid each other farewell. Xingqiu walks back to his hotel room as quickly as he can. He is exhausted from his vulnerability today. He usually doesn’t talk about his feelings much, but Lyney is a good outside person to talk to. He doesn’t know much about his life at home and can't judge him too harshly.
Xingqiu hops into silk pajamas, too lazy to run a bath. The letter is the only thing on his mind despite his newfound feelings weighing on his shoulders. He carefully tears the envelope open, not wanting to accidentally tear anything. He reads.
Xingqiu,
Thank you for the amazing gift. It was a pleasant surprise. I can’t wait to see your matching tassel; I attached mine to my belt. It sounds like your trip has been pretty fun so far. I wish I could be there with you, too. Hopefully, the guild work hasn’t been too taxing. I know how bored you get. The last few weeks have been fairly uneventful for me. I took on a few commissions, but they weren’t anything special. Just the usual of me standing in a house waiting for the spirit to run away. I wish I could actually use the exorcism training I have been working on. Sorry, I am a little in the dumps. Your letter did make my day better, though. I have missed you. We definitely need to go to Chenyu Vale someday. Although anywhere would be fun as long as I am with you.
P.S. Sorry, I am not fancy with my words like you :(
Chongyun <3
Xingqiu’s jaw drops at the heart he signed. He couldn’t believe he sent one back.
Wait…
Xingqiu curiously sniffs the letter to make sure he wasn’t imagining things.
“Eeeeeeee!!!” Xingqiu squeals, kicking his feet.
He sprayed the letter with his cologne!!!
This is oh-so amazing for him, but oh-so bad at the same time. It makes him miss Chongyun even more than he already does, but now he can smell him whenever he wants! Chongyun’s cologne smells like sandalwood, amber, and qingxin. Xingqiu has grown to love it. He associates the smell with his friend.
Xingqiu re-reads the letter a few more times while occasionally smelling it. It’s not creepy! He just misses him! His heart flutters every time he reads the last sentence of his letter. He decides to lie down in his bed, with the letter next to his pillow.
As much as Xingqiu wants to sleep, it doesn’t come to him. All he can think about is Chongyun’s stupid, beautiful blue eyes, his freckles that dust over his nose, and his fluffy pale eyelashes that are too ethereal for this world. The smell of the letter helps with his delusions.
He is royally screwed and there is nothing he can do about it.
Notes:
Ahhh!! What is Xingqiu to do!?
I hope you enjoyed the spice of this chapter! It is only the beginning ;0
The next chapter is going to be good! And most definitely longer! Sorry, this one was kind of short, but I wanted there to be a reasonable cut-off point
Also, I am naming the chapters after songs in AURORA's new album "What Happened To The Heart?". I listened to the songs quite a bit while writing this fic, and I became obsessed with them. Feel free to give them a listen and let me know your favorite!
(mine is probably To Be Alright or Starvation, but I love them all >o<)
Chapter 3: Dreams
Notes:
Smut ahead! Not that you need a warning, it's why you clicked on this fic
ya nasty ;P
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Oh, Archons, you are beautiful…” Chongyun whispers into his ear, gently nibbling at the lobe. Electricity shoots down Xingqiu’s spine as he lets out a whimper. He gets a whiff of his cologne, making Xingqiu dizzy and warm.
Chongyun is hunched over Xingqiu on the bookworm's bed. One of his hands rests next to Xingqiu’s head, the other lies over his hip, grabbing the boy with the utmost care. Chongyun continues to nibble at his ear, occasionally licking it where he bites. Xingqiu squirms under him, heat pooling throughout his body. His stupid overcoat is starting to make him too warm.
“Chongyun- mmph~, help,” Xingqiu pleads while fumbling with the clasps on his coat. Chongyun chuckles into his ear before giving him a quick peck on the cheek. He leans back and starts to unfasten Xingqiu’s coat. Xingqiu watches him, looking into his stupidly perfect eyes that contrast beautifully with his flushed face. Chongyun slowly and precisely unhooks each clasp, his eyes shining with mischief. “Yun-Yun! Hurry uppp!” Xingqiu whines, impatient.
“I want to take my time with you, Xingqiu,” He smiles, “You are too perfect not to,” Chongyun grabs Xingqiu’s hand and raises it to plant a kiss on his knuckles.
“Shut- shut up..!” Xingqiu sputters out, blushing furiously. He attempts to cover his face with his hands. Chongyun’s gaze is too intense. Chongyun finishes unbuttoning his jacket and tosses it to the side. He leans back down and slowly removes Xingqiu’s hands from his face.
“Please don’t hide that pretty face from me,” Chongyun whispers, looking into Xingqiu’s golden eyes. Xingqiu’s heart stops. How can one man be so cute!? He brings his hands to loop around the back of the pale boy’s neck.
“Just kiss me, Frosty,” Xingqiu says, pulling the boy down to meet his lips. Chongyun squeaks as he’s pulled down. Their lips meet in a fit of passion. Chongyun’s lips slot perfectly with Xingqiu’s. Chongyun whimpers into his mouth, his face turning crimson. Xingqiu smiles into the kiss. He loves making Chongyun a mess. The dark-haired boy runs his hands up the back of his friend's head, pulling at his pale hair. Xingqiu bites at Chongyun’s lip, licking it afterward.
“Haaaah… Xingqiu-“ Chongyun pulls away from Xingqiu, saliva connecting their mouths. His eyes are half-lidded, full of adoration for the bookworm under him. In Chongyun’s haze, Xingqiu takes the chance to flip over on top of him, straddling the icy boy’s hips. Chongyun gasps in surprise.
“This is much better!” Xingqiu says, wiggling around on Chongyun’s lap, noticing something and grinning mischievously.
“Nngh~! Qiu! Stop m-moving..!” Chongyun freezes, grabbing Xingqiu’s arms in an attempt to stop him. Xingqiu smirks and makes eye contact with his friend before grinding down onto him. Chongyun slaps a hand over his mouth to try to muffle his moan.
“You like that, don’t you, pretty boy~” Xingqiu coos while continuing to circle his hips over his friend’s growing erection. Chongyun flushes, steam practically shooting out of his ears. “Well, don’t overload now, we are just getting started~” He says, unbuttoning the top buttons of his shirt. Xingqiu sees something snap in Chongyun, and before he can blink, Chongyun grabs his waist, forcefully grinding into him with a growl.
Fire pools in Xingqiu’s gut as he holds in a moan, not expecting Chongyun to break so quickly. Chongyun rips off Xingqiu’s shirt, sending some buttons flying. Xingqiu squirms, biting his lip.
“Are you prepared to deal with the consequences of your actions?” Chongyun sternly asks while continuing to grind against the younger man. His face is a brilliant shade of crimson, and his eyes are filled with lust as he looks up at Xingqiu.
“Oh fuck yes..!” Xingqiu squeaks out, “Please!” He moans, heat swirling in his abdomen. Chongyun immediately lifts Xingqiu off the bed and puts him on the floor, so he is kneeling in front of him. Xingqiu could get used to this kind of yang episode Chongyun.
“Suck” He demands while pulling the waistband of his pants down, exposing his cock. Xingqiu sits in awe, drooling at the sight. His pants are starting to feel way too tight.
“Did you hear me? I said suck it” Chongyun scoffs and grabs Xingqiu’s hair, pulling him till his cheek is flush against his dick. Xingqiu moans and looks into Chongyun’s eyes before moving his head to lick up the side of his cock.
“Haaah… Fuck Qiu…” Chongyun moans, head tilting back. Xingqiu smiles and then swirls his tongue around the tip. Chongyun shoves his hands into his hair, beckoning him to continue. Xingqiu takes as much of Chongyun as he can in his mouth, saliva dripping down his chin as he bobs his head.
Xingqiu moans around his cock, sparks shooting through his body because of his power over Chongyun. Xingqiu continues to suck, cheeks hollowing as Chongyun bucks into his throat. He gags, tears streaming down his face.
“You’re so beautiful, Qiu…” Chongyun grunts as he forces Xingqiu further down his dick, pulling at his silky navy hair. Xingqiu hums as he takes one of his hands around the base of Chongyun, the other hand fumbling with the zipper of his shorts. He needs to touch himself. His own erection is starting to ache.
“Ah- ah- ah! What do you think you are doing? I didn’t say you could touch yourself,” Chongyun scolds, yanking him off his cock by his hair.
“Mpf! Dearest, please!” Xingqiu begs, cock dripping pre-cum onto the floor. He scooches closer to Chongyun’s leg, trying to rub himself against it.
“Archons… You’re desperate, aren’t you, dear?” Chongyun says while shoving his calf in between Xingqiu’s legs, pushing against his erection.
“Fuck yes, fuck me, fuck me!” He pleads, bucking against the exorcist's leg. He grabs his thigh and looks into those attractive blue eyes of his.
“Mmmm, I don’t think so, not yet,” Chongyun looks down at him with a glint in his eye. “Keep doing what you’re doing, but don’t touch yourself with your hands,”
Xingqiu immediately puts his lips back around his cock without a second thought. He moans as Chongyun continues to place pressure against his swollen dick. Chongyun groans as he swirls his tongue around his tip, redigging his hands into the bookworms navy hair. Xingqiu's head swirls with lust as he drinks in the sounds.
He grinds himself against Chongyun in desperation, bucking against him with little regard to his dishelvled appearence. He feels the fiery pressure building in his gut, and he knows he isn’t going to last much longer.
“Gods, Qiu, your mouth feels so fucking good,” The exorcist grunts. Sparks shoot through Xingqiu at the praise, pushing him ever closer to the precipice.
“Mph~ Chongyun~! Chongyun! Ah! I’m going to-” He moans as his muscles start to tighten in his abdomen. Heat pooling and swirling in his gut.
He slowly opens his eyes again to find a dim dawn-lit room, Chongyun nowhere to be found. He immediately notices the uncomfortable wet sensation in his shorts along with his rock-hard boner.
Oh…
“Fuck!” Xingqiu whisper yells into his room while running his hands through his hair. He is so far gone, there is no way he can recover from this one. He is done for!
He pulls the blankets off himself and stares at the tent in his shorts, ashamed and annoyed with himself. He should’ve known sleeping next to that stupid letter was a bad idea. Xingqiu gets out of bed and starts the shower.
Today is going to be a long day…
--
Xingqiu is somewhat grateful for his hectic schedule because he has no time to think about his impending doom and his dream about Chongyun from last night. He has been in Fontaine for around three weeks now, and Chongyun’s birthday is in a week.
Thankfully, the Opera House is holding a trial for a stolen engagement ring tonight, and Xingqiu has tickets to attend it! He is beyond excited to go. He has always wanted to attend a trial, especially since reading some of the Steambird’s articles during his meetings.
Xingqiu dons some of his finest silk robes and freshens up in the mirror before setting out to meet Lyney and Lynette.
The Opera House takes Xingqiu’s breath away. The building elegantly towers over him. It is so beautiful, it is almost intimidating. The way the fountains of water perfectly align with the architecture blows Xingqiu’s mind. He will never forget the feeling of this place. He spots Lyney and Lynette by the fountain, talking to each other.
“Hello, my lieges,” Xingqiu waves to the siblings as he walks up to them, “Thank you again for getting me a ticket, I am elated to be here!”
“Of course, my friend! Let’s just say I have a close relationship with the Iudex. So, I got us some pretty good seats!” Lyney grins.
“I owe you dinner after this, you can pick the place,” He smiles with gratitude, “Shall we?” Xingqiu gestures to the door of the Opera House.
The interior of the building is equally impressive as the outside. While Xingqiu loves Liyuen architecture, Fontainian architecture holds a special place in his heart. Maybe he is a bit biased, being a hydro user after all. Lyney leads them to their seats, which are at the very front and center of the audience. Xingqiu holds in his excitement the best he can and takes a seat. Thank Morax, he put up with Lyney the day he met him because he has his perks.
After a few minutes, the room goes silent apart from a pair of shoes tapping on the balcony above the stage. The Chief Justice appears from behind the curtain and stands in front of his seat. He taps his cane to the floor, its sound resonating throughout the room. Xingqiu’s jaw drops. The Iudex is one of the most beautiful men Xingqiu has ever laid his eyes on. He was legitimately breathtaking. The way his long flowing white hair sat on his shoulders and cascaded down his back was an amazing sight. Xingqiu couldn’t decide if he wanted to be him or be with him. Not that he would want to be with him anyway, he seems quite a bit older than Xingqiu. But he can still dream.
“Thank you all for bearing witness to this trial today. I, the Chief Justice of Fontaine, officially declare the start of this trial. May the defendant take the stage,” The Iudex gestures to the balcony on his left as an annoyed-looking young lady takes a seat. “Now may the plaintiff take the stage,” He gestures to the balcony on his right, and a sad middle-aged woman takes the stand.
“This trial stands to determine whether or not the defendant stole this woman’s engagement ring,” The Chief Justice clears his throat, “Helen, will you please share your side of the story?” He raises his hand in gesture to the sad older woman.
“Certainly, Your Honor,” She sniffles, “I was out shopping at some stalls in town when I saw this young lady with a familiar ring. At first, I thought she may just have received the ring from the same jeweler as my husband did, but I remembered he had it custom-made specifically for me, there is no other ring that looks or will look like mine” She huffs, “So, this young lady must’ve stolen my ring!” She finishes harshly, pointing her finger towards the other balcony.
“I did not!” The young lady yells, “I just received this ring from my fiancé! I have never seen you before in my life,”
“That is blasphemy! Then how did your fiancé get his hands on my one-of-a-kind ring?!” Helen grips the railing in frustration.
Suddenly, a loud bang is heard, echoing through the courtroom. The Iudex stands up with his cane out in front of him.
“Silence!” He shouts, “Please calm down, we are here to sort this out in a calm manner,” Both women retreat back to their chairs away from the edge of the balcony. Xingqiu smiles. This is getting good! He can’t believe he is at a trial in person.
“Helen, did you at any point notice your engagement ring missing before you saw it on Maxine’s hand?”
“No, but after I saw it, I went home to check my jewelry box, and it was missing. I normally just wear my wedding band around, unless I am attending an important event,”
“And what is your husband's name? Is he here tonight?”
“His name is Francis Klein, and no, he didn’t want to show his face here,” She looks ticked off.
“Thank you, now, Maxine, when were you proposed to?” The Chief Justice turns to look at the young woman.
“It was exactly two weeks ago today,” She answers blankly.
“And what is your fiancé’s name? And is he here tonight?”
“His name is Ken Florence, and no, he isn’t, he is at work,” She looks down sadly.
“What is his occupation?”
“He is a businessman, he has to travel a lot for work, so I don’t see him too often,” Her hands fidget with each other.
“Indulge me with a description of his appearance,” He politely commands.
“He is a bit older than me, he has greying brown hair and hazel eyes,” She looks embarrassed.
“How much older is he than you?” He questions, sensing her avoidance.
“Thirty-two years…” She answers quietly, “I truly love him for who he is, he did not manipulate or bribe me, and I am not after his money. I don’t want there to be any rumors about our love,”
“So that makes him fifty-five, and how old is your husband, Helen?”
“Fifty-five…” She responds, face going dark. “That son-of-a-bitch…”
Xingqiu gasps and grabs Lyney’s arm, whipping his head to look at him. Lyney has an equally shocked expression on his face. Xingqiu mouths an “Oh my” and Lyney chuckles in response.
“Well… ahem…” The Iudex clears his throat, “It seems we have found ourselves an answer to this situation. Since Mr. Klein refused to show up for either party, it shall be assumed that it is no mere coincidence and will be used as evidence against him later. Excuse us for a brief intermission,” He stands and gestures to the curtains as they drop.
“Lyney! This is spectacular! I can’t thank you enough,” Xingqiu says, grabbing Lyney’s hand out of excitement.
“Well, I’m glad you're enjoying it, my friend! I have one more surprise in store for you after the trial concludes!” Lyney smiles with a wink, squeezing his hand back. They continue to discuss what happened in the trial and what they think is going to happen next. After thirty minutes have passed, the curtains on the stage begin to rise, and the audience immediately goes silent. The Iudex clangs his cane on the floor of his balcony.
“Thank you for your patience, everyone. We managed to locate Mr. Klein. He now must face trial,” His voice booms across the Opera House. “Mr. Klein, take the stage,” An older man takes the right balcony and sits down, across from him on the opposite balcony, both women glare at him with their arms crossed.
“Care to explain?” Helen questions, clearly enraged.
“First and foremost, I would like to apologize to you both,” He sighs, “I really didn’t mean to harm either of you,”
“Well, you sure did,” Maxine grumbles, not even sparing him a glance.
“Maxine, when we first met, I thought you were an amazing person who deserved better than the life you were living,” Francis looks down, “I originally planned to send you money or other things that would help you and your situation. I never planned on this happening,”
“Why did you start dating and propose to me then? Doesn’t seem like that was a good idea,” She interrogates.
“I noticed you were catching feelings for me, and I guess I was feeling a little disconnected from my wife. I know that is no excuse, but that is my reasoning,”
“EXCUSE ME?! YOU WERE FEELING DISCONNECTED? WHAT ABOUT ME? YOU STOPPED TALKING TO ME ENTIRELY?” Helen yells, pointing her finger at him.
“All you cared about was how much money I brought in, not how I was feeling,” Francis slumps into his chair. Helen just scoffs, unable to respond.
“Well… It seems we have figured out most of the pieces to the puzzle, thanks to Mr. Klein’s cooperation,” The Chief Justice stands from his seat. “Do any questions remain?” He asks both parties. Francis just looks down, dejected. Both women refuse to even look his way.
“Very well… I, Neuvillette, the Chief Justice of Fontaine, conclude this trial. Francis Klein has confessed to his crimes, lessening his sentence. By my decree, he is found guilty and shall serve a year in the Fortress of Meropide,” Gasps are heard in the crowd.
“That’s a long time!” Xingqiu whispers to Lyney.
“Well, he has been cheating on his wife for quite some time. I personally think it should be longer. I just hope he learns his lesson in prison,” Lyney sighs and shakes his head.
“Thank you all for attending this trial tonight, please get home safely,” The Iudex bows and leaves the stage. The audience begins to grab their belongings and shuffle out the door. Xingqiu stands to do the same, but Lyney grabs his wrist.
“Hey! Where do you think you’re going? I still have a surprise for you!” Lyney smirks at him. Xingqiu swallows, suddenly nervous.
“What-what is it?” Xingqiu looks around, seeing nothing.
“Just follow me and Lynette!” He smiles and leads them away from the crowd. Lyney takes them into a side door by the edge of the stage. They walk down a dimly lit hallway before arriving at a cozy office-looking room.
Xingqiu scans the room before making eye contact with the Iudex himself. Xingqiu’s jaw drops.
“Ah, Lyney, it’s nice to see you. How have you been?” The Chief Justice walks up to greet Lyney.
“I’ve been well! The house has been in good shape thanks to your support,” Lyney bows and tips his hat. “This here is my friend Xingqiu, he is an author from Liyue,” Xingqiu quickly composes himself and runs his fingers through his hair, hoping he looks presentable.
“Ah, Xingqiu, it is nice to meet you in person. I’ve been hearing a lot about you and your father’s business in Fontaine recently. I truly look forward to working with you,” He sticks out his hand and smiles, “You can call me Neuvillette,”
“I am pleased to make your acquaintance, sir. Fontaine has been treating us very well so far. It’s an honor to work with you,” Xingqiu shakes his hand, trying to be as composed as possible despite just touching the most beautiful man he has ever seen in his entire life.
“No need to be so formal, this is a chat between friends,” Neuvillette chuckles. Xingqiu almost faints. He’s sure his face is red. His laugh was as beautiful as he is, and he’s laughing at him. This is a dream come true. Lyney sends him a cheeky, all-knowing look.
“Oh, Lyney, a surprise guest decided to drop in for the weekend,” The tall man gestures to the couch behind him.
There sits Aether and Paimon, snacking on some desserts. Xingqiu smiles and looks at Lyney before nudging him and giving him a thumbs up. Karma. Lyney flushes bright red, and Lynette just shakes her head.
The rest of the night goes smoothly. The group sits and chats while snacking for a while, catching up with each other and sharing stories. Eventually, Xingqiu and Lynette decide to leave first. Xingqiu makes sure to wiggle his eyebrows at Lyney before leaving. He just glares at him with a flush on his face.
--
Xingqiu flops onto his bed. It has never been so comfortable. He turns to his side and comes face to face with Chongyun’s letter. The memories of last night hit him like an aquabus.
He should write back to Chongyun, shouldn’t he...?
Xingqiu groans and yanks on his hair. Just how is he supposed to write to Chongyun now? Especially after what he dreamed about! There must be an Archon actively planning his demise. He sighs. He’s in too deep to stop now, isn’t he? Xingqiu gets up to grab his writing supplies.
Dearest Chongyun,
I just got back from the most spectacular Opera House trial ever! Lyney and Lynette invited me, and we even got to talk with the Iudex afterwards. Anyway, this guy proposed to another woman with his wife's engagement ring. There was a lot of drama. I can’t wait to read about it in the papers tomorrow. I’ll make sure to keep one so I can read it to you when I get back to Liyue. I’m sorry about your commissions. I wish I could help you research some leads. I am quite the expert! I’m sure we will find a spirit that can resist your yang energy someday! Thank you for spraying your cologne on the letter. I was very much hoping you would. It was like you were here with me. Is it weird to say that I slept with it by my pillow...? Sorry if that is weird, it was comforting to have a part of you here. I miss you, Chongyun. I can’t wait to return to Liyue Harbor. I will need to spend a whole week with you to recover from our separation.
With Anxiety,
Xingqiu <3
Xingqiu sighs and puts his quill down. Hopefully, that doesn’t come off as weird. He should probably keep that to himself to avoid embarrassment, but deep down inside, he is a bit curious if Chongyun did the same thing. At least Chongyun is one of the only people who can decipher his horrendous handwriting.
He sprays the letter with his perfume again and seals it in an envelope. He will have to give Lyney the letter tomorrow or the day after. Hopefully, Lyney has good news about him and the traveler.
--
The next day, Xingqiu has the afternoon free, so he sets up a dinner reservation for himself and Lyney. He asks Lynette if she wants to go as well, but she declines, stating she doesn’t want to listen to Lyney ramble again.
The two meet up outside of Xingqiu’s hotel and head to the restaurant together. As soon as they sit down at their reserved table, Lyney immediately begins filling Xingqiu in on last night's events.
“Xingqiu… I am so whipped,” Lyney sighs into his hands.
