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Chapter Text

Chongyun and Xingqiu knew they were stepping into dangerous territory when they spotted her.

The young chef was posted at the front of the Wanmin restaurant in place of Chef Mao, eagerly waiting for the next customer. From the excited glint in her eyes, they both knew it could only mean one thing and glanced at each other in mutual understanding.

Using the midday crowd to their advantage, they treaded alongside the side of the path further away from the restaurant, hoping they could camouflage well enough. Unfortunately, Chongyun’s hair and attire did nothing to conceal him amidst the throng of the darker and neutral colours, and Xiangling spotted the pair almost immediately.

“Chongyun! Xingqiu!”

The two froze, internally grimacing as they looked towards the restaurant to see the young chef waving her arm excitedly. Knowing that they wouldn’t be able to shake her, the pair reluctantly walked over to the counter, preparing themselves for Xiangling’s latest creation.

“Good afternoon, Xiangling,” Xingqiu greeted with a polite smile. Despite his calm demeanor, Chongyun could spot the subtle stiffness of his posture. They both knew what was about to befall them.

“You two came at just the right time!”

Somehow it feels we came at the wrong time, Chongyun thought to himself.

“I just got some fresh ingredients that I’ve been meaning to experiment with to put into slime condensate mixture that I recently came across,” she enthused as she began to arrange the food behind the counter. Although they couldn’t see what she was doing, they could both hear a gelatinous substance being prodded at. The louder the squish, the more the boys feared for their tongues and stomachs. “Who knew anemo and cryo slimes would have such an intense flavour together.”

To his side, Chongyun noticed the subtle perk in his friend before he asked, “Anemo and Cryo? I would assume that would mean no heat?”

The young chef looked up momentarily from her work to flash a smile. “Nope! Quite the opposite, actually. It’s meant to be a cold dessert but with more flavours!” Her eyes shifted to Chongyun. “I made it cold with you in mind since a lot of my desserts are best served warm.”

Hearing the continuous squelch of the dessert being pattered, the more concerned Chongyun became about the end result. Not that she didn’t trust her cooking skills, but more akin to knowing too much takes away the appeal of the food itself. Perhaps he can convince Xingqiu to try it instead. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I think that maybe Xingqiu-“

“I’d love to try,” Xingqiu interjected, “however I had a nice meal before leaving and I’m quite satisfied right now. Though, if memory serves correctly, I don’t believe Chongyun didn’t have much to eat except for a single popsicle.”

Through his voice, Chongyun could tell that he was purposefully deflecting so that he wouldn’t have to be the first to try her new concoction. They both love supporting their friend, but their tongues haven’t exactly become accustomed to slime condensate and lizard tail just yet.

Unfortunately, Xingqiu did speak the truth and judging from the soft rumbles of his stomach, Chongyun was a little hungry.

Chongyun sighed. “I suppose I’ll try it in his stead,” he conceded, internally lamenting the low sustenance value of a popsicle.

“Yay!” Xiangling exclaimed. “It’s almost done, so sit tight!”

As the chef ran towards the back to grab a bowl, the young exorcist pulled out the stool in front of him and from the corner of his eye, he saw Xingqiu, who was already seated, shoot him a “far too innocent to actually be innocent” smile. Of course, Chongyun couldn’t just let him get away with making him taste test every single experimental dish Xiangling makes. As retaliation, Chongyun gives him a little glare. To an outsider who doesn’t know him very well, they wouldn’t be able to discern between his regular expression and his glare, but with Xingqiu, he knew immediately and looked away sheepishly.

A plunk brought the exorcist’s attention back to the table to notice that Xiangling was back and that there was a bowl with what can only describe was a white mush with garnish inside.

“Here you go!”

Instead of digging in, which is probably what Xiangling expected, Chongyun simply