“I am well aware,” Xingqiu laughs.
Their waitress walks up to their table and jots down their drink orders, smiling at the two before leaving them to their conversation.
“So get this, after Lynette and you left, Aether decided it was about time for him to head to his hotel too. BUT, he invited me with him! TO SPEND THE NIGHT!” Lyney yells poking his finger into the table.
“No way!” Xingqiu gasps, “Did you go with him?”
“Duh! I am not letting that opportunity of a lifetime pass me by,” Lyney states, waving his finger in the air. “What you hear next remains with you, got it?”
“Of course, my liege,” He nods hurriedly, ready for some gossip.
“So, Aether’s room had two separate rooms, one for him and the other for Paimon. Which was good for me because I was a little worried about the Paimon situation!” Lyney laughs, “But anyways, we say our goodnights to Paimon, and she drifts off to her room. At this point, I am sweating bullets. I am okay around him when there are other people, but if it’s just us, I get so nervous. It’s ridiculous! I am supposed to be able to put the moves on him…” Lyney puts his face into his hands and drags them down his cheeks.
“So after Paimon leaves, he asks me if I would like any wine. I agree because I cannot be sober, or I will act like an absolute fool around him. So he pours us both a glass, and he motions me to the loveseat near his bed.” Lyney starts to blush and runs a hand through his hair. “We sit and talk for a while, re-filling our glasses a few times. Each time Aether got up for a refill, he would sit closer and closer to me.”
“Pardon the interruption, are you all ready to order?” The waitress reappears with their drinks, and Lyney jumps in surprise.
“Ah, yes, I’ll take the Trout Amandine and he will take the Vessie Chicken,” Xingqiu quickly orders for the two to save Lyney the trouble.
“Alright, I’ll have that right out for you,” She says as she grabs the menu away from the men.
“Thank you,”
“Of course, my liege, hopefully, the Vessie Chicken is okay? I saw you looking at it,”
“I’m good with that! I’m impressed!” Lyney smiles. “Where was I? Oh yeah… So after the 4th or so refill, he sits right next to me. Our thighs are touching, and we are really starting to feel the wine. I can’t help but admire him when he is so close, his smile is so pretty,” Lyney smiles, looking off in the distance.
“You are so whipped,” Xingqiu teases.
“Shush, but he ends up noticing me staring at him, and he reaches up to cup my face. And you know what he says? He asks if I like what I see!” Lyney covers his face again, ears tinged red.
“What did you say???” Xingqiu squeals.
“I said yes and avoided looking at him. BUT! Then, he grabs my chin and pulls me into a kiss…” Lyney rests his head on the table, “Obviously, I kissed him back and we started making out,”
“OH MY ARCHONS!! LYNEY!” Xingqiu smiles, kicking his feet, “I totally thought you were going to be the top, but I guess you are definitely the bottom now that I know you more” He laughs, poking Lyney’s head.
“Rude! I can top! Sometimes..!” Lyney defends himself, face red with embarrassment.
“What happened next!!” Xingqiu prods, needing to know all the details. Lyney just pulls down the collar of his button-up to reveal several red and purple marks around the base of his neck.
“Oh!” Xingqiu gasps and giggles, “Looks like you two got busy! So, what are you two exactly?”
“That’s the problem… I’m not sure,” Lyney sighs, “We were so busy with each other all night… then we didn’t talk about anything this morning,”
“Ah…”
“But he was all friendly and not at all awkward, so I’m not worried about that,” Lyney frowns.
“I think you should talk to him about it. It wouldn’t cause any harm,” Xingqiu suggests.
“I agree… It’s just a tad bit nerve-wracking,” He admits, “I’m just worried I am a fling or something,”
“I know the traveler, he isn’t like that. He would never do that to someone without confirmation beforehand. I genuinely think he’s interested in more”
“Well, I’ll get back to you after I talk to him,” Lyney says, giving him a soft smile.
Their waitress reappears with their dishes and bids them a good meal after asking if they need anything else. They politely decline and begin to eat their meal.
“Well, any developments with Chongyun?” Lyney curiously smiles. Xingqiu almost chokes on his drink.
“Kind of? Yes? Maybe? I don’t know,” Xingqiu groans, sliding a hand down his face. “In my first letter to him, I signed it with a heart and sprayed my perfume on it,”
“Bold!” Lyney chuckles and takes a bite of his dinner.
“No, cringe. Anyway, in his letter back to me, he also signed a heart and sprayed his cologne on it,” Xingqiu blushes. In no circumstance is he telling Lyney what happened after that.
“Ooooh! Interesting…” Lyney ponders, “What are you going to write back to him about?”
“That’s the problem, I feel like I am being too obvious, and it’s going to scare him away,” Xingqiu sighs in defeat. “I already wrote the next letter anyway,”
“What did you write?”
“Something embarrassing… I don’t want to send it or have you read it,” Xingqiu covers his face.
“Oh, come on, I’m sure it can’t be that embarrassing. What is this, the second letter you’ve written to him?” Lyney chuckles, teasing him.
“I told him I slept with his letter by my pillow…” Xingqiu slides his hands down his face.
“Oh..! Yeah, that’s rough, buddy,” Lyney smiles in sympathy. “I say send it. You only live once, as they say, and something tells me Chongyun won’t think it’s weird,”
“Fine, I suppose I’ll send it. I can’t screw myself over anymore than I already have,” He sighs, handing Lyney the letter.
“Delightful! Can’t wait for the reply!” Lyney smirks while twisting his wrist, causing the letter to vanish with a sparkle effect.
“I still don’t know how that works,” Xingqiu grumbles.
“Magic, my dear,” Lyney winks.
Notes:
AHHHH I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I had a lot of fun writing it. Because who doesn't like smut and writing about Neuvillette? XD
Stay tuned for the next chapter~!
Chapter 4: Do You Feel?
Notes:
Hehe! A little Chongyun POV in this chapter for the birthday boy!!!! <3
Officially halfway through Xingqiu's trip in Fontaine!
I AM SO SORRY FOR THE LATE CHAPTER!! I was very busy the last few days T^T please forgive me!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Xingqiu stumbles back into his hotel room, full from dinner and exhausted from the day. He is anxious about his letter. What if Chongyun gets grossed out? What if he doesn’t reply? What if he ignores Xingqiu completely when he gets back to Liyue Harbor?
He flops onto his bed with a sigh, staring at the canopy above it. Maybe he should read? Try to get his mind off the letter and instead on his delusions. One problem to another. Xingqiu shuffles through his bookbag and pulls out the romance book he started before, which he was too scared to continue. Now, where was he? Right, the tunnel…
Valentina pushes Felix away from her while insisting she is not injured. He doesn’t believe her, but goes along with it anyway. Felix and Valentina break the rocks that collapsed and trapped them in, relight their torch, and find the missing child. They return the child with the traveler and part ways with him. That concludes the first book of the trilogy, so Xingqiu goes and grabs the next one.
Valentina and Felix decide to spend a night at an inn in town after parting ways with the traveler. Unfortunately, (for the characters), they only have one room left with one full-sized bed. They both begrudgingly take the room.
Xingqiu kicks his feet. Man, does he love the “there was only one bed” trope. It never gets old.
“Ugh, this sucks,” Valentina complains, opening the door to their room.
“I can sleep on the floor, you take the bed,” Felix says and sets his bags on the floor. “I’m going to take a quick shower, I’m covered in dirt,” Valentina is left in the room alone. She didn’t even get the chance to argue about the sleeping arrangement. She huffs and gets her things out to shower once Felix is done.
After a few minutes, Felix walks out of the bathroom with just a towel around his waist. Valentina gulps and tries to just look at his face.
“Sorry, I left my clothes out here,” Felix apologizes, seeing the strained look on Valentina’s face.
“No, you’re okay! I’m going to shower now if you don’t mind,” Valentina slaps her cheeks and hurries into the bathroom.
--
Valentina steps out of the bathroom to see Felix sitting on the floor with his back resting against the bed.
“Felix, I really don’t want you to have to sleep on the floor. It is wooden and probably dirty, not to mention very uncomfortable,” She sighs, sitting on the edge of the bed.
“But there’s nowhere else for me to sleep?” Felix raises an eyebrow, confused.
“Just sleep with me in the bed, I really don’t mind,” Valentina looks away from him, a slight blush on her cheeks.
“Are you sure..? The bed isn’t very big,” He questions, looking up at the bed.
“Yes, I am sure. Get up here before I change my mind,” She teases, sliding to the innermost side of the bed against the wall.
“If you insist,” Felix climbs into the bed and flips off the lamp on the nightstand. They both settle into the bed and try to get comfortable. Valentina can’t focus. She knew she would struggle, but she thought she could handle it. Felix’s shoulder is pressed right up against hers, and they are both lying on their back, afraid to move. Valentina is just about to flip to her side and face away from Felix when he whispers her name.
“Hey, Valentina? Can I ask you a question?” He whispers.
“Sure, what is it?” Valentina whispers back nervously.
“What happened in the cave? Are you sure you’re not hurt?” Felix asks, turning to face her.
“Yeah, I’m not hurt, so don’t worry about that,” Valentina gulps, “I- uhm, I’m okay, so that’s all that matters,” She hurries out and flips to face away from Felix. He doesn’t need to know what happened.
“Valentina,” Felix huffs sadly, “Why won’t you tell me..?”
“Because it’s embarrassing,” She confesses.
“Huh? Wait, what was so embarrassing?” Felix slides closer to Valentina and pokes her in the side.
“I am not going to say!” She yelps and slaps his hand away.
“Hm, playing tough, are we?” He smirks before positioning both hands on Valentina’s sides, “Guess I’ll have to force the info out of you,”
“Wait- NO!” Valentina gasps and tries to protect herself from the tickle attack. Felix keeps attacking her sides and eventually goes for her stomach when she turns.
“S-stop! STOP! Please! I’ll tell you, I swear!” She cries, tears in her eyes from laughing.
“Okay, but you better tell the truth!” Felix smiles, stopping the tickle attack and letting Valentina catch her breath. This is when Valentina realizes how close Felix is; they are practically spooning.
“I- uh, I- don’t know how to say any of this,” Valentina stutters, heart racing.
Xingqiu gasps and rolls around on the bed. He did not think this would be happening so soon.
“I-,” Valentina flips over to face Felix, their faces inches apart, “Here, just let me show you,” She grabs Felix’s hand and puts it over her heart. Felix looks at her, confused. “You make my heart race, you have no idea the effect you have on me,”
“Oh, Oh!” Felix’s eyes go wide, and he takes his hand away from her chest, “I- uh, had no idea,” Felix’s flush spreads down to his neck.
“Sorry… I’m sorry if that makes things awkward,” Valentina cringes.
“No! It’s uh- surprising is all,” Felix takes a deep breath and reaches out to put a hand on Valentina’s cheek, “Can I kiss you..?”
“YES!!!!!” Xingqiu yells out, giggling.
Valentina hurriedly nods her head and begins to lean in. She closes her eyes and waits for their lips to connect. When they do, it feels like time stops. His lips slot perfectly with her own. It was everything she ever hoped for.
Xingqiu squeals. He has been waiting for this moment for the last 700 pages. Things look like they get pretty steamy from here on out, and it’s getting late, so Xingqiu decides to put the book down. He gets ready for bed and then tucks himself into the covers of his bed.
He and Chongyun had shared beds before. It was never uncomfortable or awkward. He hasn’t shared a hotel room with Chongyun in almost a year or two. Xingqiu would love to do it again, but after recent developments, he fears he will be awkward and ruin it.
After an adventure, they would sometimes stay at an inn overnight because it was too late to walk back to Liyue. They would get rooms with one bed to save mora, and because that was usually the only room left. Chongyun would always insist on paying for the room, despite Xingqiu trying to because he doesn’t accept money for many of his exorcist commissions because he feels as though he didn’t do any work. It breaks Xingqiu’s heart.
In the hotel, they would stay up and talk and laugh for hours, just lying in bed. Xingqiu would pick on Chongyun, making him embarrassed. Chongyun would listen to Xingqiu ramble or read with such adoration in his eyes. It always startled the way Chongyun would look at him sometimes. He never got looked at with that much care. The only other person who does is his mother on rare occasions.
It makes him nervous. Although Xingqiu can’t say he doesn’t look at Chongyun the same way. He is so proud of his best friend. He is working so hard to become a real exorcist. Xingqiu already believes he is a real exorcist, and has been for a long time, but Chongyun doesn’t feel that way.
Oh, how Xingqiu wishes he could help in some way that isn’t just emotional support. He wants Chongyun to understand how amazing he already is.
--
The next four days are packed to the brim with busy work his dad tasked him with. Xingqiu has about three, foot-tall piles of paperwork on his desk in his hotel room.
Xingqiu sighs and leans back in his desk chair, stretching. Xingqiu is about to get up and take a breather when suddenly, a poof of glitter and ribbon leaves a letter in the middle of his desk.
OH NO
Xingqiu’s heart drops. He has been so busy that he has completely forgotten about the last letter to Chongyun. His stomach swirls with anxiety as he reaches for the letter, slowly opening it.
Xingqiu,
I am happy to hear you finally got to attend an Opera House trial! I know you have been wanting to attend one since forever. I can’t wait to listen to the whole story. I am sure you will tell it as amazing as you always do. Don’t worry about me and my commissions, I can hold my own. I appreciate the concern. It’s nice to know that you still have my back despite the distance between us. It was a pleasant surprise for me when you sprayed your perfume on your letter. It was comforting to have a piece of you with me, so I figured you would like the same. I am glad I guessed right. I can’t say I slept with your letter on my pillow, but to make you feel less embarrassed, I carry the letter with me while I train and do commissions. Xiangling caught me re-reading it once, and I’ve been getting teased continuously for it. The letter makes me feel a little less lonely. I miss you as well, Xingqiu. I can’t wait for your return.
P.S. Please don’t tease me too :(
Chongyun <3
Xingqiu’s face burns, red reaching the tips of his ears. He is keeping this letter till the day he dies. Chongyun sprayed his cologne on it again, too. This boy is going to be the death of him. Xingqiu can imagine how many tries this took him to write. He was probably embarrassed himself, admitting what he did with Xingqiu’s letter.
Xingqiu hops onto his bed, re-reading the letter and smelling it a few times, imagining Chongyun re-reading his own letter and probably smelling it as well. Gods, Xingqiu is hopelessly whipped. He needs to write his response and have an emergency meeting with Lyney immediately.
Xingqiu hurriedly clears a spot on his desk and grabs his quill and ink. He quickly writes his response. He doesn’t hold back on the teasing; it’s fair game now. Chongyun is already expecting him to. So, he can’t let him off easily now.
“Perfect~!” Xingqiu giggles, giving the letter a kiss and spraying his perfume on it. He quickly seals the envelope and rushes out the door to find Lyney. He’s got some tea to spill, as they say. The paperwork can wait. He was burnt out anyway.
--
Xingqiu rushes up to the door of Hotel Bouffes d'ete and excitedly knocks on the door.
“Lyney! You need to hear about this!” Xingqiu waits at the door. The door opens, and behind the door stands Lyney and the traveler.
“Oh! Hello, traveler,” Xingqiu smiles and looks to Lyney for an explanation. Lyney smirks and places a kiss on the traveler's cheek. “AHHH! Yay!” Xingqiu laughs.
“I know! All is well between us,” Lyney dopily smiles at the traveler. They both gesture for Xingqiu to enter.
The inside of Hotel Bouffes d'ete is grand, to say the least. The architecture is similar to that of a 5-star hotel, but it has a lot more of a homey aspect to it. There is artwork on the walls and random toys and activities spread about. Just as Xingqiu is about to question it, Lyney pipes in.
“Welcome to the House of the Hearth! Where orphaned children can grow up with a collective and supporting family,” Lyney smiles, clearly proud and fond of the place.
“Thank you for having me,” Xingqiu smiles. They all take a seat on some couches surrounding a coffee table next to a lit fireplace. The atmosphere is so cozy, Xingqiu will have to ask Lyney more about the place later. There is a more important task at hand.
“So, what did he say in the letter? Based on the fact that you don’t seem upset, I assume it was good,” Lyney laughs at the flush that spreads across Xingqiu’s face. The traveler smiles as well.
“You could say that. Traveler, this stays with you alone, got it?” Xingqiu threatens. He nods and makes a lip-sealed motion. Lyney chuckles.
“So, he said that he carries the letters around with him!” Xingqiu covers the blush on his face. “He also mentioned getting caught re-reading it once by one of our friends to try to make me feel less embarrassed about what I said, but he gave me some major teasing material,” He rambles.
“Hahaha!! That’s amazing! I am glad it all worked out. What did I say? I knew it would all be fine in the end,” Lyney laughs and leans his head on the traveler's shoulder.
“You guys are so cute. I'd better be invited to the wedding,” Xingqiu smirks. Lyney almost chokes, and the traveler looks at Xingqiu wide-eyed.
“A little soon for that, my friend,” Lyney waves him off, awkwardly laughing and trying to hide the blush on his face. Xingqiu just smiles innocently.
“Oh! I have the response letter for you, Lyney,” Xingqiu hands over the envelope.
“Got it!” Lyney grabs the letter and flicks his wrist, the letter vanishing. Magic is an interesting thing.
“Thank you so much for being the mailman,” Xingqiu laughs.
“Of course! I love being a wingman. Unfortunately, neither of my siblings are interested in romance right now,” Lyney fake pouts and then smiles.
“Well, I should get going, my paperwork isn’t going to finish itself. Thank you for having me,” Xingqiu stands and waves goodbye to the couple before heading to the front door.
“No, thank you for giving me the details!” Lyney laughs, and the traveler smiles with a wave.
--
Chongyun wakes up to a pale light streaming through his bedroom window. Today is his birthday. The first birthday in thirteen years where Xingqiu isn’t going to be here for it. Chongyun sighs sadly and sits up in his bed. Today is going to be a long day.
He walks downstairs to greet his parents. They were waiting for him at the breakfast table.
“Hello, my special birthday boy!” His mom coos, getting up to give him a quick hug and kiss on the head. His dad sits up and ruffles his hair.
“Guess who got another letter?” His dad smiles, sliding the letter across the table. Chongyun’s face quickly heats up, and both of his parents chuckle.
“Tell Xingqiu we say hi!” His mom teases. Chongyun huffs and grabs a sunsettia from the table before retreating up to his room.
Chongyun closes his door and rushes to sit on his bed. His face is red, and he is moments away from overheating. Why do his parents always tease him? At least they don’t do it when Xingqiu is around. Curse his yang energy for making him so readable.
After cooling down a bit with a popsicle, Chongyun carefully opens the letter.
Dearest Yun-Yun,
I will always support you, Chongyun. You are amazing at what you do already, even if you don’t see that yourself. I wish I could knock it into your skull that you are already a successful and skilled exorcist. But! Despite how cool you are, I am going to tease you about the letter anyway! If I had to guess, I would assume you weren’t just re-reading my letter when Xiangling caught you, were you? I bet you were nose deep in the letter, and that’s why she won’t give you a break about it! If you liked my smell so much, Yun-Yun, you could have just said so~ I bet you smell it while you are out at commissions and training too. Oh, Yun-Yun, what am I to do with you? I bet you have the cutest blush on your face right now~! I’ll have to tease you more when I return to Liyue! Anyway, I assume you’ll get this on your birthday, so have a great birthday! Make sure you eat an extra slice of ice cream cake for me. I wish I could be there!
Fondly,
Xingqiu <3
Steam shoots out of Chongyun’s ears. His blush spreading to his shoulders. He should never have tried to make Xingqiu feel better. Of course he was going to get teased even more about it.
The truth is, he’s always liked Xingqiu’s perfume. It complements him perfectly. The smell of it gives Chongyun butterflies, not that he would ever admit that. And not that he would ever admit that Xingqiu was right about smelling the letter. He has spent the last six years hiding his feelings. He is not about to throw away their friendship now.
He realized his feelings on a random day they were out exploring in Liyue, when they were thirteen. They had just returned to Liyue Harbor and decided to go to the shipping docks to enjoy the sunset as they usually did.
They were both sitting on the dock looking out over the water at the sunset when Xingqiu started to speak, still looking at the sunset.
“Do you think we will still do this when we are older?” Xingqiu asks.
“Why wouldn’t we?” Chongyun asks back.
“Well, adults are always busy, and what if we drift apart?” Xingqiu sadly looks out over the water.
“That won’t happen, I’ll always be by your side, Xingqiu,” Chongyun responds earnestly.
“True, what would I do without you, Yun-Yun?” Xingqiu closes his eyes and smiles at Chongyun.
The air gets knocked out of Chongyun's lungs. The way the orange and pink hues of the sunset paint Xingqiu’s skin makes him look ethereal. His smile is so genuine and warm that it burns. The realization that he has always loved Xingqiu and will continue to love him hits him hard. Chongyun passed out promptly at the realization. Thankfully, Xingqiu was there to look after him.
Ever since that day, he hasn’t looked at Xingqiu the same. Xingqiu never noticed a difference. He does not want to make Xingqiu uncomfortable. He probably doesn’t even like guys.
Chongyun starts to eat the sunsettia he grabbed while brainstorming how he’s going to respond to Xingqiu’s letter. Maybe he should tease him back? Get some revenge? He isn’t great at teasing, though. It takes him a while to think of a way to tease Xingqiu. He doesn’t want to make him uncomfortable by any means, but it might be fun to push it a little?
Chongyun re-reads the letter to try and get some inspiration. The blush resettles on his cheeks while reading. Xingqiu affects him too easily. Finally, he gets an idea.
Xingqiu,
Thank you for being by my side, Xingqiu. I am too stubborn, though. I can always improve, so you’ll have to keep trying to convince me. Yes, it is my birthday today. Thank you for your timely letter, despite its contents. Those are some bold accusations for someone who slept with my letter by their pillow. Did you snuggle it too? Give it a goodnight kiss? I wonder if you had any dreams about me because of it? You talk with a lot of confidence for someone who has done something arguably more embarrassing. You’re lucky I’m keeping your letters to myself, or Xiangling would be teasing you too. You act like you weren’t smelling my letter like I was with yours. You admitted to it yourself. Don’t try to fight ice with water, you won’t win.
P.S. Don’t worry, I’ll eat an extra slice for you.
Chongyun <3
Hopefully that’s not too intense… Chongyun puts his hands on his cheeks and uses his vision to cool himself down. The own imagery he created, making him heat up. Chongyun genuinely wonders if Xingqiu has dreamed about him, though. I mean, he has dreamt about Xingqiu before, in a friendship way and maybe a not-so-friendship way. The exorcist slaps himself in the face before getting lost in that train of thought. He should not be thinking about whether or not Xingqiu has dreamed about him in that way. He shouldn’t be getting his hopes up.
Chongyun sprays his cologne on the letter and seals it, putting it in the specific box he was told to leave his letter in to get it to Xingqiu. After that, he starts to get ready for the rest of his birthday. He planned on meeting up with Xiangling for lunch and spending the day with her. Then in the afternoon, his friends planned a mini birthday party for him.
--
The walk to Wanmin was pleasant. The way the September breeze blew through the city, bringing that crisp autumn scent with it. Chongyun has always loved this time of year; it rests just below winter on his tier list. He loves the fall because it holds so many precious memories for him. Both his and Xingqiu’s birthdays are in the fall. Those birthday memories are near and dear to his heart, every birthday standing tribute to another year of their friendship. Chongyun wishes Xingqiu were here. He always looked so beautiful at this time of the year. His amber eyes matched perfectly with the yellow and orange hues of the harbor.
Chongyun's heart aches with the thought of Xingqiu.
“Chongyun!! Happy birthday!” Xiangling snaps him out of his Xingqiu-filled haze. She's waving and running up the street towards him. “Come ‘ere you big lug,” She says, leaping up to wrap her arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug. Chongyun reciprocates it and pats her shoulder.
“Hello, Xiangling,” Chongyun greets her, pulling away from the hug. They both make their way towards Wanmin.
“So? What do you want to eat for lunch? My treat, of course!” She says, grabbing her apron and tying it around her.
“Uh… I’ll have some crystal shrimp,” Chongyun chooses. Xiangling squints her eyes at him and purses her lips. “What..?” Chongyun asks, confused.
“You really miss him that much, huh?” She sighs, “Man, you’re whipped,”
“Wha- What do you mean?” Chongyun squeaks, cheeks starting to turn a light shade of red.
“You? Ordering his favorite dish? I’m not dumb!” Xiangling points out, matter-of-factly. Chongyun just frowns and looks down. “Oh- I’m sorry, Chongyun… I miss him too,” Xiangling apologizes, sitting down in the chair next to him.
“It’s- just not the same, you know?” He says, avoiding eye contact with Xiangling.
“Hey,” She reaches out and grabs his hand, “He really wanted to be here, I know he did. He was upset for months, knowing he wasn’t going to be here. Heck, he did so much to try and make it up to you before he left, and I’m sure he’ll do the same when he gets back,”
“Yeah…” Chongyun squeezes her hand, looking towards her.
“And I know he would be so upset seeing you sad on your birthday because of him. So, cheer up! I am going to make sure you have the most amazing birthday ever!” Xiangling smiles, poking him on the shoulder before pulling him into a hug.
“Thank you, Xiangling, you are an amazing friend,” Chongyun tightly hugs her back.
“Duh! I am the best!” She laughs, “Now let me whip up two servings of crystal shrimp. I’ll have some too, no carrots in his honor,”
--
“Ugh, that was good,” Xiangling laughs and puts her hand on her belly. Chongyun hums in agreement. “What do you want to do till the party? Any ideas?”
“I think I’d like to just take it easy. Maybe we could find a nice spot to lie around at?” Chongyun suggests.
“Sure! Let me grab a blanket and some drinks!” Xiangling quickly disappears into the back of the restaurant. “How about around Mt. Tianheng? The trees are starting to turn autumn colors around there!” She yells from the back.
“Yeah, that works, not too far,” Chongyun agrees.
“Sweet, let’s go!” Xiangling reappears with a backpack and grabs Chongyun’s wrist, pulling him in the direction of Mt. Tianheng.
The walk to the mountain is short because of it being close to the harbor. They find a nice spot on the side of the mountain with a great view of the harbor and ocean. Xiangling lays out the blanket and hands Chongyun a bottle of iced green tea, then grabs one for herself, too.
“Thank you again, Xiangling. This is perfect,” Chongyun smiles and lies down on the blanket. He really means it. This isn’t the most exciting birthday activity, but he knows his friends will be plenty exciting later. It truly is the perfect day today. The sun is warm, but the breeze is cool, a perfect fall day. It would only be better if Xingqiu were here.
“Of course! No need to thank me, it is a great day to spend relaxing,” She says, getting comfortable on the blanket next to him. “The harbor is always so pretty this time of the year,” She sighs, looking out towards the city.
“Yeah…” Chongyun smiles and thinks of Xingqiu, heartstrings pulling in his chest.
“Are you ever going to tell him?” Xiangling asks, not even looking at him to know what, or who, he’s thinking about. Chongyun whips his head to look at her, eyes wide and face crimson. “What? You are always so obvious,” She shrugs.
“Am not!” He sputters, trying to defend himself.
“You always get this weird lovesick glint in your eyes, and you make this dopey soft smile. I see it so much I could recognize it out of the corner of my eye,” She raises her eyebrow. “You think about him so much,” Xiangling pretends to gag and then laughs.
“Ugh, you’re so rude,” The exorcist grumbles. “But, uh- I don’t know… I don’t want to ruin our friendship, I like it how it is,”
“Are you satisfied with it staying the same, though?” She questions.
“I’ll have to be,”
“You don’t think you have any chance with him?” She gives him an empathetic, yet sad smile.
“I don’t know… I mean, the way he has been teasing me in his letters makes me get my hopes up, but Xingqiu always teases me. I don’t know how to interpret it in writing,” Chongyun frowns.
“He has been teasing you in his letters?!” She bites her lip, trying to keep from giggling. “What did he say?”
“I don’t want you to read it! That’s so embarrassing…” Chongyun covers his face, ears tinged a shade of crimson.
“Oh, come on! Please! I swear I won’t tell another soul! I swear on Guoba!” She pleads with puppy-dog eyes. “I have been dealing with your pining for years!” Chongyun glares at her for a while before giving in to her. He lets her get away with too much.
“Fine, but you better keep your promise or I’ll tamper with your kitchen knives,” He threatens, handing her the letter Xingqiu last sent him.
“You better not!” She gasps and grabs the letter. Xiangling quickly reads over the letter. By the time she’s finished reading, she’s rolling around on the blanket with laughter, tears in the corners of her eyes. Chongyun’s blush spreads to his shoulders. He’s so embarrassed right now.
“Hahaha! And you don’t think you have a chance with him?” She laughs, wiping a tear out of her eye.
“He always teases me like that! He’s been doing it for years,” Chongyun defends himself.
“Has he always signed his name with a heart?” The chef giggles.
“I mean-no, he hasn’t, but that could just be because we both miss each other…” He stutters, “That’s why I’ve been sending him hearts back,”
“You! What?! You send them back?!” She stares at him dumbfoundedly. “That’s the gayest thing I’ve ever heard,”
“Xiangling..! You aren’t helping!” Chongyun groans, sliding a hand down his face.
“You guys are hopeless!” Xiangling slaps her forehead.
“It’s a lot easier to tease him back through the letter…” Chongyun whispers out, not quite wanting to tell Xiangling, but wanting to tell her all the same.
“HUH!?”
“Well… I just sent the response to that letter to him before I left to see you.” He stammers. “It's- It’s the first one I’ve sent teasing him back…”
“Ahahaha! Chongyun! You have no idea how proud of you I am right now!” She hugs him, her excitement making him embarrassed.
“You act like I have no idea what I am doing!” Chongyun huffs.
“Because you don’t! This is the biggest move I have ever seen you make!” She grabs his shoulders, looking into his frightened blue eyes. “I expect to hear what he says back! You can leave out some of the details, I don’t need to know everything,” She fake gags, putting a finger to her mouth. Chongyun burns bright red and lets out a nervous laugh.
“Hahaha- ha… I am so scared, Xiangling. What if I took it too far? What if he doesn’t send a letter back?” He frowns.
“Oh, trust me, he will. We are talking about Xingqiu here. He teases you all the time. He will most likely be in shock for a while, but he will respond. I am sure of it,”
“You’re probably right… He lives for this sort of thing,” Chongyun sighs, “I just hope I don’t freak him out. I’ve never really teased him back like this before,”
“Everything will be just fine,” She grabs his hand, looking back out to the harbor. “I do think it is about time we head back. We have to meet up with our friends soon,”
“Ten more minutes…” Chongyun groans, lying down on the blanket, “I need to sort out my head,”
“Okay, Loverboy,” Xiangling smiles. Chongyun flushes at the comment.
--
“Happy Birthday!!!” His friends yell as he opens the front door to his house. Xiangling grabs him by the shoulders and pushes him into the house.
“Thank you, everyone,” Chongyun smiles shyly. Hu Tao, Xinyan, and Yun Jin stand in his living room, all giving him a bright smile. The living room is heavily decorated with streamers and balloons. There is also a pile of presents in the corner of the room. “I am glad you could all make it,”
“Alright, everyone! I planned some party games we can play until dinner and cake. How about we start off with a classic game of Cards Against Teyvat?” Xiangling suggests.
“Oh heck yeah! Ya’ll are goin’ down!” Xinyan yells, taking a seat around the coffee table.
“Haha! I haven’t played this game in a while,” Yun Jin laughs. Hu Tao mischievously giggles, sitting between Yun Jin and Xinyan.
Chongyun sighs and sits down next to Yun Jin. He takes out a popsicle and starts to eat it, he will need it with this group. Chongyun isn’t very good at this game. He never knows what is funny and what isn’t. He takes the questions too literally.
“Okay! I’ll start the game off!” Xiangling announces, sitting down next to Xinyan. She deals out the white cards to every person. “Okay… First black card is: What is Morax’s guilty pleasure?”
“HAHA! Beat that!” Hu Tao laughs, slapping her card on the table. Everyone else laughs and puts their cards on the table. Xiangling grabs them and shuffles them.
“Alrighty… We have: Mora, Knowing all of the gossip, Singing opera in minimal clothing, and Osmanthus wine… Interesting picks,” She laughs. “I think I have to go with the opera one, though, the mental image is too funny!”
“Yes! I knew I would win!” Hu Tao grins while grabbing the next black card. “The Knights of Favonius now prohibit ______ in Mondstadt,” Everyone slaps their cards on the table. “Okay, we got: Drinking, Barbatos, Condoms, and Timmy and his godforsaken pigeons. Whew! Hahaha! I gotta go with Timmy,” Yun Jin cheers, grabbing her card.
“Oh my… Okay… During sex, I like to think about ______,” Yun Jin’s cheeks turn a light shade of pink after reading the card. Xiangling snorts and slaps a card down onto the table. Chongyun looks at his sucky cards and sighs. This game is always more fun with Xingqiu here. He is so good at reading their friends and knowing what they will find funny. The exorcist settles on a card that he hopes Yun Jin will at least chuckle at.
“Hahaha! These are all great! We have: Monsieur Neuvillette’s gorgeous, ass, hair,” She snorts, “Paimon,” She grimaces, “What is at the bottom of the Chasm,” She gasps, “and the taste of the pyro archon’s leather suit,” Yun Jin gags, “Gross!! Who put that in!?”
The whole group erupts with laughter. Chongyun smiles, glad his friends are having fun.
“Oh, Archons, how am I supposed to pick a winner?” She cries out.
“They are all awful in their own ways,” Chongyun shrugs.
“Oh, come on, mine is the clear winner!” Xinyan laughs.
“Uhhhhm, I think I am going to pick Neuvillette. Only because it is somewhat relatable…” She quietly says the last part.
“WHATTTT!” Hu Tao yells, leaning towards Yun Jin.
“Have you seen the man?? He’s gorgeous!” She swoons, fanning her face with her hand in a dramatic way. “Chongyun, defend me here, you’re the only other one here that likes men,” She pleads.
“Huh?! I mean- I guess he’s alright? I don’t know? I’ve only ever seen him in pictures!” Chongyun scrambles, “I don’t know if I’m the most helpful here…” He has only ever had one crush, on one man.
“Chongyun… You have to help me defend my honor!” She grabs his arm, pleading.
“Ask Xingqiu when he gets back! I think he got to see him in person,” Chongyun lightly pushes her off of him.
“Fine- fine- I will!” She chuckles, “Okay, who had that card?”
“Me! Me!” Xiangling celebrates.
The group plays a few more rounds before Chongyun’s mother calls them for dinner. They all sit around the dinner table, recounting Chongyun’s “special” moments from this last year.
“Haha! Remember when I had Chongyun convinced I was possessed?!” Hu Tao belly laughs, “He really tried to do an exorcism on me! I never would have convinced him without Xingqiu’s help. He is an excellent actor,” Hu Tao reminisces, and everyone around the table laughs.
Chongyun remembers that day. Xingqiu came up to him, all panicked, telling him an evil spirit was possessing Hu Tao and making her act insane. Chongyun had his suspicions, but still followed through just in case it wasn’t a prank. If it wasn’t a prank, it would’ve been the first time a spirit could resist his yang energy.
He was a little upset when he found out it was, in fact, a prank. He could’ve hurt Hu Tao by practicing an exorcism on her when it was not needed. He was also upset because a part of him was hoping he could actually exorcise something for once.
All of that faded when Xingqiu started to laugh. Chongyun was a sucker for the way the bookworm’s nose would scrunch up and how he couldn’t keep his eyes open when he was laughing. Xingqiu’s true laugh would always be music to his ears.
“Helloooooo? Teyvat to Chongyun?” Xiangling waves her hand in front of his face, eyebrow raised and smiling knowingly. Chongyun’s face starts to flush. He must have been making that stupid face she mentioned earlier.
“Time for ice cream cake!” He squeaks, standing up and heading to the kitchen. After Chongyun leaves the room, all the girls give each other a look and snicker.
--
After cake, they opened presents. Hu Tao got him a new calligraphy set. Xiangling got him some new popsicle molds. They come in a bunch of fun shapes. Xinyan gifted him a small, antique wind chime. It will be perfect outside his bedroom window. Finally, Yun Jin gifted him a pack of fancy talisman paper. It definitely cost a pretty penny based on the quality of the paper and the golden borders.
“Thank you, you guys know me well,” Chongyun smiles, truly grateful for his friends. They all smile and go in for a group hug. Xiangling makes sure it is a very tight group hug.
For the rest of the evening, they sit around Chongyun’s living room, joking and chatting with each other. Eventually, they get on the subject of Xingqiu and his birthday. His birthday is a few days after he gets back from Fontaine.
“We should totally play truth or dare!” Xiangling playfully giggles, “We haven’t played it in a few years! There has got to be more drama. We are older after all!”
“I second that! Xingqiu loves that stupid game,” Yun Jin shakes her head.
“What about spin the bottle!?” Hu Tao wiggles her eyebrows with a smirk.
“Respectfully, I don’t want to kiss any of you,” Chongyun grimaces.
“Rude!” Xiangling laughs.
“Yeah, but you want to kiss Xingqiu, don’t you?” Hu Tao grins with an evil glint in her eye. Chongyun chokes and panics, face flushing.
Right… This is what happens with Xingqiu isn’t around.
“N-no! Not at all!” Chongyun lies. Everyone knows he’s lying. He’s just trying to convince himself he doesn’t want to.
“Yeah, right, Mr. Rainbow,” Hu Tao snorts sarcastically.
“Hu Tao! Don’t be so mean!” Xiangling scolds her while trying not to laugh.
“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up,” Chongyun groans. He is doomed. They are free to say anything without Xingqiu present.
“You sure you don’t want to play spin the bottle, Chongyun?” Hu Tao laughs.
“Yes, I am sure. If I- If I am going to kiss him, it will be on my own terms,” He stands his ground, grabbing a popsicle to cool down.
“Hmmm… Okay, what about seven minutes in Celestia?” The funeral director grins.
“Hu Tao!” Yun Jin yelps. It’s too late. Chongyun is spiraling.
“Xinyan! Go grab an ice pack! Quick!” Xiangling orders, grabbing Chongyun before he passes out. “Hu Tao! No more teasing. Don’t knock the guy out on his birthday!” Xiangling grabs the icepack from Xinyan and puts it on his forehead.
“Hu Tao, when you get a crush, you’ll never hear the end of it from me,” Chongyun threatens weakly.
“That’s never going to happen,” She coos, poking him on the cheek.
“Yeah, right,” Xiangling adds sarcastically.
Chongyun manages to keep awake, and his friends tone down the teasing for the rest of the night. The rest of the night is fun. They plan the rest of Xingqiu’s party and play a few other card games. Soon, it is time for them to go.
They all stand outside of Chongyun’s front door and say goodbyes. Telling him to thank his parents for them. Chongyun nods and waves them goodbye. After closing the door, he rushes to his room and hops into his bed. Normally, Xingqiu spends the night after his birthday party is over, but now he is all alone. This was the part of the day he was dreading the most.
Last year, Xingqiu kept him up super late reading this stupid romance novel called Young and Hopelessly Smitten. The memory makes Chongyun blush. Xingqiu gave him the whole package, he voiced the different characters and even acted out some of the scenes.
Whenever a romance scene was read, Xingqiu would get a little quieter and quit acting out the scenes. Obviously, embarrassed for reading it out loud despite it being his idea. Chongyun thought it was endearing, but pretended not to notice for Xingqiu’s sake. The exorcist himself was embarrassed because his long-time crush was reading him a romance novel. He must have hidden it well enough because Xingqiu thought he was only flustered from the romance scenes.
With thoughts of Xingqiu’s perfect smile and irresistible laugh, he drifts to sleep.
Notes:
AHHHHH! I was screaming while re-reading this chapter- it's so cute DX
I love my little exorcist! My cutie patootie! He is so far gone <3
Chapter 5: To Be Alright
Notes:
Some more letter action! Yippie!
Also, the outfit Xingqiu is going to wear in this chapter is his character skin :p
I hope you enjoy <3
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
It’s two days after Chongyun’s birthday, and there is still no sign of a letter. To say Xingqiu is nervous is an understatement. Even his father noticed something was up with him during the meeting this morning.
Thankfully, he gave him the rest of the day off to take it easy in his room and work on paperwork if he felt up to it. He knows Lyney will send him the letter as soon as he receives it, but he doesn’t know how long “sending” it takes.
He has tried to do paperwork to keep himself busy, but he can’t focus and keeps making mistakes. The young master sighs and stands up from his desk. He has to get out of this room. Maybe some coffee would do him some good.
The walk to the coffee stand was short, but needed. He sits at a table in the corner and sips his cappuccino. He can finally people-watch again without being interrupted like last time. He watches as some children chase each other down the street, clearly playing some sort of hero game. It was quite nostalgic. It was so long ago the last time he and Chongyun played heroes, they are a bit too old for that now… He watches as a young couple walks down the street, hand-in-hand, completely focused on each other. Xingqiu watched with a bit of jealousy.
He takes the last sip of his cappuccino, watching the children run by again. He is about to get out his notepad to write some story ideas down from his head when the familiar puff of ribbons and glitter appears.
The letter.
Xingqiu quickly returns his cup and rushes back to his hotel room. He probably looked crazy, but that doesn’t matter right now. The only thing that matters is the contents of this letter. Whether or not he pushed it too far in his last letter is about to come to light. Xingqiu opens the letter carefully, hands shaking with anxiety. He is too scared to look. He slowly takes a deep breath in and peeks at the letter.
Xingqiu,
Thank you for being by my side, Xingqiu. I am too stubborn, though. I can always improve, so you’ll have to keep trying to convince me. Yes, it is my birthday today. Thank you for your timely letter, despite its contents. Those are some bold accusations for someone who slept with my letter by their pillow. Did you snuggle it too? Give it a goodnight kiss? I wonder if you had any dreams about me because of it? You talk with a lot of confidence for someone who has done something arguably more embarrassing. You’re lucky I’m keeping your letters to myself, or Xiangling would be teasing you too. You act like you weren’t smelling my letter like I was with yours. You admitted to it yourself. Don’t try to fight ice with water, you won’t win.
P.S. Don’t worry, I’ll eat an extra slice for you.
Chongyun <3
Xingqiu gasps, completely shocked. Butterflies swirl in his stomach as he reads the letter over and over. No way… No way Chongyun wrote that. This has to be a prank. Xingqiu reads it over again, looking for anomalies in his handwriting, looking for proof that someone who was not Chongyun wrote this.
He didn’t find any. All signs point to Chongyun actually writing this letter.
Xingqiu’s jaw is still on the floor. Chongyun has never teased him back. He has not even come close to saying anything like this… Xingqiu feels like he is melting. The table never turns this way. How is he supposed to respond to this letter casually? Does he want to respond casually?
Xingqiu lies down on his bed and stares at the ceiling.
Archons… He kind of liked it…
No one has ever teased him like that before. This is a whole new feeling.
He didn’t know Chongyun was capable of something like that. In all his years of knowing Chongyun, he has never had a crush or taken an interest in anyone. He had not the slightest clue what Chongyun would be like in a relationship other than a friendship. I mean, Xingqiu had his fantasies, but he never thought about how some of them could be attainable. He has no idea how to perceive Chongyun now…
Should he start writing a letter back? His mind is racing… He can’t say anything dumb. This is a careful balance. He can’t push the conversation too far, or he won’t be able to face Chongyun when he returns to Liyue.
Maybe he should take an hour or two to think about what he wants to say. Should he talk to Lyney? No. He can’t face Lyney like his… Xingqiu looks back at the letter and reads it again. This time really focuses on reading it in Chongyun’s voice. He can almost feel him teasingly whispering into his ear.
Xingqiu shudders, heat pooling and swirling in his gut. It’s embarrassing, really, how much his own imagination excites him. He wants Chongyun to tease him more. Xingqiu closes his eyes, imagining Chongyun holding him down, teasing him endlessly.
Xingqiu’s breath grows heavy, shorts tightening at the imagery. He palms himself through his shorts, hips stuttering at the contact. He really shouldn’t be doing this again. He is only digging his grave deeper. Unfortunately for him, his mind is too vivid, and he has poor self-control.
Chongyun straddles his hips, grinding down on his clothed erection. He leans down over Xingqiu and nips at his ears.
“Oh, you are such a mess for me, Xingqiu,” The icy-haired boy chuckles in his ear. “Just keep on using me, dear,”
Xingqiu moans into his hand, trying to block the sound. He continues to buck into his own palm. Beginning to lose his steady rhythm, desperate to finish. Archons above, he could get used to Chongyun teasing him like this.
“Qiu, cum for me, I know you want to,” Chongyun purrs into his ear, pressing down harder onto him.
“Chongyun..!” Xingqiu moans, stomach muscles tightening. He is right on the edge. With a few more frantic thrusts into his hand, he sends himself over the edge. He spills into his shorts with a small groan.
The post clarity hits him hard. Why does he keep screwing himself over?! He is only making it harder and harder for himself when he sees Chongyun again. He is only going to remember what he imagined Chongyun doing to him when he looks at his best friend in the eyes for the first time in two months… He is royally screwed.
With a sigh, Xingqiu sits up and heads to the bathroom. After cleaning up, he throws on his comfiest pajamas and takes a seat at his desk. He needs to write this response and send it before Chongyun or himself freaks out. He sets up his quill and ink and grabs a sheet of his letter paper.
Dearest,
I hope you had a fantastic birthday! I apologize again for my absence. My last few days have been very uneventful. Mounds of trade documents and endless meetings fill my hours. My only solace is your letters, my dear. So, how dare you tease me so harshly in the one highlight of my day? Dare I say you are jealous of a letter, Yun-Yun~? You dream of getting the same attention I am giving it. Do you wish you were the one lying in the bed next to me in place of the letter? Do you want me to cuddle up next to you and whisper sweet nothings into your ear? Maybe even give you a good night kiss instead? I don’t know, dearest. Do you want that? Or am I just imagining silly things out of nothing? Please tell me what you want, dear~
Always,
Xingqiu <3
Xingqiu gulps. Hopefully that’s not too much… He hesitantly sprays the letter before sealing it in his signature envelope. There is no one he could even ask for input. There is no way another soul is reading this letter other than the adorable exorcist it’s intended for.
The young master looks out the window of his hotel room to see the sun setting. Time always passes quickly when he’s writing. Especially so when it is a piece of writing that may or may not alter his life completely.
He should probably give the letter to Lyney in the morning. It is a little late to be roaming the streets. Maybe he’ll treat Lyney and his siblings to breakfast tomorrow. He is going to need a distraction.
--
Soon enough, he’s leaving Hotel Bouffes d'ete with Lyney, Lynette, and Freminet on his tail. They are having breakfast at the Hotel Debord, a famous restaurant and hotel combined into one. The interior is as elegant as the outside, and the aroma is perfect. No wonder the place is popular.
As soon as they are seated at their table, Xingqiu slides Lyney the letter.
“Oh? A response already?” Lyney smiles.
“Yeah, I am afraid I can’t share any details,” He blushes lightly, avoiding eye contact.
“Hmmmmm… So, things escalated, I take it?” Lyney raises an eyebrow and grabs the letter, flicking it to who knows where as always.
“You could say that..? I definitely can’t go back from this next letter,” He sighs.
“Fate is sealed then!” Lyney laughs.
“You guys and your romance are unbearable,” Lynette rolls her eyes at the two of them.
“Excuse me, my dear sister, just because you aren’t interested in romance doesn’t mean that we aren’t,” He pouts, “I have every right to rant about my love life if I so please!”
“Lyney… We always hear the same thing from you all the time…” Freminet joins in.
“Both of you are ganging up on me?! The betrayal!” Lyney dramatically gasps, clutching his pearls. Xingqiu laughs at them. It is nice to see such a close sibling bond. He and his older brother are not nearly as close as these three are. Xingqiu would never talk to him about romance.
“I am happy for you, Xingqiu. Chongyun seems like a pleasant boy,” Lynette says honestly. Freminet nods with what she says, but he looks like he doesn’t want to be here and was dragged along. Lyney and Lynette must do this often enough for him.
“Oh, so it’s only okay if it’s Xingqiu’s love life, got it,” Lyney sighs. Xingqiu laughs at him and pats his shoulder. They put their orders in and continue to chat. Xingqiu takes the opportunity to ask them about the House of Hearth. It truly is a touching story. He understands why the place means so much to the three of them. Xingqiu makes a mental note to jot down some notes for inspiration on a potential future novel.
Breakfast went smoothly and was a good distraction for Xingqiu. Unfortunately, his distraction is short-lived as he remembers the amount of paperwork he put off the day before. He needs to get it done before his father gets upset with him.
--
“Xingqiu,” His father knocks on his door.
“Come in,” Xingqiu responds. He is almost finished with the paperwork. He has three trade agreements left to read over and sign. Xingqiu reasons it's around dinner time now.
“I just got word of something you might find a little bit more exciting than meetings.” His father walks into the room and takes a seat on the loveseat near the door. “We got invited to take part in a masquerade ball hosted by some major businessmen who are sponsoring it,” His father smiles.
“Are you serious? That is so amazing! We are in Fontaine, and we get to go to a masquerade?” Xingqiu’s jaw drops. He had heard of Fontaine’s masquerade balls before, but he never thought he would be able to go to one!
“We will have to go to a local tailor to make sure we have fitting attire for the occasion. The ball is this Friday, so we either need to go tonight or tomorrow morning in order to ensure the tailor has enough time,”
“Would we be able to go now?” Xingqiu asks.
“We can go whenever you are ready, son,” His father laughs and stands up, stretching a bit.
“Let's go!” Xingqiu smiles, grabbing his jacket and sliding on his shoes.
He and his father go to a tailor named Chiori. She’s a renowned artist and has tailored clothing for many important figures in Fontaine. She originates from Inazuma, so it's no wonder she has an amazing understanding and taste in fabrics. The inside of her shop is filled from head to toe with elegant outfits and the prettiest fabrics.
“Hello, my son and I are looking to have suits tailored for a masquerade ball,” His father says to the employee behind the counter.
“Of course, sir. Do you have any ideas in mind, or would you like to look through some of our catalogs?” She politely holds out two handbooks filled with pictures. His father thanks her and grabs the handbooks. “You both can take a seat on the couch over there,” She smiles.
“Thank you,” Xingqiu politely tips his head in a nod. He grabs one of the books from his father and flips through it. There are so many options to choose from, it’s a tad overwhelming. “Father, what are you thinking of getting?” He asks, hoping for something to spark his own interest.
“I might go with a simple design, but made with a nice fabric,” His father hums, “But, you don’t have to follow my lead. I know you like your flamboyance,” He chuckles and knocks his shoulder into Xingqiu’s.
“I am not flamboyant! I just have style, thank you very much,” He gives his father an unheated glare.
“Whatever you say, son,” His father rolls his eyes.
“Hello, gentleman, what can I help you with today?” A lady with an orange, kimono-like dress and brown hair in a bun walks up to them. She has a doll-like creature following her in a similar outfit, a created assistant, Xingqiu guesses. She must be Chiori.
“Hello, we were looking to have two suits tailored by Friday at noon,” His father responds.
“Consider it done. What designs are we thinking of so far?” She says with a serious tone. His father explains the design he liked, and they both move to sift through fabrics to choose from.
Xingqiu continues to look through the catalog before one suit stands out to him. The suit jacket is slim-fitted with a cinch at the waist. After the cinch, the tail of the suit jacket is long and pleated in the back. The front is relatively cropped, and the suit jacket ends around his belly button. The sleeves are puffy until the middle of the forearm, where they turn into the sleeve cuff. The collar has an oversized bow with a charm where the knot of the bow sits.
Under the suit jacket, there is a corset-like vest. Instead of pants like a typical suit, there is a pair of high-rise, mid-thigh shorts. If you squint, the design of the suit resembles Furina’s own, just this one is a tad bit more boyish.
By the time Xingqiu has looked over all the details, he knows this is the suit he’s getting.
“You have a good eye,” Chiori states, walking over to where he is sitting. Her and his father must be done. “I finalized that design a week or so ago, no one has picked it out yet,”
“So, I’ll be the first?” Xingqiu smiles. He will have to make sure he gets his picture taken so he can send a picture to Chongyun.
“You will be. It’ll look great on you. I have been looking forward to finally putting this piece together. Let me show you what fabrics I have in mind,” She leads him further into the store.
They decide on black for the main part of the suit jacket and a fabric similar to the color of his hair for the accents and the vest underneath. They also decided to incorporate the signature dark Fontainian blue for the bow and other accents. Xingqiu decided to keep it simple and stick to white shorts.
He and his father quickly get measured and decide on their masquerade masks, then before they know it, they are leaving the store. A lot happened in a very short amount of time. Xingqiu is so excited that he forgets all about the stress of the letter and the confusing developments between him and Chongyun.
--
The next four days fly by, and Friday arrives. Xingqiu is still awaiting a response from Chongyun. Based on the last letter, it takes around two days for it to get there and two to get back. Hopefully, he gets a response today, but it could come by tomorrow as well.
Xingqiu heads down to greet his father for breakfast. His father makes fun of him for being so excited, but Xingqiu can tell he is happy his son has actually been excited for something business-related for once. What can Xingqiu say? He loves parties and gossip.
After breakfast, Xingqiu heads to Chiori’s shop to pick up his and his father’s outfits. The bell chimes as he opens the door.
“Ah, good. You’re here,” Chiori looks to him, seeing him enter the shop. “I must say, your suit is one of my best works. I am a little sad to let it go,”
“Thank you so much, Miss Chiori. I am honored to wear it,” Xingqiu grins.
“Would you mind trying it on quickly? I want to make sure everything sits perfectly,”
“Of course,” Xingqiu slips into the fitting room he is guided to and slips into the new suit. Xingqiu gives himself a once-over in the mirror before he steps out. The suit fits him like a glove, complementing his physique. Xingqiu’s jaw drops. Yeah, this is definitely his new favorite suit. He steps out of the fitting room and stands on the podium in the middle of the room, letting Chiori inspect it.
“You look absolutely dashing, this is even better than I imagined,” Chiori boasts, a rare light smile resting on her face. Xingqiu flushes, embarrassed by the compliment. “May I take a picture to add to my workbook?” She asks, grabbing her kamera. Xingqiu nods, still embarrassed from the attention.
After taking pictures and changing out of the suit, Xingqiu goes to pay for their suits and return to the hotel. He makes sure to deliver his father’s suit to him before taking his own back to his room. He walks into his room and hangs his suit up in the closet. He sighs and turns around to lie in this bed when a letter on his desk catches his eye.
Chongyun’s letter. Xingqiu forgot all about its possible arrival.
Xingqiu hurriedly grabs the letter and rips the envelope. He jumps onto his bed and gets comfortable.
Xingqiu,
I did have a good birthday. The girls and I planned some things out for your birthday when you come back. Hu Tao was as troublesome as usual. I’m sorry to hear about your paperwork. I hope you get to do something fun soon. I am glad my letters have been making your days better. Your letters improve my day as well, despite how nervous they make me. If you believe I wish I were there in place of the letter, so be it. I think a part of you wishes I were there instead, as well. I don’t know how you can write such frivolous things so confidently… You know how to tease me so easily, yet I am never prepared for it. I don’t know how to respond to such embarrassing comments… You act so composed in your letters, but if I had to guess, you are equally as affected by the teasing as I am. I would love to see how my teasing affects you in person. I bet you would turn away from me to hide your face, not being able to compose yourself enough to face me.
P.S. It sounds like you want to kiss me
Chongyun <3
Xingqiu giggles, a light blush on his cheeks and a swirling of butterflies in his stomach. He loves that his teasing affected Chongyun so much, and he loves that he’s teasing him back. He obviously didn’t scare the exorcist away. This is so much fun, talking with Chongyun like this. He breathes in the scent of Chongyun’s cologne and giggles again. Gods, he feels like a teenage girl. So what if he wants to kiss Chongyun!
He hops out of his bed, all giddy. He starts to get ready for the ball a little early, so he has enough time to take some pictures to send to Chongyun in the next letter. Xingqiu quickly rinses off in the shower and dries his hair. He decides to leave his hair down for the ball.
He applies a little foundation along with some eyeliner and mascara. Enough for him to look proper and pretty. Not too masculine, not too feminine. He applies his perfume with a heavy hand. He wants people to know he smells good.
After putting on his suit and all of its accessories, he gets out his kamera. He always forgets to bring it around with him. He likes having pictures to look back at, but remembering the moment by living through it works better for him. He props the kamera on the bed and sets up the timer.
Xingqiu leans against a nearby wall and teasingly lifts the hem of one of his shorts to reveal a little more thigh than normal. He has a teasing smirk on his face as the kamera clicks. It slides out the developed photo, and Xingqiu giggles. He might kill Chongyun with this.
For the next photo, he poses on the loveseat in his room and puts on his masquerade mask. He leans his back against the armrest and lays his legs across the rest of the couch. He props one leg up higher than the other and bites the tip of his finger. The kamera clicks, and Xingqiu rushes to see the final product. He snorts at the photo. These are so cheesy, but he loves them at the same time. He takes off the mask again for the next one.
For the final photo, he lies on his stomach on the bed and puts the kamera at an angle so it picks up the whole length of his body. He puts his heels in the air and crosses his ankles. Xingqiu props his head up with his hands, linking them under his chin. He smiles with a wink. It’s the classic kicking feet and giggling pose, but he hopes it’s cute nonetheless. The kamera clicks, and Xingqiu is pleased with the final product.
He hopes they at least make Chongyun laugh, because he had fun taking them. He puts the photos in a safe place for later. He doesn’t have time to write the next letter right now, plus, maybe something crazy will happen at the ball.
--
“Xingqiu, are you ready to go?” His father knocks on his door. Xingqiu jumps, not expecting the noise. Is it already time to go?
“Yes, I’ll be out in a moment, Father,” Xingqiu calls out to him. He quickly grabs his vision from his normal outfit and attaches it to this one. You never know when you will need it, better safe than sorry. He also grabs the masquerade mask that was made to perfectly match his suit. Xingqiu opens the door to find his father standing outside. He’s got to say, his father looks pretty good in the suit he picked out. The golden accents on the suit complement his wedding ring nicely.
“Nice suit. It is very you,” His father lightly chuckles and shakes his head.
“Rude, what is that supposed to imply?” Xingqiu raises an eyebrow. His father just shakes his head again and leads them to the location of the masquerade ball.
The ball is being held at the Opera Epiclese, a surprise to Xingqiu. There is an unexpected number of businessmen attending. There seem to be other heirs to their businesses around his age as well. He sighs; his father best not try to set him up with someone.
A businessman Xingqiu recognizes from a few meetings walks up and greets him and his father. The man and his father engage in a conversation about who knows what. All Xingqiu cares about right now is the catered food from Hotel Debord.
He makes his way over to the dessert table and picks a few pieces for himself. There is some sort of coffee cake, some macaroons, and a strawberry shortcake. They are all delicious to Xingqiu. As Xingqiu is making his way back to the dessert table, he trips on the edge of a woman’s dress and body slams into some poor individual.
Xingqiu groans and rubs his head. He looks up to apologize to the person he rammed into, and his breath catches in his throat. The man is looking down at him with an unimpressed look on his face. He is tall, grizzled, and buff. The man has styled black hair with gray streaks and a stubble on his face. Under his right eye, there is a deep-looking scar. The man looks like he belongs on a Fontaine’s Sexiest Man Alive magazine. Xingqiu has never been so mesmerized and terrified of the same person in his life.
The man scoffs and continues to stare at Xingqiu. He looks like he wants to smash him to a pulp!
“I am so sorry, Sir,” Xingqiu apologizes profusely, bowing down to hide his very red face. He can’t help it; he knows a good-looking man when he sees one. “I tripped, it was a complete accident, I swear,” The man doesn’t say anything. He just keeps staring at him, but now with a smirk on his face.
“Young Master Xingqiu?” He hears a familiar voice call to him from next to the man. “Wriothesley? What is happening here?” Neuvillette puts a hand on the man’s shoulder.
“You know this kid?” Wriothesley questions, raising an unimpressed eyebrow.
“Yes, this is Xingqiu, second son of the Feiyun Commerce Guild,” Neuvillette answers. Wriothesley blinks a few times, clearly not ringing a bell. “Remember the Liyue trading opportunities I was discussing with you?” Xingqiu can see the memory click in Wriothesley’s eyes.
“Hello,” Xingqiu awkwardly greets them with a small wave.
“Xingqiu, where are my manners? This is Wriothesley, my fiancé,” Neuvillette introduces, “He is the duke of the Fortress of Meropide,” Xingqiu’s jaw drops internally. What a power couple. They are both gorgeous and both incredibly important figures in Fontaine. Xingqiu doesn’t know who to be jealous of.
“It is nice to meet you, I sincerely apologize for bumping into you,” Xingqiu bows again.
“No worries, a friend of Neuvillette is a friend of mine,” Wriothesley says, wrapping his arm over Neuvillette’s shoulders.
“How have you been, Neuvillette? Have you tried the desserts yet? They are divine,” He rambles. He is so out of these men’s league. He has no idea how he became “friends” with Neuvillette, but now Wriothesley? Neuvillette’s fiancé and the duke himself? How does he get into these situations?
“I have been doing rather well, thank you for asking,” Neuvillette lightly smiles, “I have had some of the desserts, I think the strawberry shortcake is my personal favorite,”
“I really enjoyed that one as well,” Xingqiu smiles.
“I hate to cut our conversation short, but I do have some important matters to attend to,” Neuvillette apologizes, “We will have to talk another time,”
“I wouldn’t want to hold you up! See you later,” Xingqiu nods at the pair. Just as they both turn to walk away, Wriothesley turns back to look at Xingqiu and winks, head gesturing to Neuvillette.
Xingqiu flushes. There was no other way to interpret that.
“Xingqiu, there you are,” His father calls out to him. A nervous-looking blonde girl follows in his steps. “I would like you to meet Rosaline, she is the daughter of an executive officer in the Fontaine Research Institute. Rosaline, this is my son Xingqiu,” His father announces.
“Hello, it is a pleasure to meet you,” Xingqiu says, bowing. Of course he couldn’t go the whole night without his father trying to set him up. He really can’t catch a break.
“Likewise,” Rosaline smiles. He can tell she’s also uncomfortable with the situation.
“Xingqiu, be a dear and show her to the desserts,” His father smiles, sending him a sly wink. Xingqiu nods and cringes internally.
“Right this way, Miss Rosaline,” Xingqiu politely gestures in the direction of the dessert table. Rosaline lightly chuckles and starts walking in that direction. Xingqiu shoots his father a truly dubious side-eye, but he has already turned to leave.
The two of them grab some desserts and a few appetizers. They find an open table and sit down.
“I apologize for my father. He has only the best intentions,” Xingqiu sighs, a light blush on his cheeks from embarrassment.
“It is quite alright, my parents are the same way,” She says, taking a bite of cake from her plate.
“You seem lovely, but I don’t want to lead you on,” Xingqiu nervously says, “I am not interested in anything other than friendship,”
“Whew!” She sighs in relief, “I am not either, so no hard feelings,” She smiles, visibly relaxing.
“Oh, good..! I don’t understand why my father is so focused on finding me a partner. My brother is already married, there is no rush for all of this,” He sighs, glad he doesn’t have to fake anything or have this whole thing be awkward.
“I completely understand. Both of my parents are such sticklers. I know they want the best for me, but I just want to live my own life a little, you know?” Rosaline shakes her head in an annoyed way. “Plus, I have a special someone anyway,” She winks.
“You do?” Xingqiu gasps, “Why not tell your parents?” He questions.
“Well… I am afraid they won’t accept her…” She looks at Xingqiu, and a sad glint settles in her eyes.
“Wait… You..?” Xingqiu stares at her with wide eyes, “You too..?” He swallows thickly, a small blush settling on his face.
“No way!” Rosaline gasps, “You have to tell me everything,” She leans her elbows on the table and rests her chin on her hands.
“Well- Uhm… We’ve known each other for thirteen years. He has been my best friend since the beginning,” Xingqiu's stomach swirls. He is a little embarrassed talking about this with someone he just met. Rosaline seems trustworthy enough, though. “He is an exorcist back in Liyue. He has pale blue hair and these icy, crystalline blue eyes. He is a cryo vision user as well,”
“Ah! So cute!” She squeals, “When did you get together?”
“Oh- I… We’re not- we aren’t a couple…” His face burns a bright shade of crimson.
“Oh! I’m so sorry! I had the wrong idea..!” She profusely apologizes.
“No, it’s alright, not a big deal,” Xingqiu takes a deep breath to calm himself down, “I do like him… Uh- it’s just that he doesn’t know that yet… and I’m not even sure if he likes guys anyway, let alone me…” He frowns.
“I see. I’m sorry, Xingqiu,” She gives him an empathetic look. “Well, if he got your attention, he must be a wonderful guy,”
“Thank you,” Xingqiu smiles, “Now tell me about your girlfriend,” He demands playfully.
“Well, she lives in Poisson and works under Miss Navia in the Spina di Rosula,” Rosaline smiles, “She acts as a bodyguard in a way. She has a pyro vision and wields a sword,”
“Wow! How did you two meet?” Xingqiu questions.
“Well…” Rosaline giggles, cheeks turning pink. “She was stationed near my house here in Fontaine. I would always see her from my bedroom window. I thought she was pretty, so I would use her as a reference for some doodles. One day, I gathered the courage to give her some of my drawings, because I wasn’t sure when she would leave. She thought I was amazing at drawing and talked to me forever, it was really endearing,”
“That is the cutest thing ever..!” Xingqiu smiles, chuckling a little.
“After that day, we would look at each other through my bedroom window. Sometimes she would sneak up to my window and spend time with me in my room…” She blushes.
“Ahhhh, I see,” Xingqiu raises an eyebrow. “She sounds like a great person. I feel like you should introduce her to your parents as a friend and use that to gauge their thoughts about her..?” He ponders.
“Hmmm, I mean I could try?” Rosaline taps at her chin. “It would still be nerve-wracking, she’s a horrible liar and actor,” She laughs.
“I think it’s worth a shot, it can’t be worse than being forced into an unwanted relationship,” Xingqiu sighs. Being a prodigy isn’t all sunshine and sparkles.
“I suppose you’re right, but what about you?” She turns to face Xingqiu. “Are you going to tell your father about him?”
“I mean, we aren’t even a thing. I don’t know if we will ever be. Plus, it’s not like I am solely interested in men, just mostly…” Xingqiu rambles, trying to explain his thought process. “So, I don’t have much to tell him..? I guess..? He already knows Chongyun, so it’s not like it’s a random person,”
“I understand… Well, if you do end up with him, don’t wait to tell your parents like I am. It can strain your relationship,” she frowns.
“Noted,” Xingqiu offers a comforting smile.
The two of them stick together for the rest of the night. A mutual pact to avoid any other attempts at partner finding. Xingqiu is glad to of made a friend in Fontaine, especially someone he can empathize with. The rest of the masquerade ball goes without incident. The two of them partake in a few alcoholic beverages and make their way to the dance floor afterwards. Overall, Xingqiu had a lot of fun.
“Xingqiu, how did it go?” His father asks him on the way back to their hotel. “Was Rosaline nice?”
“It well surprisingly well. She was very nice to talk to,” Xingqiu says, not wanting to expand further.
“I am glad to hear it,” His father smiles, thinking he was finally successful.
As soon as Xingqiu gets to his room, he strips off his outfit and jumps into his bed. Once his head hits his pillow, he’s out like a light. He had a long day.
Notes:
Ahhhh!!! I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think!
Shameless plug if you are interested-
My girlfriend and I made a Genshin Spotify playlist where each song is dedicated to one character. So, like one song per playable character. It goes in order, starting with the travelers (both have the same song), then in order of the character archive. So, after the travelers, it's Amber with the 2nd song in the playlist. I also skipped Aloy because she's not technically a Genshin character. Even though I love her to death, Horizon is a great game. Go see what we put for your main! lmao. Or don't, if ur lame ;P
Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0KaAH7kMaBnCAP5pXelXXZ?si=ZKtywaDzTmWQbJNscn0B1g
If you get confused feel free to leave a comment and I'll help! <3
Chapter 6: The Conflict Of The Mind
Notes:
Sorry for the late chapter! I decided to rewrite some of the most recent stuff I've written for the fic because it just wasn't sitting right with me. So, that took some time on top of me working :/
Enjoy the chapter!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Ughhhh,” Xingqiu groans. He has a raging headache and a dry throat. Perfect.
It must’ve been the alcohol he drank last night. He didn’t have much, but it is rare for him to partake in it. Chongyun can’t drink because of his condition, so he doesn’t feel the need to either. Someday, Xingqiu will have to get Chongyun drunk just for the fun of it.
After a shower and getting ready for the day, he calls for breakfast to be sent to his room. He decides to go with some French toast with strawberries and blueberries, and coffee. While eating, starts writing his next letter.
Dearest,
I just had the craziest night ever. A few days ago, my father informed me that we were invited to a masquerade ball. Obviously, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to dress up, so I agreed to go. I took some photos of my newly tailored outfit for you. I hope you enjoy them ;) Anyway, shortly after we arrived, I was making my way to the dessert table and stumbled into some super tall, buff, and grizzled man. When I tell you he belonged on a magazine cover… The man just glared at me while I was apologizing to him. Then, remember how I met Neuvillette? The man was his fiancé?! The man was also the duke of the Fortress of Meropide. A power couple, I tell you… So, now I am friends/acquaintances with them both? It’s so hard to believe. After that, my father tried setting me up with this random researcher's daughter. Her name was Rosaline, she was super nice, and it turned out she had a girlfriend she was keeping secret from her family, so it wasn’t awkward shooting her down. Thank Morax. We talked, drank, and danced for the rest of the night. It was quite fun. I am glad I managed to make a friend with someone in similar shoes to mine. We bonded quite well. I’m sorry to hear I make you so nervous, my dear Yun-Yun~ You know how much I love teasing you. I suppose you are right in assuming I wish you were here in place of your letters. You would look much better on my pillow~ You’ll have to try your hardest to fluster me when I get back. I would love to see you try to crack my composure! I miss you dearly, Chongyun. I cannot wait to return. Only two more weeks!
P.S. No, you want to kiss me, silly~
Forever and Always,
Xingqiu <3
Xingqiu takes the last sip of his coffee and chuckles. Hopefully, Chongyun gets a kick out of his letter. Looking back on last night feels like a fever dream. He talked to the two single most attractive men in Fontaine and gushed about his crush on Chongyun with a stranger, then proceeded to get tipsy and dance with them.
A lot happened. Hopefully, the rest of his trip in Fontaine is a little more mundane.
Xingqiu sprays the letter with perfume and puts it in an envelope alongside the pictures he took. He seals up the letter and decides to hunt down Lyney in the last of his free time this morning.
--
“Hello there! What can I help you with this fine morning, my dear friend?” Lyney smiles and tips his hat politely. Xingqiu found him outside the House of the Hearth with an iced coffee.
“I have a letter for you to send~!” Xingqiu says, sitting down in the chair next to him. “Also, did you know Neuvillette was engaged with Wriothesley?”
“I did! You didn’t?!” Lyney laughs, “Aren’t they the most absurdly perfect couple ever? They are both too fine,”
“That’s what I was thinking!” Xingqiu chuckles, “It isn’t fair! I am happy for them, though,”
“Yeah, they go way back. It’s surprising it took them this long to be honest,” Lyney explains, “They were both lovesick fools at one point,”
“Really?! That’s a funny thing to imagine!”
“Dead serious,” Lyney snorts, covering up his laugh at the memory. They talk for a while longer before Xingqiu gives him the letter and thanks him again for the trouble. Lyney just waves him off, saying a friend will always help a friend.
Unfortunately for Xingqiu, the rest of his day is packed to the brim with guild work. The day passes so slowly, thank the gods for his pocket-sized novels that he can sneak into meetings.
--
A week passes without a word from Chongyun. Xingqiu is starting to freak out a bit. It hasn’t taken him this long to respond to a letter this whole trip. Xingqiu didn’t say anything too crazy from what he could remember. I mean, he sent the pictures, but those are just photos of him being silly.
Maybe he was on or is still on a long trip for a commission. It’s not too uncommon for Chongyun to take on a larger commission that requires him to leave Liyue Harbor for a few days. He must’ve been caught up by that and took longer to write back. Yeah, that must be the case.
Another boring day of endless paperwork fills his hours. With such limited time left in Fontaine, he has been busy trying to complete the necessary contracts before they leave.
--
Two days later, he receives another letter from Chongyun. He only has two days left in Fontaine before their three-day-long journey back to Liyue. So, he won’t be able to send one back to him. He will just have to respond in person.
Xingqiu,
Well, seems my wish for you to have some fun came true. It sounds like you had quite the night. You’ll have to fill me in on the whole story when you get back. You will also have to tell me more about Rosaline and her girlfriend. She must be nice if you spent the whole ball with her… I am sorry for the delayed letter. I was caught up in something and then took on a long commission. Thank you for the photos, I quite enjoyed them. It was nice seeing your face again. Though they were a little much for me to handle… You need to cut back on the teasing, my Yang energy is all out of sorts. Trust me, I will be able to crack your composure. I have already been thinking of ways to get you to break. You'd best spend your time on the way back preparing your poker face.
P.S. Guess we will have to see who wants it more
Chongyun <3
Archons, He is going to have to practice his poker face at this rate. Xingqiu’s face is crimson from the exorcist's taunts. Saying these things in a letter is much different in person, so he might still have a chance as long as Chongyun isn’t as confident as he is in his letters.
Hopefully, he manages to at least survive one attempt. That way, a sliver of his ego can remain intact. If he crumbles at the first one… Well, that’s just plain embarrassing. His stomach swirls with his impending doom.
--
The last two days have passed quickly. Before Xingqiu knows it, he’s loading his bags onto the aquabus. Lyney, Lynette, and Freminet came to say goodbye and wish him well on his journey home. Xingqiu told them to reach out if they ever take a trip to Liyue or want to visit. Lyney also whispered in his ear, asking him to send him word of any developments with Chongyun.
With a hug to Lyney and a wave to Lynette and Freminet, he departs on the aquabus with his father. Xingqiu makes sure to really drink in the scenery of Fontaine. He doesn’t know the next time he will be here again. He also takes a few photos with his kamera so he can show Chongyun.
The first two days of travel pass quickly thanks to the amazing sights of Fontaine and Chenyu Vale. Xingqiu is dreading tomorrow, though. The ride from Qingce Village to Liyue Harbor is too familiar to him. He knows the path like the back of his hand. It is going to take forever because of that. In addition, he is freaking out about seeing Chongyun again.
--
Just as Xingqiu predicted, the ride home is going terribly slow. He has tried reading a few different novels, but his mind is too preoccupied with the thoughts of Chongyun. Will the exorcist be waiting for him at the gates? Will he be waiting at his home? What is the first thing he is going to say to Xingqiu?
Xingqiu is panicking because he needs to keep his cool. Ironic. He said Chongyun wouldn’t be able to break his composure. He needs to follow through with that. What is he going to have to do to keep it? Even if he were to turn his head to pretend he isn’t affected, Chongyun called that out in one of his letters. He would know immediately.
Part of Xingqiu is excited to see Chongyun again. He can’t wait to see his best friend. The other part of him, though, is dreading it. He is so far gone, he is going to act like a fool and embarrass himself. Which is the complete opposite of chivalry. He needs to be cool, calm, collected, and elegant. Chongyun makes him forget how to be all of those things. He is so screwed.
--
As soon as he sees the familiar sight of the wooden arch and bridge, his heart sinks to his gut. It’s happening, he is almost home, and he is in no way ready to see Chongyun. His heart is pounding so heavily he can hear it in his ears. Xingqiu fidgets with his sweaty hands as they creep ever closer to the harbor. So much for being nonchalant.
Xingqiu takes a deep breath as they pass under the archway. He tries his best to steady his thoughts and his racing heart. Chongyun can’t know how weak he is this soon.
Soon enough, Xingqiu and his father make it to their house, and Chongyun and Xiangling are waiting outside. Once Xingqiu steps off their wagon, the two of them come running towards Xingqiu. Xingqiu thanks the gods that Xiangling is there because he doesn’t know if he could be alone with Chongyun yet.
“Xingqiu!!!” Xiangling yells, flinging herself at him into a hug. Chongyun wraps himself in the group hug as well.
“I missed you guys so much!” Xingqiu squeezes both of them into a tighter hug. He tries to ignore how close he is to Chongyun right now.
“We are glad to have you back,” Chongyun says. Xingqiu’s eyes gravitate to Chongyun without his permission. Xingqiu’s breath catches in his throat. Chongyun is looking at him as well. He is smiling softly and looking at him with pure adoration. The way his icy hair and eyes shine in the afternoon sun puts angels to shame. It is almost too much for his heart to handle. Xingqiu forcefully rips his eyes away from the boy, focusing on Xiangling instead.
“I have so much to tell you guys,” Xingqiu says, parting from the hug. He needs to put some distance between himself and Chongyun stat.
“Sounds like we are headed to Wanmin for dinner then!” Xiangling smiles and puts her hands on her hips. Xingqiu quickly brings his luggage to his room and returns to his friends. He makes sure to grab the photos of Fontaine that he took before heading to Wanmin with his friends.
The walk is quick thanks to Xiangling rambling about what she had been up to while Xingqiu was gone.
“You are lucky you missed her experimental dishes these last two months. Some of them were bad,” Chongyun shudders at the memory.
“Rude! They weren’t that bad. You are just a wienie,” Xiangling sticks out her tongue at the older boy. “Anyway, let me whip up your usuals!” She yells before skipping off into the kitchen, leaving Xingqiu alone with Chongyun outside. His stomach swirls with anxiety.
“So, where should we sit..?” Chongyun questions, clearly equally as uncomfortable.
“We can sit at the usual spot?” Xingqiu points to the empty table in the corner.
“Oh, right, yeah,” Chongyun rubs the back of his head, embarrassed.
They both make their way to the table and take their usual spots. They sit in complete, heavy, awkward silence for a few minutes. Both of them too nervous to start a conversation, let alone look at each other.
“I-,” Xingqiu starts.
“Would-,” Chongyun starts at the same time. They both nervously laugh. “You first,” Chongyun determines.
“I have missed Xiangling’s cooking so much,” He confesses, “Fontaine’s food is good, don’t get me wrong, but it’s nothing like home,”
“I can imagine,” Chongyun smiles.
“You would probably like it there, though. Most dishes don’t have any spice to them at all,” Xingqiu laughs, ignoring how his stomach flutters because of Chongyun’s smile.
“Sounds like a dream,” Chongyun laughs with him. The tension between them is slowly dissipating.
“What were you going to say?” Xingqiu asks, running out of things to say.
“Uh- Well, I wanted to ask if you would maybe want to stay the night at my place? Like old times?” Chongyun mumbles out, cheeks turning a light shade of pink.
“How forward, Yun-Yun~!” Xingqiu jokes, ignoring how his heart is beating out of his chest. Does he want to spend the night? I mean, of course he does, but he also misses his own room and bed. He also doesn’t think he can survive being alone with Chongyun for that long. Heck, he can barely survive what’s happening right now.
“I didn’t mean it like that!” Chongyun flushes bright red and waves his arms around in a panic. How cute… Xingqiu loves teasing him.
“I would love to, but I would kind of prefer to sleep in my own bed tonight..? I miss my room,” Xingqiu frowns. He feels guilty saying no.
“Oh, no worries. We could stay at your place instead?” Chongyun compromises.
“I mean… I kind of wanted to be alone tonight..?” Xingqiu cringes. He feels awful, but there is no way he can survive a night alone with Chongyun. He needs at least one night to prepare himself. “We can definitely go train in the morning, though! I am a little rusty, I barely trained in Fontaine,” Xingqiu offers, hoping that it makes up for the rejection.
“Oh… Um, yeah. That sounds good,” Chongyun smiles, but it doesn’t quite meet his eyes. Xingqiu’s stomach churns with guilt.
“Dinner is done, boys!” Xiangling yells from the kitchen, carrying all their dishes out on a tray. She sets down their bowls, thankfully not noticing the tense air between the two.
The food is everything Xingqiu was hoping for. He really did miss Xiangling's cooking. Overall, dinner goes smoothly. Xingqiu recounted some of his experiences in great detail for both Xiangling and Chongyun. He keeps talking to ignore the guilt seeping into his bones. He doesn’t want to notice how Chongyun looks like a kicked puppy and how that makes him feel even worse, but Xingqiu needs the time. He needs to figure himself out.
It's not like he had two months to figure himself out or anything…
Xingqiu and Chongyun say their goodbyes to Xiangling for the night before walking down the street to their homes. They walk in an uncomfortable silence, no one daring to speak. About halfway through the walk back to Xingqiu’s house, Chongyun veers off without a word in the direction of his own house. It happens too fast. He’s gone before Xingqiu can even try to stop him.
He stands there, alone, in the middle of the street. Xingqiu clenches his fists. Chongyun always walks him home, even in their past arguments, Chongyun would walk with him all the same. Gods, Xingqiu messed up, didn’t he…
He didn’t mean to upset Chongyun. He just needed more time to think. Ugh, what an awful excuse. He had plenty of time to think in Fontaine. Deep down, Xingqiu knows it’s something else.
He’s scared.
Notes:
The angst is beginning >:)
Kudos and comments are super appreciated! It makes me so happy knowing people are enjoying my work! <3
Chapter 7: Invisible Wounds
Chapter Text
Chongyun barely slept. He was thinking too hard about trying to think of nothing. He is confused and upset. Why was Xingqiu so insistent on not spending the night with him?
Did he do something wrong?
Did he say something wrong?
Xingqiu sounded so excited in his letters to see him again, but it almost seemed like he was trying to avoid him. Chongyun tried so hard not to let it affect him. He wanted to make it seem like it wasn’t a big deal. But the pulling at his heart and the tightness in his throat are working against him.
He was completely dreading seeing Xingqiu this morning. He doesn’t want to have to act like nothing is bothering him. Maybe he can use their training as an excuse to take his frustrations out on Xingqiu or his surroundings.
Normally, he would wait for Xingqiu outside his house, but he wanted to put off seeing him for a while longer. So, Chongyun went straight to their training spot outside the harbor. He takes the lonesome silence to stretch and start his pre-training meditation. Eventually, he picks up the sound of Xingqiu’s distant footsteps. His stomach drops with anxiety.
“Hey, you forgot to come get me..?” Xingqiu slowly questions, not wanting to startle the meditating exorcist.
“Oh, sorry. I got into the habit of going by myself,” Chongyun lies, not stopping his meditation to open his eyes.
“Right…” Xingqiu says. Chongyun hears him slowly walk to the nearby tree and sit down. He decides to be petty and meditate for a little longer than normal, making Xingqiu wait for him.
Once he decides he has made Xingqiu wait enough, he takes a deep breath. Chongyun opens his eyes to find Xingqiu staring at him. Not in an angry way or anything along those lines. Just staring.
Xingqiu quickly whips his head to look away, realizing he was caught. It would be the perfect opportunity to tease him, but he is still upset at Xingqiu. He doesn’t want it to seem like he is back to normal. Xingqiu needs to explain himself.
“You ready to train?” Chongyun asks him, ignoring how he was being stared at.
“Uh- yeah, ready when you are,” Xingqiu hesitates. He stands up and summons his sword.
“Sounds good,” Chongyun grabs his claymore and starts practicing his balance when swinging. He has improved significantly compared to a few years ago. Thanks to puberty, muscle growth, and consistent training, he can almost swing his claymore around like it were a normal sword. He doesn’t have to rely on his body’s momentum as much.
He still needs to work on the most comfortable yet effective method of swinging it consistently. He needs it to flow well to the next move, yet have it be malleable enough for the unexpected in combat. At some point, Xingqiu starts practicing his own form next to him.
The silence is unbearably thick between them. It is only broken by the sound of their heavy breathing. They both don’t dare to start a conversation. Chongyun only doesn’t because he is still festering his grudge. He won’t say something until Xingqiu does. Only Xingqiu never does. He is starting to get annoyed.
“Let’s spar,” Chongyun huffs. If he won’t talk to him normally, fine, but he will have to in close combat. Xingqiu curtly nods and takes his sparing stance. Chongyun follows suit.
He looks into Xingqiu’s eyes, trying to get a read on his best friend. Before he can get a proper reading, Xingqiu rushes in, shortening the distance between them. Stopping Chongyun and breaking their eye contact. Chongyun raises his claymore in preparation to block.
Xingqiu swiftly spins to the left, towards Chongyun’s open side. He anticipated this, though, so he turns with Xingqiu in order for his claymore to continue to block him.
Xingqiu huffs before suddenly flipping back over Chongyun’s great sword and landing just to the right of him. The exorcist quickly hops away, narrowly avoiding a swipe from Xingqiu.
As soon as Xingqiu finishes his attack, Chongyun rushes in and swings his claymore wildly, broadside towards the younger boy. Xingqiu brings his own sword up, trying to deflect the weight of the blow. However, Chongyun’s attack was just a distraction. The exorcist quickly wraps his leg around the back of Xingqiu’s, successfully throwing off his weight and sending him tumbling to the ground. He hears the wind get knocked out of the bookworm's lungs.
Chongyun quickly hops onto Xingqiu’s thighs, forcing him to stay pinned to the ground.
“Little rusty, aren’t you?” Chongyun teases, keeping his eyes locked on the boy beneath him.
“Uh- I- Yeah, I suppose,” Xingqiu stutters out, avoiding Chongyun’s eye contact. Well, now is better than never, he supposes.
“I am not letting you up until you tell me why you were so adamant about not wanting to spend the night with me last night,” Chongyun demands, catching his breath from the spar.
“That’s what is upsetting you?” Xingqiu groans, “I just wanted to have a night to myself, is it such a crime?” He wiggles, trying to escape Chongyun’s hold.
“Yeah, right. I know you, Xingqiu. I can tell when you aren’t speaking the truth. You were looking forward to spending as much time with me as you could when you returned. At least, that’s what you said in your letters,” Chongyun interrogates. He feels Xingqiu stiffen under him at the mention of the letters.
“I-,” Xingqiu tries to defend himself.
“Oh- that’s what this is..? You regret the letters, don’t you?” His heart clenches in his chest, pure anger and embarrassment flowing through his veins. Chongyun gets off Xingqiu and grabs his bag. He’s had enough. He doesn’t want to hear what Xingqiu has to say. He turns his head away, furiously trying to blink away the tears building.
“No-! That’s not it at all!” Xingqiu races after him, grabbing his shoulder.
“Save it, Xingqiu,” Chongyun says as strongly as he can with his throat that’s closing up. He can’t cry in front of Xingqiu like this; it’s pathetic. Chongyun rips his shoulder from Xingqiu’s grasp, turning to the harbor.
Xingqiu doesn’t try to chase after him.
--
Chongyun slams the door to his room and curls up in his bed. He finally lets the tears spill down his cheeks. Finally giving in and letting his emotions come to the surface.
“Chongyun, dear? Are you alright..?” He hears his mother call out softly from the other side of his door.
“I’m fine,” He croaks out, obviously not fine.
“I’m here if you need anything, love,” His mother softly comforts before heading back down the stairs. He will have to apologize to her later. She doesn’t need to worry about him. He is nineteen for Celestia's sake.
He should never have teased Xingqiu back in those stupid letters. He should’ve known that it would ruin everything they had built up over the last thirteen years. Chongyun quietly sobs into his pillow. Regret tearing away at his soul.
Just when he thought his affections might be mutual, it was ripped out of his hopeful hands. He had tried to move on from his feelings in the past, but no matter what he did, they persisted. It’s all a cruel joke, really. Being hopelessly devoted to his best friend for over half his life, and his best friend wanting nothing to do with him. The gods must be enjoying the suffering they cast upon him.
His eyes are drawn to the photos he still has sitting out on his bedside table. The photos Xingqiu sent him.
He was so excited when he first saw Xingqiu sent him photos, he hadn’t seen him in so long. The new outfit and risky poses had his jaw on the ground, but that isn’t a noteworthy detail. Now, the pictures only distress him further. Things finally looked to be going his way for once in his life. Of course, it couldn’t stay that way.
How is he supposed to go to Xingqiu’s birthday party now..? He could just not go, but the girls would be upset with him. At least he has tomorrow to figure himself out before his birthday the next day.
Ugh, what a pain.
He must have done something in his life to anger the gods enough for his life to be a joke to them.
--
He has no idea how much time has passed. He has been in a repetitive downward spiral for as long as he can remember. Maybe he dozed off at some point? He can’t recall.
“Chongyun, dear?” His mother knocks on his door. “I brought you something to eat, since you missed dinner. Also, Xingqiu stopped by and dropped something off for you…” She trails off.
“Just leave it by the door, thanks, Mom,” He sniffles.
“Of course, my sweet,”
Eventually, Chongyun gathers the strength to get up from his bed and gather what's on the opposite side of the door. His mom left him a light noodle dish with some fruit on the side. There is also a letter… Signed by the one and only… Great.
He quickly eats his dinner before he loses his appetite. He tries not to think about Xingqiu or the letter he left. The letter scares him. He doesn’t want to know what excuse Xingqiu is going to use to defend himself. It’s too late.
After a few minutes of just staring at the letter, he finally decides to open it.
Dearest,
I am so sorry for everything. I didn’t mean to upset you. All I ask of you is a chance for me to explain myself. I swear there will be no excuses, no lies, only the truth. If you wish to hear me out, meet me at our spot on the loading docks tonight.
Please,
Xingqiu
Chongyun’s heart falters. He really wants to hear Xingqiu out. He wants to know what he did to make Xingqiu avoid him. His eyes start to prickle with tears, again.
He is a coward. He can’t see Xingqiu like this. He won’t be able to hold back his tears when he is face-to-face with him. He wants to be able to see him, hear him out, and maybe get their friendship back to normal. If that’s even possible. He can’t hope for much. Gods, what is he supposed to do..?
After some mental debate, Chongyun decides he will at least try and go down to the pier. He can always back out and turn around if he so desires. He freshens himself up a little before heading to the docks. His eyes are red and swollen, but there isn’t much he can do about that but hope it fades a little by the time he’s there.
The air is brisk at this time of the night, good for him at least. He won’t overheat this way. Thanks to all of his training with his auntie, he has a lot better control of his yang energy now than when he was younger. As long as he isn’t angry, which is rare in itself, he doesn’t overheat from his emotions anymore. Unless you count the times related to his feelings for Xingqiu, that’s different, though. He can’t help the heat from blood rushing to his face and ears. He can even handle spice a little better now, thanks to Xingqiu’s unwelcome tolerance training. He needs to be prepared for the unexpected, though.
He has to stay stone cold, keeping his emotions in check. He can’t have any slip-ups.
As he approaches the pier, he hides behind some stacked crates to get a better idea of what he’s walking into. He peeks around the crates to find Xingqiu sitting on the dock with his legs dangling over the edge. He is looking up at the stars, the night sky is surprisingly cloudless for it being the Sea of Clouds.
Chongyun’s heart aches at the sight. A sight that will never be his. His throat tightens, choking back a sob. Gods, he’s such a wimp. He can’t talk to him.
“Hello? Is someone there?” Xingqiu calls out. Chongyun’s stomach drops. Crap, he must’ve heard him somehow. Chongyun stills, hiding behind the crates, not even daring to breathe. After a few moments of agonizing silence. Xingqiu whispers to himself. “Huh, must’ve been the wind,”
Yeah, definitely the wind. Chongyun sighs in relief. The adrenaline stopped his tears at least. There is no way in Teyvat that he is going to talk to Xingqiu. He peeks back around the edge of the crate to continue to watch the other boy.
At first glance, he looks peaceful. Chongyun knows him enough to know this isn’t the case. Chongyun can see the way his eyebrows are furrowed and how he is chewing at his bottom lip, his nervous habit. One of his fingers is thrumming anxiously against the wooden dock. At least he seems equally nervous about the whole situation.
At some point, Xingqiu must’ve sensed someone watching him because he suddenly whips his head to look around. Chongyun quickly yanks his head back behind the crate. He prays to any god that will listen to his plea. Xingqiu must not notice him.
“Chongyun..?” Xingqiu whispers in his direction. Why would Chongyun pray to the gods that are obviously trying to make his life a living nightmare? He stays silent, hoping with every fiber of his being that Xingqiu won’t stand up and investigate.
Of course, he hears Xingqiu stand up and start to tiptoe in his direction. Oh, screw it all…
He has two options: stay and be forced into a conversation with Xingqiu or run for the hills. He figures the latter is the best bet for him right now.
Without a second thought, he rushes out from behind the crates and books it down the stony streets of the harbor. He hears Xingqiu let out a startled gasp behind him.
“Chongyun??!” Xingqiu yells out, chasing after him. “Stop running! Please!” He pleads.
Chongyun does not respond. He is getting out of this situation no matter what it takes. He takes a sharp turn after Wanmin, heading towards the wooden bridge near his house. He will head the back way in hopes of losing Xingqiu.
“Chongyun! Please! I just want to talk..!” The young master huffs, clearly getting tired from the chase.
“Not now,” Chongyun croaks out, huffing in between his sobs. He finally makes it to his house, slamming the door shut behind him.
“Chongyun…” He hears Xingqiu panting on the other side of the door.
“Just… Stop… Not now, Xingqiu,” He says before heading upstairs to his room.
This whole situation between them just became even worse. What is he to do now...
The damage looks irreparable.
Notes:
AHHHH THE ANGST!!!
I hope it is adequate. Angst is hard to write XD
They fought, he got sad, and he cried. That's what it feels like I wrote lmao
BIRTHDAY PARTY COMING UP WOOOOO!!! And more angst ;)
Chapter 8: The Blade
Notes:
SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY!!
I am hustling to write more LMAO
Here's a longer chapter as an apology <3
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Xingqiu leans his back against the front door of Chongyun’s house and slides down to sit in front of it. Tears prickle in the corners of his eyes.
Archons, why won’t Chongyun just talk to him… He knows he messed up, and he wants to tell him everything. He wants to apologize. He would even let Chongyun slap him if it came down to it. He deserves it.
He lets the tears fall freely. Xingqiu rarely cries. All his years trying to be perfect really walled him up inside. He wipes the tears with his sleeve. He will get yelled at for ruining his luxury silk jacket, but he doesn’t even care. He deserves to be yelled at. He didn’t even tell Chongyun about his feelings and somehow ruined their friendship anyway.
He stays outside Chongyun’s house until he’s calmed down, sobs turning into sniffles. The walk back to his own house is uncomfortable due to the chill air and his tired eyes. He doesn’t sleep well, thanks to his self-deprecating thoughts.
--
The day before his birthday was fairly uneventful. He was a little out of it the whole day because of his lack of sleep and his mind running on overdrive. He keeps playing what happened between him and Chongyun over and over again in his mind. Trying to think of a way to somehow salvage their friendship.
In the afternoon, Xiangling comes over to help set up for the party tomorrow. Most of it is going to be held in his own room because he doesn’t like the thought of servants or his family being able to listen in on them at any time.
Thankfully, Xiangling doesn’t notice how out of it he is, or at least she doesn’t comment on it. Xingqiu can’t say if she noticed or not. He was too focused on the thoughts running through his mind.
He doesn’t even know if Chongyun is coming to his party anymore. He wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t…
--
Xingqiu wakes up with a pit in his stomach. Dread swirls through his veins. Not ideal for his birthday, but that is the last of his worries right now.
He starts to get ready for the day quickly, but it’s nearly impossible with how his hands are shaking. He has never felt so anxious in his life. No matter how serious a meeting or deal. No matter how mad his father was during a scolding. He has never been like this. The anxiety is taking over his every move. Instead of his normal eyeliner routine, he settles for a smudged look. It’s all he can effectively pull off right now. He takes a shaky breath and continues getting dressed.
His parents planned a birthday breakfast for him and the rest of his family since he is having a party himself tonight. The breakfast went well, apart from his grandparents asking him about his pursuits in finding a wife, which was only bad because of his own brother’s barely hidden, amused glances. That good-for-nothing brother teases him endlessly about Chongyun, but now Xingqiu can’t even say he’s wrong after his self-discovery in Fontaine. Shortly after their breakfast concludes, Yun Jin arrives with her bags to help him finish setting up.
“So, what do we have left to do?” Yun Jin questions while following Xingqiu to his room.
“Well, I was thinking we could set up some cushions and blankets around the coffee table in my room? That way, we have a nice spot to sit and play some games?” He says his idea.
“That sounds nice! Do you have all the snacks and food planned out?”
“Yeah, Xiangling has that all covered for me. Hu Tao is bringing some games, and I think Xinyan might be helping her with that?” He ponders.
“Do you have the guest rooms all prepared?” She asks, “One for me and Xinyan, and the other for Xiangling and Hu Tao?”
“Yes, no need to worry about that!” Xingqiu fiddles with his fingertips. He completely forgot the party was a sleepover. Chongyun would normally spend the night in his room with him, but he isn’t sure how that is going to play out now. Maybe he should have Xu prepare an extra guest room just in case? If Chongyun even decides to show up?
“Xingqiu,” Yun Jin sternly says his name, closing his bedroom door behind them. “What in Morax’s name is wrong with you? You have been acting strange all morning,”
“I have no idea what you may be talking about, my liege,” Xingqiu says, avoiding her eyes.
“Oh, cut the crap, “my liege”,” She mocks him, “For one, you never call me that. Two, Xiangling said you were being weird yesterday as well,” She has him metaphorically pinned.
“Fine…” Xingqiu sighs, “Maybe we should pick up some alcohol for tonight? We never drink as a group, so that might be fun?”
“Xingqiu…” She narrows her eyes. “You aren’t escaping this conversation until you tell me what’s going on,”
“You’re so annoying,” Xingqiu’s shoulders slump downwards. How dare she know him so well?
“I love you too, stupid,” Yun Jin smiles, “Just tell me what’s going on. It will stay with me, and you know I won’t judge you for anything,”
“I don’t know about that, Yun Jin. I messed up pretty badly,” Xingqiu frowns. He hates talking about his feelings. Yun Jin is one of only two people who can get him to talk about himself.
“I’m all ears,” She leads him to lean against his bed, sitting on the floor together. He starts by explaining the letters and then everything that happened since he returned to the harbor. He slightly dips into how it is making him feel, but stops shortly after. He feels too vulnerable.
“Xingqiu…” Yun Jin frowns in sympathy. She leans her head on his shoulder as an offering of support. “Do you know if he is coming tonight..?”
“No idea,” He softly croaks out. His eyes are threatening to spill again, and he does not want to cry in front of anyone.
“Hey… Look at me,” She gently grabs his face, forcing him to look at her. “Everything is going to turn out okay? You hear me?” She assures him.
He can’t hold it in anymore. The dam behind his eyes fully crumbles down. He sobs unceremoniously, Yun Jin still holding his face.
“Oh, Qiu…” She coddles, pulling him into a tight hug. Xingqiu buries his head into her shoulder, gasping for air. Gods, is he an ugly crier. She slowly rubs circles into his upper back, offering him gentle support.
Xingqiu cries like a baby forever. At some point, he ran out of tears to spill, reduced to full-body shakes instead. He can’t remember the last time someone comforted him like this. It scares him a little. He is being a burden to Yun Jin. He probably got snot and tears in her hair. Yet, she hugs him and never stops comforting him. He doesn’t deserve a friend like her.
“I-I’m sorry,” Xingqiu croaks, voice hoarse from crying. He tries to escape from her hold on him.
“No, you don’t! You have nothing to apologize for,” She says, matter-of-factly. She slowly parts from the hug, but keeps her hands on his forearms instead.
“But-“ He sniffles.
“No buts!” Yun Jin cuts him off, “Let me care about you, Xingqiu,” She looks at him fondly.
Xingqiu’s puffy eyes widen as much as they can. His heart throbs painfully in his chest as he starts to cry again. She shouldn’t care about him. He is a nuisance and a burden she has to deal with. She should just leave him to figure himself out.
“Qiu… Please don’t cry,” She rubs circles on his forearm. He can’t help it. All of this sudden care is making him break. He always thought he was unlovable, but now Yun Jin’s words and actions are making him feel otherwise. He uses one of his arms to shield his face from Yun Jin. He doesn’t know what to do but cry.
“I’m so sorry…” Xingqiu mumbles out between sobs. “I’m so so sorry…”
“Xingqiu, stop with the apologizing. I promise it is okay. I am here for you,” Yun Jin comforts.
This time, Xingqiu manages to calm himself down a little quicker. Yun Jin stayed with him the whole time. He really doesn’t deserve her.
“I’ll be right back,” Yun Jin says as she stands up and heads to his bathroom. She emerges with a damp washcloth. “Let me see your face,” She holds up the washcloth.
“I can do it myself,” Pink dusts his cheeks, embarrassed. He grabs the washcloth from her a wipes himself down.
“Darn, I like looking after you for once. You always do it for me,” She chuckles. Xingqiu huffs at her.
“I’m sorry if I got you all gross,” He grimaces.
“Don’t worry about it. I can take a quick shower before the party starts,” She waves him off. “Speaking of the party, some drinks might not be too bad of an idea, like you mentioned earlier. As long as you don’t use it to cope,” She jokes.
“You know I don’t drink that much,” Xingqiu defends himself, “But something to take the edge off if Chongyun does come might not be a bad idea…”
“Xingqiu… I will be keeping an eye on you,” she says, side-eying him. “If the party ends up being too much for you, we can kick everyone out and just have a us night. Like old times,” She smiles lightly, reminiscing. Xingqiu has practically known Yun Jin since birth. Before Chongyun came along, Yun Jin was his best friend. He does feel guilty for ‘abandoning’ her, but their parents didn’t like them hanging out as much once they got older. Just the thought of that memory makes Xingqiu shiver. Their parents were so weird about it. He has never once thought about her that way. She is practically his older sister. She’s older than he is by about a year and a half.
They have always been close, and nothing will ever change that. They would have sleepovers all the time when they were younger. He should really have one with her again sometime. Just like old times, when they would build a pillow fort and stay up all night reading and eating popcorn. The memory causes a warm feeling to settle over his chest.
They finish setting up and make a sneaky booze run. They successfully avoid his family's detection. It would be a little awkward having to explain the cheap booze to his parents. They don’t like the expensive stuff that his parents give them. It’s too bitter for most in the group.
--
Before Xingqiu knows it, five o’clock rolls around. He and Yun Jin change into their pajamas for the party, because who wants to be in uncomfortable clothes for a sleepover party? Xingqiu has his navy silk button-up short-sleeved top and pants, and Yun Jin has a cute frilly pink pajama set. Slowly, his friends start knocking on his door. Xinyan is the first to arrive. She is in her plaid red and black pajama pants and a black t-shirt. She is also carrying a tote bag filled with games.
“Hiya guys!” She smiles excitedly. “Am I the first one? I thought Hu Tao would beat me for sure,” Xinyan laughs.
“Dang! You just beat me..!” Hu Tao skids to a halt behind Xinyan, panting from her rush here. She is wearing a silk set similar to Xingqiu, but it is shorts instead of pants, and it is striped with two different shades of brown.
“It wasn’t a race, you guys!” Xingqiu laughs despite the looming dread swirling in his gut. He still hasn’t heard anything about whether or not Chongyun is coming to the party.
“Everything is a race when you are alive,” Hu Tao giggles darkly. Yun Jin gasps.
“That’s enough of that for the night,” Xingqiu declares, grabbing Hu Tao by the shoulders and pushing her into the house.
“Yeah, this is supposed to be a celebration of life, Tao,” Xinyan rolls her eyes, smiling. Hu Tao sticks her tongue out at her. They all make it back to Xingqiu’s room and sit around the coffee table to wait for the others. After about fifteen minutes, the doorbell rings again.
Xingqiu’s heart drops.
“I’ll go get it,” Yun Jin quickly stands up before Xingqiu has time to react. He will have to thank her later. He braces, just in case it were to be Chongyun. “Guys! Come help us carry up the food!” Yun Jin yells up the stairs. It must be Xiangling here, phew…
Everyone helps Xiangling carry up the massive amount of snacks and drinks she brought. Xingqiu told her not to go too crazy, but Xiangling isn’t one to hold back with catering… Xiangling is wearing a red nightdress with white fluff accents and a pair of matching shorts that blend in under the dress.
“Thanks for the help, guys! I could’ve done it all myself, though!” She flexes her biceps to brag.
“Woah! Didn’t know we’d be attending a gun show,” Xinyan laughs, pointing at Xiangling. Xiangling snorts and laughs into her hand.
“Hey, where’s Chongyun? I’m surprised he’s not here yet. He’s normally the first to show,” Xiangling questions.
“Oh- I- Uh-,” Xingqiu fumbles. His stomach swirls with anxiety. He has no idea if he is even planning on showing. So he can’t lie about some story or excuse for his late arrival.
“Maybe he’s just caught up with something?” Yun Jin tries to save him.
“Hmmm, maybe?” Xiangling pretends to be satisfied with the answer, but shoots an inquisitive glare at Yun Jin.
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s-,” Xingqiu goes to agree when he is cut off by the doorbell. His soul evaporates out of his body. He’s not ready. Yun Jin looks at him, concerned.
“I’ll go get it!” Xiangling rushes out of Xingqiu’s bedroom and down the stairs. Yun Jin subtly reaches for Xingqiu’s hand under the table and gives him a reassuring squeeze.
“It will be okay, I promise,” She lightly smiles. Xingqiu tries to smile back, but it is very forced. He feels as though the world is collapsing in on him. He is not ready.
“Hello everyone, sorry I am late,” Chongyun says, sitting across the table from Xingqiu. The exorcist is wearing a tight-fitted white t-shirt and some gray, baggy sweatpants that sit low on his hips. Xingqiu swallows thickly and averts his eyes. He looks damn good…
“No worries, my liege. We are all glad you could make it,” Xingqiu responds, trying to be normal. Chongyun doesn’t even look his way. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife.
“Well, since everyone is here, how about we eat dinner before we start a game?” Xiangling cuts through the tense atmosphere. Xiangling gives Chongyun a confused glance before standing up and grabbing the food she made for the party. Xingqiu swallows thickly, shame running through his veins.
“Yes!! I can’t wait to eat your cooking, Xiangling, it never gets old,” Xinyan excitedly smiles. Hu Tao nods next to her.
“Glad to hear it! Dig in, everyone!” Xiangling sets up the containers in the middle of the table and hands out plates and chopsticks. She brought a variety of dishes, a little bit of everything.
“Xiangling, you really didn’t have to make so much,” Xingqiu sighs. She always works so hard. She deserves a break from cooking sometimes.
“Nonsense! It’s what I do! Just make sure you enjoy every bite!” She smiles and puts her hands on her hips. “Think of it as an extension of my birthday gift if that makes you feel better.
“Oh! Xingqiu and I picked up some fun beverages. If you want one, they are in the closet!” Yun Jin informs the group. They all gasp and rush to the closet, except Chongyun. He doesn’t normally drink.
Xingqiu follows after the girls. He is going to need a drink to relax. He is too obviously awkward right now. Thankfully, dinner passes smoothly. The girls made conversation with each other, so it wasn’t all too awkward. Xingqiu avoided looking at Chongyun and slid into the girls’ conversation when he could. An overall win, in Xingqiu’s opinion.
“Let's play a drinking game!” Hu Tao exclaims.
“Oh! Great idea!” Xinyan claps her hands together.
“Chongyun? You cool with that?” Xiangling asks.
“Yeah, I’ll play. I will take sips of a drink instead of shots,” Chongyun shrugs.
“Yay! This is going to be awesome! We will need the inebriation for truth or dare later,” Xiangling laughs and goes to grab a bottle of the lemon rum from the closet with some shot glasses.
“This should be fun! What drinking game are we going to play?” Yun Jin questions.
“I was thinking, who’s most likely to?” Hu Tao suggests, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes! That should be fun. Whoever is most likely to have to take the shot, right?” Xingqiu says, filling up his shot glass.
“Yeah, is everyone cool with this game?” Hu Tao asks, and no one protests. “Sweet, I will start us off with a question. Who is most likely to be arrested?”
“Oh, that has to be either you, Hu Tao, or Xinyan,” Xiangling giggles.
“Oh, I think you could be arrested too, Xiangling! You would murder someone with one of your experimental dishes!” Xingqiu points his finger at her.
“Hey! I would not! If that were the case, you and Chongyun would be long dead by now!” Xiangling defends herself.
“Wait, why would I get arrested!?” Xinyan gawks, clutching her pearls.
“You would get locked up for causing a public disturbance or something! I don’t know!” Xiangling explains.
“But Hu Tao is so much guiltier than I am! She would definitely commit a crime, look at her!” Xinyan defends herself. Hu Tao is sitting there with a menacing smirk on her face, watching everyone squabble.
“Oh yeah, she’s definitely the most likely,” Xingqiu agrees.
“Say ‘I’ if you vote for Hu Tao,” Yun Jin comments. Everyone quickly says ‘I’. Hu Tao shrugs her shoulders and tosses her shot back, wincing when the alcohol hits her throat.
“Okay, I got one! Who’s most likely to become a sugar baby?” Xiangling giggles.
“Oh! That’s a funny one!” Xinyan cackles, grabbing the table.
“Well, it can’t be Yun Jin or Xingqiu…” Hu Tao ponders, “They already have the money. If anything, they would be the sugar mommy/daddy…” She says with a mischievous glint in her eye.
“That’s true!” Xingqiu laughs; the image is funny to imagine. He would never use his money like that, though.
“I think one of us here is a sugar baby already, in a way…” Hu Tao smirks, looking at a certain icy blue-haired boy across the table.
“Huh..?” Me?” Chongyun lifts a brow and points to himself.
“Yeah, you! Mr. Sugar Daddy here has you wrapped around his finger!” Hu Tao lightly covers the smirk she has on her face behind her hand. Xingqiu flushes and whips his head down to hide his face. He prays his bangs cover the heat blooming on his face.
“I am not!” Chongyun denies, “I don’t use his money, nor am I wrapped around his finger!” Chongyun blushes and avoids eye contact with everyone at the table.
“Yeah, but Xingqiu sure tries to spoil you!” Hu Tao continues to nag, and everyone nods in agreement. Xingqiu doesn’t dare to stand up for himself in case he makes eye contact with Chongyun. He wouldn’t be able to survive. Chongyun just shakes his head in annoyance, also avoiding Xingqiu.
“Ugh, you guys are the worst,” Chongyun takes a sip of his drink and coughs. “Archons, Hu Tao, you made this strong,”
“Ehe~!” Hu Tao looks away guiltily. Not that she actually feels guilty.
“Alright, fine, I got one,” Chongyun says, a flush still dusting his cheeks. “Who is most likely to date someone double their age?”
“Yun Jin, one hundred percent,” Xiangling nods confidently.
“WHAT?” Yun Jin chokes.
“Yeah, you are the one who was swooning over The Iudex at Chongyun’s birthday party,” She smirks.
“Oh, she’s right,” Xinyan nods in agreement.
“It’s not my fault he’s literally the most gorgeous person to walk this world, okay? Xingqiu, back me up here. You saw him in person, right?” Yun Jin grabs his forearm in a pleading manner.
“I mean… I can’t say he wasn’t so, but he has a fiancé who may or may not be arguably hotter…” Xingqiu trails off, trying to stop the flush threatening to emerge on his face at the memory.
“HE WHAT?” Yun Jin gasps, “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me he had a fiancé sooner… What is he like?”
“Well, he is the Duke of the Fortress of Meropide… He has this whole grunge tough cop type appearance, super grizzled,” Xingqiu flushes a bit, he covers it with his hands. He can feel the eyes on him.
“Shut up..!” Yun Jin gasps and covers her mouth with both her hands. Xingqiu lightly chuckles. He risks a glance towards Chongyun and finds him staring him down. Xingqiu freezes and locks eyes with him. His heart skips a beat. He can’t read the emotions behind the other's frozen gaze.
Xingqiu gulps and turns away. He has no idea what that glare was for. Anxiety swirls in his gut alongside the butterflies. As terrified as he is of Chongyun right now, the eye contact still stirs up a reaction within him.
“Fine..! I suppose I’ll drink,” Yun Jin throws back her shot and swallows it with ease. She’s a tad older and has more alcohol experience.
“You'd better after all that swooning!” Xinyan laughs.
“Alright… Time to up the stakes..!” Yun Jin smiles mischievously and rubs her hands together. “Who’s most likely to make out with a stranger?”
“Ooooo~” Xingqiu gasps, “I am thinking Xinyan or Hu Tao,”
“Hey, what?!” Xinyan gapes, looking at him.
“I feel like I could see you doing that at one of your concerts for some extra fanfare,” Xingqiu explains with a smirk, “You can’t tell me you haven’t thought about it,”
“Oh my gosh, yes,” Xiangling giggles, “That would honestly be epic,”
“Huh-?” Xinyan chokes, cheeks flushing a light shade of pink, “I mean, I guess…”
“I would volunteer,” Hu Tao snickers, “Though I’m not much of a stranger,” She shrugs.
“Tao-!” The rock star squeaks, covering her face with her hands, “You can’t just say something like that!”
“Aiya… Why not? I would kiss any of my friends, especially after some alcohol,” Hu Tao smirks and leans closer to Xinyan. Xinyan yelps and scoots behind Chongyun as a shield. Chongyun looks equally nervous. The rest of the group busts out laughing. Xingqiu’s cheeks hurt by the time everyone calms down. His body is still vibrating from the excessive laughter.
“If I take the shot, will you leave me alone?!” Xinyan pleads.
“I suppose…” Hu Tao puts a finger to her chin like she’s deeply pondering. Xinyan tips the shot back and finishes it quickly.
“Okay, done!” She slams the shot glass on the table. “I got a good one to get the attention off of me…” She smirks.
“Oh no…” Xiangling whispers.
“Who’s most likely to give the best lap dance?” Xinyan grins wildly.
“Oh Archons-!” Xingqiu gasps, but is quickly cut off by the girl to his left.
“Xingqiu,” Yun Jin says confidently. She looks at him with a mischievous glint behind her eyes. Xingqiu’s jaw drops, and blood rushes to his face.
"I- Huh- What?” He stumbles. He stumbles so badly. He will never live this down. Yun Jin is going to regret this later. How dare she say something like that in front of Chongyun? Especially after knowing everything. His eyes subconsciously drift to Chongyun.
They lock eyes.
Chongyun quickly averts his eyes and fails miserably at hiding the newfound blush spreading to his face. His ears are tinted a cute shade of pink. Xingqiu’s stomach swirls with butterflies. His face feels even warmer than before, somehow.
“Yeah, right, Miss Entertainer,” Xingqiu tries to defend himself. He ignores whatever just happened with Chongyun, a problem for him to deal with later. He needs to focus on winning this debate. “You would definitely be good at it,”
“I’m not that kind of entertainer!” She blushes and waves her hands frantically, “You have no proof!”
“You do know how to move your body,” Xinyan smirks, giving her a wink.
“So does Xingqiu!!” She retorts, “Mr. I’m-so-cool-I-can-do-backflips,”
“A backflip is a lot different than a lap dance,” Xingqiu says matter-of-factly. “I would say the elegant dances you do are a lot more similar,” He smirks and takes a sip of his drink. He enjoys arguing with Yun Jin. She can get so defensive.
“Oh, save it, pretty boy. You are equally as elegant. We took the same dance classes together when we were younger,” She points her finger at him, smiling wildly. “You have a more confident personality. I would be too nervous to do anything of the sort!”
“Guys-,” Xiangling laughs, catching her breath and wiping a tear away from her eye.
“Hold on, Xiangling. I want to see where this ends up,” Hu Tao grins before popping some snacks into her mouth.
“Yeah, well, I bet you have thought about it more,” Xingqiu quips. He is running out of things to defend himself with. It isn’t looking good for him.
“No way! I’m not even interested in anyone! Why would I be thinking about that?!” Yun Jin narrows her eyes and grins, realizing her advantage. “Unlike you-“
“Do not!” Xingqiu cuts her off, “Ugh, you are insufferable!”
“Yup!” She smiles.
“Fine, I’ll take the shot…” Xingqiu grits out.
“Ah! No! I want to hear you admit it and flaunt it, then I’ll let you move on,” She smirks.
“You-“ Xingqiu groans. “You are so embarrassing. It is literally my birthday,”
“Sucks to suck!” She sticks her tongue out at him.
“Fine…” He takes in a deep breath. “I give the most amazing and spectacular lap dances,”
“Oh, come on, where's the energy?!” Hu Tao grins and elbows Xinyan, who is snickering.
“Gods, you guys are the worst…” Xingqiu’s eyebrow twitches. Guess he has to turn his flamboyant switch on… He puts on a confident smile with a side of seduction. Xingqiu leans towards Yun Jin and grabs her arm. He slowly walks his fingertips up her arm and flutters his eyelashes. “You care for a lap dance? They are my expertise, darling~” He speaks softly near her ear. Yun Jin flushes and shoves him away.
“Xingqiu! Way too much!” She yelps, crossing her arms in front of her.
“You asked for it,” He shrugs and tosses back his shot. Suddenly, Chongyun shoots up and rushes towards Xingqiu’s bathroom. The door quickly shuts behind him. Everyone blinks in shock.
“Chongyun? You okay?” Xiangling quickly stands up and walks to the door.
“I- I’m fine!” Chongyun stumbles out from the other side of the door. “Just give me a minute! The alcohol kicked in, I think…”
“Do you want me to grab you a popsicle?” Xiangling asks.
“Maybe…” Chongyun softly says. Xiangling gives the girls a look that screams ‘we will discuss this later’. Xingqiu blinks in confusion.
They decide to call it quits on who’s most likely to for now, since Chongyun is MIA. They resort to just drinking and talking for a while.
“I think you about killed him, Xingqiu,” Hu Tao snickers quietly so Chongyun can’t hear them from the bathroom.
“I don’t know what you could ever mean, my liege,” Xingqiu nervously takes a sip of his drink. Stomach swirling with embarrassment.
“You should’ve seen his face…” She whispers, “I don’t even know if explaining it would do it justice,”
“His eyes were so wide, he almost looked horrified,” Xinyan snorts. She does her own rendition of the face, which causes Hu Tao to choke on her drink. Xingqiu feels heat creep up his neck against his will. He huffs.
“You guys, stop picking on them,” Xiangling gives them a glare. “Save it for truth or dare at least,” She winks. Xingqiu feels a chill run down his spine. He really has some of the most evil friends.
“You guys better not do anything mean…” Xingqiu grumbles, “At least don’t do anything to Chongyun,”
“Ahhhh! You are so cute, stop..! Yun Jin squeals. “You protect your man!”
“Stop!” Xingqiu punches her arm lightly, “He is not my man!” He whisper yells. He can feel how colorful his face must be.
“Not yet…” Hu Tao softly says next to him.
“Seriously, stop, it’s not happening,” Xingqiu glares, his cheeks an embarrassing shade of red.
Notes:
AHHH I HAD SO MUCH FUN WRITING THIS! I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT JUST AS MUCHHHHH!!!
Chapter 9: Your Blood
Notes:
Sorry guys! College is a bitch and it's literally only been 2 weeks -_-
I also got sick, so that was a pain in the behind, too.
Please enjoy the chapter! I think this is my personal favorite so far, so I know you'll love it!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Sorry about that, guys,” Chongyun stumbles out of the bathroom, pink dusting his cheeks. Xingqiu quickly whips his head down to hide the blush on his cheeks. He doesn’t need another embarrassing moment to add to tonight's list.
“How about we open presents and eat some cake!?” Xiangling clasps her hands together.
“I’m down!” Hu Tao smiles.
The group grabs their respective gifts and sits in a circle on the floor. All of the girls’ gifts are really thoughtful. Yun Jin got him a newly invented portable cup that has insulation. It’s a relatively recent Fontainian invention that has been difficult for people to obtain. He can go anywhere with tea now. Xiangling got him an intricately designed hairpin. His hair has been getting a little longer recently, although not too much longer. Maybe he will have to grow it out to go for a Dr. Baizhu look.
Xinyan gets him a new leather-bound journal with a verbal explanation that it is for his poetry. She says he will have to help her with lyrics for her songs sometime. Hu Tao gets him a new calligraphy set and a kids' writing guidebook. She noticed his current set was getting worn down, and in her words, ‘you still need to practice your handwriting’. Now for Chongyun’s present… He wasn’t even expecting to get a present from him, to be honest.
Chongyun nervously hands him his gift. Xingqiu smiles nervously and begins to open the small gift bag. He pulls out a copy of Young and Hopelessly Smitten. Xingqiu horrifically fails at hiding his blush and looks at Chongyun. Chongyun has pink dusting his cheeks and ears.
“I already have this novel, Chongyun?” Xingqiu looks at it, confused and embarrassed.
“Just… Open it,” Chongyun stumbles out, avoiding eye contact. Xingqiu opens the front cover to the title page to find the author’s signature. Xingqiu’s jaw drops.
“No way… You got it signed? How? When?” Xingqiu smiles, completely forgetting his embarrassment.
“While you were in Fontaine, the author had a surprise meet and greet at Wanwen. Waiting in that line was very embarrassing…” Chongyun explains. “I knew you would be upset if you found out you missed it,”
“Thank you, Chongyun,” Xingqiu smiles earnestly. “This means a lot,”
“Don’t mention it,” Chongyun waves him off, cheeks flushing a darker shade of pink. “It’s not that big of a deal…” He grumbles, looking annoyed at Xingqiu’s sincerity. Xingqiu’s smile lessens a bit with Chongyun’s annoyance.
Right… He is still mad…
He makes eye contact with the girls sitting around him. They are all looking at him with the same smirk. Xingqiu’s heart drops.
“O-Okay! I think it’s time for cake!” Xingqiu stumbles out, escaping the venerable moment.
“Yay! Cake!” Xiangling laughs. Xingqiu’s stomach swirls with butterflies. He can’t get Chongyun’s bashful expression out of his head. The way he avoided looking at him and how his ears were tinted pink. And the book. THE book. The book he read to Chongyun before he was aware of his feelings for his friend. The memory makes Xingqiu want to curl into a ball and disappear. He can’t believe he did that.
He barely remembers eating his cake slice by the time he returns to reality.
“Time for truth and dare! I think we have enough alcohol pumping through our system,” Hu Tao giggles mischievously. “You guys will have no secrets by the time I am done with you all,”
“Yeah? Well, you won’t have any left either!” Xinyan challenges.
“Who should start?” Yun Jin asks.
“How about we spin a bottle to decide who starts, then spin the bottle to decide who is getting picked?” Xiangling suggests.
“I am good with that,” Xingqiu nods. The rest of the group agrees.
“Let’s go!!!” Xiangling spins the now-empty rum bottle in the middle of the circle. The bottle spins round and round before barely landing on Xingqiu.
“Looks like I will be the first,” He says and grabs the bottle. He spins it again to see who he will dare. The bottle quickly spins in place. It starts to thankfully slow down nowhere near Chongyun. He isn’t quite ready for that yet. The bottle cap directly points at Yun Jin. “Payback time…” Xingqiu grins like a villain.
“Oh no…” Yun Jin grimaces.
“Truth or Dare?” Xingqiu asks.
“Uhhh… Truth?”
“Fine, loser.” Xingqiu sticks his tongue out. “What’s your favorite thing about me?”
“Ah, I see, making me compliment you instead.” She laughs.
“Perhaps,” He says in a regal tone.
“Ugh, I suppose you are a really good listener,” She rolls her eyes with a smile on her face. “You are a good person to rant to,”
“Awwww, how sweet of you, Yun Jin,” Xiangling says almost sarcastically. “But, yeah I agree with you,”
“Thanks, guys,” Xingqiu smiles.
“You were the one fishing for compliments, birthday boy,” Yun Jin laughs and starts to spin the bottle. The bottle spins and spins. It looks like it is going to land on Xiangling, but spins just enough to be on Chongyun instead. “Truth or Dare, Chongyun?” She smiles politely.
“Uhm, truth,” He nervously says and takes another sip of his beverage.
“What’s the funniest dream you've ever had?” Yun Jin giggles.
“I really don’t dream much, but the one that has stuck with me because of how weird it was happened a few years ago.” Chongyun lightly chuckles. “In the dream, I was a friendly spirit, and for some reason, Hu Tao was adamant on tracking me down. She would try to catch me by surprise, but she sucked at sneaking around. So, it was a big game of cat and mouse, kind of scary at the same time though,”
“BAHAHA!” Xinyan bursts out laughing, “Tao, you are so scary, it’s haunting him in his dreams!” She cackles.
“Hey! I’m not that scary! Right?” Hu Tao looks at Chongyun with a plea.
“No, you are. Sometimes, at least,” Chongyun shrugs.
“Rude!” Hu Tao crosses her arms.
“You actively try to be creepy, don’t act offended,” Chongyun gives her a deadpan stare. “Okay, I’ll spin the bottle now,” The bottle spins and quickly lands on Xiangling. “Truth or Dare?”
“Dare, baby!” Xiangling yells with excitement.
“Eat one of my popsicles as fast as you physically can,” Chongyun smirks.
“You demon,” Xiangling groans. “I make your popsicles for you… I know how bitter and cold they are…”
“You chicken?” Chongyun taunts, holding out one of his popsicles.
“You wish!” Xiangling rips the popsicle out of his hand and shoves it in her mouth. She takes a huge bite out of it. She yelps and rolls around on the floor. “T-tho cold!” She yelps with her mouth full.
“You make them well,” Chongyun smiles, watching her struggle. She looks up at him and glares. She quickly finishes the rest of the popsicle and gags when she is done.
“Those things are so bitter…” Xiangling washes the taste of the popsicle down with her drink.
“Wooo!! Good job, Xiangling!” Xinyan cheers.
“You sure showed him!” Hu Tao laughs.
“I don’t think that performance deserves that much praise…” Chongyun whispers sarcastically.
“Hey! I did it, so it counts!” Xiangling defends. “Okay, I’m spinning this thing and raising the stakes!” The bottle spins for a long time. She uses way too much strength, but it eventually lands on Xinyan.
“Oh no…” Xinyan braces for doom.
“Truth or Dare!?”
“Dare…” She hesitates.
“Spin the bottle and kiss who it lands on!” Xiangling laughs. Xinyan blushes and looks around at everyone for help.
“That’s what I’m talking about! Let’s spice this game up!” Hu Tao cackles.
“Perfect…” Xingqiu grins. He has been waiting for the game to get interesting. Of course, Xiangling will make the leap.
“Spin the bottle, missy!” Xiangling hands Xinyan the bottle. She spins it and watches it spin with dread. The bottle spins and spins before landing on Hu Tao. Xinyan gulps as the heat returns to her face.
“Pucker up, sweet cheeks,” Hu Tao winks before sliding some of her hair behind her ear and leaning towards Xinyan. The guitarist panics, her arms flailing. She quickly regains composure and leans in for a quick peck. She squeals in surprise.
“Aiya~ I was hoping for more,” Hu Tao smirks.
“Nope!” Xinyan squeaks.
“That was so cute,” Yun Jin smiles, Xiangling and Xingqiu are cackling, and Chongyun just looks shocked.
“You jealous?” Hu Tao asks.
“Guys, stop!” Xinyan hides her face in her hands. “I’m spinning the bottle now!”
“For another kiss?” Xiangling teases. Xinyan just glares at her and watches the bottle spin. It lands on Yun Jin.
“Truth or Dare?” Xinyan asks.
“Dare this time!” Yun Jin giggles. A light blush on her cheeks from the alcohol.
“Sit on someone’s lap for the next two rounds! The bottle will decide who,”
“Okay!” Yun Jin spins the bottle. It settles on Xiangling. “Scoot back, I’m coming in!” Yun Jin giggles.
“Oh boy,” Xiangling laughs and makes room for her on her lap. She wraps her arms around Yun Jin’s waist and puts her head on her shoulder.
“You guys look so cute,” Xingqiu laughs.
“Damn right” Yun Jin and Xiangling say at the same time. They both giggle.
“Okay, spinning the bottle!” Yun Jin leans forward and spins the bottle without leaving Xiangling’s lap. The bottle spins and spins until it stops in front of Xingqiu. A sense of dread looms over him, but he is excited at the same time. “Truth or Dare, Xingqiu?!”
“Truth,” Xingqiu boldly picks.
“What’s your biggest kink?” Yun Jin giggles, the alcohol clearly taking its toll at this point. Heat floods Xingqiu’s face as he tries to make sure he heard that correctly.
“I- What?!” He stumbles unceremoniously. His eyes subconsciously flick over to Chongyun to find him staring at Xingqiu with wide eyes, a blush also on his cheeks. Chongyun quickly looks away, suddenly finding the wall a lot more interesting.
“Yeah, Xingqiu? What is it?” Hu Tao chimes in with a malicious grin.
“I don’t- I don’t know? I haven’t really thought about it, I guess?” He desperately avoids looking at Chongyun or even thinking about him.
“You guess?” Xiangling snickers. “Not very confident, are we, Xingqiu?”
“Yeah, you liar!” Yun Jin laughs.
“Stop picking on me! Just give me a minute to think…” Xingqiu stumbles out. Oh, archons, what does he say that won’t be entirely weird to say in front of his best friend/crush? He likes a lot of different things, not that he’s ever experienced any of them. He needs to figure out a tame one that seems juicy enough for the girls to be satisfied with his answer, but not so much that he will never recover from the embarrassment.
He thinks about some of the romance novels he has read. Maybe he could say roleplaying? Though he doesn’t really think it seems all that interesting. Brat taming? No... Too extreme and a little too close to home. Powerplay? Well, he does like the fight for dominance, especially if he loses, but that’s also a little much to share. Suddenly, an idea clicks in his brain.
“Uhhh… I guess praise?” Xingqiu blushes and busies himself with his hands.
“Oh~! How interesting!” Hu Tao smirks. “Although I could’ve guessed that,” The other girls also huff in agreement with Hu Tao.
“Hey!” Xingqiu grumbles, “It’s the truth. That is what you wanted,”
“Sue me for hoping for something more juicy,” Hu Tao shrugs,
“Well, that’s all you’re getting,” Xingqiu says, grabbing the bottle and spinning it. The bottle lands on Chongyun… He was hoping to avoid looking at him for at least one round.
“Uh- Truth or Da-?” Xingqiu’s breath hitches as he looks up at Chongyun. The exorcist’s face is a brilliant shade of crimson. He is working on a popsicle to cool his temperature. Xingqiu also notices how tightly he his gripping the fabric of his sweatpants near his knee. His knuckles are almost white. “Truth or Dare..?” Xingqiu tries to recover.
“…Truth?” Chongyun looks at him, clearly nervous.
Xingqiu could use this as an opportunity to get more information out of him, but he knows that won’t go well. The rest of the party would be even more awkward for sure. Maybe he should also ask a scandalous question, to keep the energy going? He doesn’t want to kill the guy, though…
“Hmmm… What’s the most embarrassing thing in your room?” Xingqiu asks. He figures this could be interesting, but also not too crazy. Unexpectedly, Chongyun somehow turns a deeper shade of red. The boy quickly looks down, but it is too late.
“Oh, Chongyun! You have to tell us what you just thought of!” Xiangling laughs at his panicked expression.
“I- No- I- There’s no way!” Chongyun stutters. “I can’t say it!”
“Now I’m curious, dearest, what is it?” Xingqiu adds to the teasing. He can’t help it. He is genuinely curious about what it could possibly be.
“Xingqiu…” Chongyun stares into his eyes, trying to convey the panic and message at the same time.
“What?” He blinks and racks his brain.
Oh.
Oh…
His photos… That he sent him in the letters… That’s what he thought of…
Xingqiu’s heart drops, heat creeping up his neck.
“Oh my gods, Xingqiu… What is it?!” Yun Jin laughs, realizing the bookworm knows what Chongyun is thinking about.
“I-,” Xingqiu starts.
“It’s condoms!” Chongyun blurts, the blush now spread down his neck. Xiangling and Xinyan start cackling, tears building in the corners of their eyes.
“That’s a load of sumpter shit,” Hu Tao narrows her eyes, “Why would Xingqiu be nervous about that..?”
“It was quite the awkward moment when I accidentally found them one day, haha..!” Xingqiu lies poorly. At least the others are too tipsy to realize he is lying.
“I don’t buy it, but fine… I’ll humor you,” Hu Tao does the ‘I got my eyes on you’ movement with her fingers.
“Okay! Spinning the bottle now!” Chongyun quickly spins it, dying to get the attention off of him. The bottle lands on Xiangling.
“Dare!” She yells out before Chongyun can even ask her the question. Yun Jin crawls off her lap and takes her seat next to Xingqiu. Her two rounds are up.
“Tell us your best pick-up line,” Chongyun quickly says, still red from the previous round.
“You must be a campfire,” She giggles, and runs her fingers up Yun Jin’s arm, “cause you’re hot and I want s’more,”
“Bahaha! That’s a good one!” Yun Jin laughs and slaps her hand away.
“I’m shocked you had that one ready,” Xinyan chuckles.
“I’ve been waiting to use it,” Xiangling smiles and goes to spin the bottle. Unlucky for Xingqiu, it lands on him again. “Truth or Dare~?” She sings.
“Dare,” He chooses. This way, they can’t ask further questions about what is in Chongyun’s room.
“I dare you to do seven minutes in heaven with Chongyun!” Xiangling giggles like a maniac. “Go figure your shit out…” She glares at the two of them. A chill runs down their spines at the sudden mood switch. Xingqiu’s stomach swirls with anxiety, and Chongyun doesn’t look much better.
“Head to the bathroom, boys!” Xinyan winks at them. Xingqiu takes a deep breath and heads to the doorway. Chongyun stays sitting at the table. He looks almost frozen with fear.
“Chongyun…” Xiangling threatens, “If you don’t go in there, you will have to do this in front of the group instead,” Chongyun jumps and shakes his head. He quickly gets up and brushes past Xingqiu into the bathroom, shoving him a bit. Before Xingqiu closes the bathroom door, he gives the girls a look. They all smile and give him a thumbs up.
He can do this… Maybe…
Xingqiu closes the bathroom door and finds Chongyun sitting on the floor with his back against the wall. He is almost curled into a ball with his arms resting up on his knees and hiding his face behind his arms.
“Look… I’m sor-“ Xingqiu starts.
“I really don’t want to hear it, Xingqiu…” Chongyun says softly, muffled by his arms.
“I know you don’t want to hear it, but I need to say it,” Xingqiu says sadly. He hops up to sit on the countertop and looks up at the ceiling. Chongyun doesn’t acknowledge him.
“I don’t know what I did to make you think I regret the letters, because that is not the case…”
“Yeah, right,” Chongyun cuts him off, “You literally flinched when I mentioned them. Why else would you have such a negative reaction like that? You didn’t want to hurt my feelings and were just going to pretend nothing happened, weren’t you?” He rambles, tears starting to build at the corners of his eyes.
“Chongyun! Archons no-,” Xingqiu tries to stop him.
“You were just using me as entertainment for the time you were in Fontaine. I should never have opened up in them. I shouldn’t have let myself get my hopes up,” Chongyun sniffles and wipes his eyes.
“You thought it was so fun teasing your best friend that way, huh? You just wanted to embarrass me…”
“Chongyun… Please…” Xingqiu rushes to his side and grabs his arm. “Dearest, please let me explain… None of that is true-,”
“Don’t call me that- mph!” Chongyun yelps. Xingqiu put a hand over his mouth.
“Chongyun, stop,” Xingqiu huffs, tears building in his own eyes. He takes a shaky breath in. Chongyun stares at him with wide, yet upset eyes. “I have never regretted the letters. They made me so happy while I was in Fontaine,” He explains. Here goes nothing.
“I flinched when you mentioned them because of what you promised to me in your last letter…” Xingqiu blushes, starting to get embarrassed. “Do you remember?” Chongyun had said he was going to get Xingqiu to break his confident demeanor, no matter what. To tease him for once.
Chongyun blushes profusely and breaks the eye contact they were holding. Xingqiu takes his hand off the other boy’s mouth.
“I was freaking out the whole trip home on how I was supposed to keep my cool and act normal around you after… everything,” Xingqiu admits despite his embarrassment. “I talked so big in my letter, and I was so determined to follow through with my goal. I didn’t want to embarrass myself and fold immediately…” He blushes and turns his head away so Chongyun can’t see it.
“Xingqiu…” Chongyun says softly.
“I meant everything I said inside of them… I was just nervous you were just teasing for the sake of teasing back, so I didn’t want to say anything,” Xingqiu rambles. “I was so nervous to push further because I didn’t want to ruin our friendship, and I didn't want to freak you out. I didn’t want to out myself too obviously in the case you-,”
“Qiu,” Chongyun grabs his arm. “I am so mad at you,” He says, but it’s missing the heat that should come with that sentence. Tears start to run down Chongyun’s tinted pink cheeks.
“Ah! Chongyun!” Xingqiu fumbles. He starts to stand up to go and grab a tissue, but something yanks him back down. Chongyun has a handful of his shirt. They are mere inches away from each other. His cologne smells heavenly. Heat floods the bookworm's face.
“You are so frustrating, you know that..?” Chongyun looks at him with a stern look behind his eyes, despite the blush dusting his cheeks and ears. The way Chongyun’s eyebrows are furrowed and how pretty his freckles are this close. Xingqiu is speechless. He could look at his face for hours. Chongyun glances down at his lips. Xingqiu’s heart falters, and his legs threaten to buckle out from under him.
“I- Uh- Maybe?” Xingqiu stumbles out. Chongyun softly chuckles and quickly licks his lips. Xingqiu can’t look away. His lips look so soft. He has only ever dreamed of kissing them.
“Well, I think I was successful, if I do say so myself,” Chongyun smiles and looks back up into Xingqiu’s eyes. “You are quite red, Qiu,” He teases. Right, the promise…
“Oh, shut it,” Xingqiu groans. He takes the opportunity to break free from Chongyun’s grasp. He needs to cool down. He walks over to the counter and looks at himself in the mirror. He looks like a mess, to put it lightly. His face is an embarrassing shade of red. He rubs his hands over his cheeks.
“Hey, you look cute…” Chongyun says from behind him, smiling shyly.
“You can’t just say that!” Xingqiu jumps. He turns to face Chongyun only to find him closer than before. The icy boy is fidgeting with the hem of his shirt as he takes a deep breath in. Xingqiu swallows thickly.
Chongyun takes another step towards him and puts his arm on the edge of the counter beside Xingqiu, effectively blocking him in. Xingqiu freezes, breath hitching.
“Xingqiu…” Chongyun starts, “I don’t know how to act around you anymore…” Chongyun locks eyes with him. Xingqiu can see the conflicting emotions swirling behind his icy blue eyes.
“You don’t need to worry about that…” Xingqiu replies, breathless. He brings a hand up to cup Chongyun’s cheek. Chongyun’s eyes flick down to his lips, then back up to his eyes. Xingqiu stops breathing. His heart beats erratically in his chest.
“Can I-?” Chongyun leans in a little closer. Xingqiu can feel his breath against his cheeks.
“Please,” Xingqiu begs, not caring about how desperate he sounds. Chongyun quickly closes the gap. Their lips lock together, not perfectly due to inexperience, but it is perfect all the same. It was everything Xingqiu was hoping for. Chongyun’s lips are soft and gentle against his. He tastes faintly of alcohol mixed with the flavor of his popsicle. The kiss is short and sweet. Chongyun parts from the kiss and looks him in the eyes.
“Xingqiu…” The exorcist says, breathless. “You are so beautiful,” Xingqiu’s heart skips a beat.
“Are you trying to kill me?” Xingqiu whispers, not breaking eye contact. Chongyun huffs a short laugh.
“Can I do that again..?” Chongyun questions, his ears a cute shade of red.
“You don’t have to ask, silly,” Xingqiu giggles softly and wraps his arms around Chongyun's neck. He leans in, and Chongyun meets him halfway. There is a newfound heat behind their kiss this time, most likely due to the built-up tension and the alcohol’s added influence.
Their lips slide together as if it were their sole purpose. Chongyun’s hands cup Xingqiu’s hips and push him flush against the edge of the counter. The bookworm gasps as his lower back makes contact with the counter. His head is dizzy from the heat. Xingqiu weakly fights back against Chongyun in their fight for dominance. He didn’t want to win the fight anyway.
Chongyun slides his hands up to his waist. The heat radiating from his palms makes Xingqiu’s gut swirl. Chongyun sucks on his lower lip, causing him to groan. Heat floods Xingqiu’s face at the sound. How embarrassing…
“Yun-,” He gasps as Chongyun plants kisses across his cheek and jawline. Xingqiu moves a hand up into the fluffy hair on the back of his head. The other hand rests on Chongyun’s shoulder, grabbing a fistful of his shirt.
“Shush, I’ve been waiting to do this for years,” Chongyun whispers in his ear. Lightning shoots down his spine. This has to be a dream. Chongyun has wanted to do this for years..? This can’t be actually happening. The sudden pinch under his ear snaps him back to reality.
Chongyun sucks at the tender skin, high enough on his neck to be hidden by his hair. This is real… This is happening… Xingqiu’s heart rattles in his chest. A small whine slips out as Chongyun runs his tongue over the mark he made.
“Gods, Xingqiu... You drive me crazy,” Chongyun huffs as Xingqiu runs his fingers through the hair on the back of his head. Xingqiu hums as he directs Chongyun back to his lips.
“Kiss me,” Xingqiu orders. Chongyun doesn’t waste a second in reconnecting their lips. The exorcist plays with the hem of Xingqiu’s shirt, teasingly sliding his fingers under and brushing his sides. He gasps at the feeling, fireworks sparking with every touch.
Chongyun takes the opportunity to test the waters and slips his tongue against the other’s lips.
Xingqiu squirms and opens his mouth more for Chongyun. Heat fogging his mind, embarrassment is a feeling that no longer applies. Chongyun can have his way with him. He trusts him. Chongyun groans into his mouth as Xingqiu pushes himself closer against him, chests flush together and arms tangled with each other.
“Seven minutes are up!” Xiangling yells from the other side of the bathroom door. The two boys fly apart and stumble to catch their breath, cheeks red with embarrassment. Xingqiu takes a look at himself in the mirror. His lips are swollen, and his eyes are hazy. His hair is sticking up wildly. He looks like a proper mess.
“Chongyun! I can’t go out there like this!?” Xingqiu whispers in a panic, whipping his head to look at Chongyun, who is on the other side of the bathroom.
“You think you look bad? I look worse!” Chongyun groans in embarrassment. Upon closer observation, Chongyun’s hair is also a mess. His lips are equally as swollen as his own, but his blush spreads all the way down to his shoulders. He is also a little sweaty-looking.
“Pfft-,” Xingqiu snorts. “Oh, we are so getting bullied…” He accepts his unfortunate future.
“At least help me try to look presentable!” Chongyun begs. “You are lucky I didn’t pass out..! The heat was really getting to me…”
“Fine, fine!” Xingqiu grabs his hairbrush out of one of the drawers and wets a washcloth. Hopefully, that helps him cool down a little. He brushes through the icy blue locks to return them to their original state, all the while peppering kisses along Chongyun’s cheeks and nose. Surprisingly domestic and soft despite the heated moment they just shared.
“S-stop! That tickles!” Chongyun scrunches his nose and swats him away. Xingqiu’s heart squeezes at the sight, cuteness aggression hitting him in full.
“Okay, but only because if we stay in here any longer, the girls will get more suspicious than they already are,” Xingqiu concedes and quickly brushes through his own hair. “We will talk more later,” Chongyun nods in response, blushing a little.
They both take a deep breath and open the door to the bathroom.
“Took you two long enough! Make out? I mean- make up?” Hu Tao smirks. Chongyun turns a deep shade of crimson. You can almost see the steam coming out of his ears.
“Yes, we talked things out. I believe we are to an understanding now and should be all back to normal,” Xingqiu smiles, pretending like he didn’t hear her comment.
“Well, I am glad, it was really awkward between you two,” Xiangling smiles. “Shall we continue the game?”
“Only if we keep it interesting!” Yun Jin winks with a silly smile.
“Duh,” Xiangling responds.
“I’m game,” Xingqiu agrees. Chongyun nods next to him.
“Your turn to spin the bottle, Xingqiu!” Xinyan smiles. Xingqiu spins the rum bottle, and it lands on Hu Tao.
“Truth or Dare?” Xingqiu smirks. He can finally get some revenge with this one…
“Dare, my papa didn’t raise no wimp!” Hu Tao accepts the challenge.
“Give us all a seductive dance on the table, stripping encouraged but not required,” Xingqiu grins. He knows she has been harboring a little crush on Xiangling for a while. So this will be good.
“You dirty dog…” Hu Tao narrows her eyes.
“Xingqiu! That’s a little extreme…” Chongyun blushes at the scandalous dare.
“What? Hu Tao is for the ladies anyway, I’m not interested,” He shrugs. He knows Chongyun sure isn’t interested either, based on his earlier actions.
“Fine, but I will need some background music. I’m not doing this silently,” Hu Tao makes her way up onto the coffee table.
“Oh my gosh, you are actually going to do it!” Xinyan cackles. Yun Jin laughs with her. Xiangling’s jaw dropped with surprise.
“Okay, queuing up the music!” Xingqiu smiles. He plays a song called ‘I Was Never There’ by an artist he doesn’t recognize, but the girls do. Apparently, he's a popular artist. The song seems perfect for this. He presses play on his device.
“Wow,” Yun Jin curls over at the song choice. Hu Tao starts her dance off slowly, sliding her hands up and down her body. The girls all giggle.
She sways her body while she begins to slowly unbutton her shirt as seductively as she can. Xingqiu snorts and laughs into his arm. Chongyun hides his face in his hands, averting his eyes. Hu Tao slips off the rest of her shirt and tosses it to Xiangling, who goes as red as a tomato. Hu Tao continues to dance in her bra and shorts now, trying to rile up the girls.
Honestly, she was surprisingly good despite the light blush on her own face. Xingqiu claps for her effort and pretends to throw her some money. Hu Tao laughs and grabs her shirt back from Xiangling.
“Oh my gods, why were you so good at that?!” Xinyan laughs.
“Confidence, darling,” Hu Tao responds.
“Xingqiu, that was an amazing dare, thank you,” Yun Jin wipes a tear from the corner of her eye from laughing. Xiangling is still speechless. Xingqiu gives them a thumbs up.
“Okay, I'm spinning now!” Hu Tao spins the bottle. The bottle lands on Xinyan, and she swallows nervously. “Truth or Dare,”
"Truth, after that show,”
“Ahh, you’re no fun!” Hu Tao pouts. “Tell us about your first kiss,”
“Oh! Hmmm, well, it was back when I was sixteen and I was on tour with a mutual artist,” Xinyan blushes. “We got dared to kiss by some of our fans and we both said screw it and kissed on stage,” She laughs.
“Oh my gosh! Yeah! I forgot about that,” Yun Jin laughs. The way you guys were both gay was the funniest part. He couldn’t have been any clearer to his fans, but they wanted it to happen anyway,”
“I didn’t mind. It makes for an amazing first kiss story!” Xinyan laughs.
“I can’t believe your first kiss was with a gay guy,” Xingqiu shakes his head in disbelief.
“At least it wasn’t a straight guy,” Xinyan shrugs.
“Ain't that the truth,” Xiangling laughs.
“Okay, spinning!” Xinyan quickly spins the bottle. It looks like it is going to land on Xingqiu, but it spins to Yun Jin at the last second. “Truth or Dare~!”
“Truth this time!”
“What's your favorite part of someone’s body?” Xinyan questions.
“Oh, easy, hands,” Yun Jin answers. “Man or woman, I don’t care, both are good,”
“Truth,” Xingqiu takes a sip of his drink and raises his glass in agreement. He doesn’t miss the light blush that settles on Chongyun’s cheeks after the statement. He and Yun Jin give each other a bro shake in bisexual agreement. Hu Tao chuckles.
“Okay! Whoever is next is going to get it,” Yun Jin threatens as she spins the bottle. The bottle spins and lands on Xingqiu, of course…
“Truth or Dare~!”
“Truth..?” He picks hesitantly. He doesn’t have much to hide anymore, he supposes.
“What’s the most bizarre fantasy you have?” Yun Jin smiles evilly. Xingqiu’s heart drops and Chongyun’s face burns red. He really should’ve gone with dare.
“Well- uhm- I’ve had this one for a while,” Xingqiu clears his throat and pulls at the collar of his shirt. He just needs to get this over with quickly and not look at Chongyun. All the girls lean in expectantly. “In it, I would be held hostage. My captor would sort through my belongings and find my journal. They would read out my entries and uhm- tease me about them?” Xingqiu blushes profusely.
He doesn’t want to delve deeper into that fantasy in front of his friends and Chongyun. Whatever Chongyun is to him at this point.
“That’s spicy, Xingqiu!” Yun Jin squeals, and the other girls gasp, jaws dropped. Xingqiu covers his face with his hands, his heart beating erratically. He peeks through his fingers to see Chongyun staring at him with wide eyes. He looks almost as red as he was in the bathroom. They lock eyes. Xingqiu swallows thickly, stomach swirling at the tension.
Xiangling leans over to Chongyun and whispers something into his ear, blocking her mouth from him with her hand. Chongyun jumps and waves his arms around, blushing even more somehow. Xiangling grins at him.
Xingqiu’s stomach swirls with embarrassment.
“Oh, that was a good truth,” Hu Tao giggles.
“You guys are really asking for it now,” Xingqiu grits through his teeth and spins the bottle. The bottle lands directly pointed at Xiangling. “Truth or Dare?”
“You know me, dare!” She confidently picks.
“Lick some whipped cream off the neck of whoever the bottle lands on,” Everyone gasps.
“What!?” Xiangling yelps. “Fine! But only because I have an ego to uphold!”
“At least you're honest about it,” Xinyan jokes. Xiangling spins the bottle, nervously watching who it is going to land on. The bottle lands on Chongyun. Everyone freezes.
“No way-,” Hu Tao whispers in shock. Chongyun is still frozen, looking at the bottle.
“I mean, it’s just me, Chongyun..?” Xiangling comforts. “I can re-spin if you want, you don’t have to-,”
“I’ll do it,” Chongyun says, rather determined, despite the blush on his face. Xingqiu blinks in surprise. He was expecting a re-roll.
“Are you sure?” Xiangling asks.
“I would rather have you do it over anyone else here,” Chongyun says nervously. He makes eye contact with Xingqiu and quickly looks away.
“Alright, here goes nothing,” Xiangling gulps and sprays whipped cream on his neck. Chongyun closes his eyes and braces. Xiangling sits up and puts a hand on Chongyun’s knee to brace herself. She quickly leans in and expertly licks it off his neck. The boy flinches at the contact but stays relatively under control.
Xingqiu feels something nasty churn in his chest. Something deep and bubbly. It burns.
“Haha! You guys actually did it!” Xinyan laughs, grabbing Hu Tao’s arm.
“Chongyun! You did it!” Yun Jin giggles. Chongyun lightly chuckles, embarrassed, and glances towards him. He can’t quite bring himself to meet Chongyun’s eyes.
Xingqiu fidgets with his fingers. He doesn’t know what this feeling is or what to do with it. He feels silly because he was the one to dare Xiangling. He has no right to be upset because of the dare. He shakes off the feeling and gives Chongyun a strained smile. Chongyun looks at him with a confused eyebrow raise, but turns to talk to Xiangling and Yun Jin.
“Okay, spinning!” Xiangling smiles and spins the bottle. The bottle lands directly on Chongyun. “Truth or Dare?”
“Dare,” Chongyun chooses, feeling a little bold after his last involvement. Xiangling smiles wickedly.
“I dare you to write Xingqiu a naughty note. Something straight out of a raunchy romance novel,” She snickers. Xingqiu feels the heat rush straight to his cheeks. Xiangling definitely had it out for them in a sick way of revenge for having to deal with them.
“What-, Why Xingqiu?!” Chongyun sputters out, his whole face a deep shade of crimson. “Why not spin the bottle?!”
“Chongyun… Don’t play dumb, you know exactly why…” Xiangling gives him an exasperated look. Xingqiu is kind of curious about what she knows, or what Chongyun told her. This should play out interestingly.
“Fine-! Fine! Don’t say anything else!” Chongyun clasps his hands over her mouth. Xingqiu grabs a piece of paper and a pen from his desk, handing them to Chongyun. The icy boy looks up at him nervously.
Xingqiu sends him a quick wink before taking his seat again. The boy freezes. He can almost see the gears turning in his head. Chongyun looks down quickly and starts trying to think of what to write.
“No peeking! This is for Xingqiu only…” Chongyun covers the paper with his arms.
“Alright..! I guess Xingqiu’s reaction will tell me everything anyway,” Hu Tao smirks. Great, no pressure. Time to ready himself.
Chongyun couldn’t write anything too crazy, right?
Chongyun slowly folds up the note and hands it to him with a bashful expression. Xingqiu takes a deep breath and slowly unfolds it away from the prying eyes of the girls next to him.
Dear Qiu,
I am a little nervous writing this, but I hope you can forgive me or not take this seriously if it disgusts you… I am looking forward to tonight. I know I normally sleep on a spare bed on the floor, but maybe we could share your bed..? If you wouldn’t mind? I really liked kissing you, and I was a little upset when we were interrupted. I wouldn’t mind continuing tonight. You made me dizzy, and I loved every second.
Okay… Now, in order to fully do Xiangling’s dare, I’ll tell you one of my desires. Please don’t tease me for this? I know you will, though…
Xingqiu takes a deep breath in, trying to calm the blush that has already spread to his cheeks. His heart is racing, and he hasn’t even read the spicy part yet. Chongyun’s admission to what happened earlier was enough for him. The girls giggle next to him, and Chongyun is biting his lip nervously.
Do you think you could wear some shorts tonight..? I have always wanted to touch your thighs. They look so soft… The one photo you sent me has been stuck in my mind ever since I first saw it. I wouldn’t mind kissing them either, if you would let me… I want to see how you will react. I would bet you would sound really pretty… At least you did earlier, so…
Your dearest,
Chongyun <3
Xingqiu almost drops the note because of how shaky his hands are. Butterflies swirl through his stomach as his face heats up. He decides to hide his face behind the note rather than show his face to the group. He hears the girls squeal at his reaction.
“Oh my gosh! His ears are red!” Yun Jin giggles excitedly.
“No way?! I have never seen Xingqiu so red,” Xinyan laughs.
“Chongyun! You dirty dog! What did you say?!” Hu Tao turns to him.
“N-Nothing!” Chongyun stutters, embarrassed. He doesn’t take his eyes off of Xingqiu, though. Soaking up the reaction he caused. The bookworm can feel his eyes on him, burning away at his composure.
“Wow, Chongyun! I’m impressed. Who knew you could be so suave?” Xiangling teases. It wasn’t that he was suave. He was honest. Xingqiu knows he wrote everything with complete sincerity. That fact hits him in the very core. That’s why he reacted so strongly.
“Y-yeah! Chongyun, how naughty!” Xingqiu remarks, trying to tease him back. He should’ve just kept his mouth shut.
Chongyun blushes and looks away from him.
They play a few more rounds, but none of them are too terribly spicy. Everyone is starting to get tired.
“I think it’s time to call it a night,” Yun Jin yawns with a sleeping Xiangling on her shoulder.
“Yeah, I think I’m done too,” Xinyan nods and lies down on the floor.
“You guys know where the rooms are, right?” Xingqiu asks.
“Yeah, don’t worry about us, Xingqiu,” Yun Jin smiles and lightly nudges Xiangling to wake her up.
“Bedtime!’ Hu Tao stands up and stretches.
“We will see you two in the morning. Don’t have too much fun,” She looks at Chongyun and him, smirking. The exorcist flinches.
“See you at breakfast,” Xingqiu rolls his eyes and shoos her away, fighting the blush threatening to spread on his face.
“Bye Xingqiu! Bye Chongyun!” Xiangling says to them before the girls step out of his room and down the hall. They both wave to the group as they shut the door.
Silence…
Notes:
YALL IM DEAD
My girlfriend read this chapter and was like,
"This is shit, I hated it" after reading the chapter in one sitting because she was mad I didn't have the next chapter ready XDDDDD
She really liked it... I think... 💀
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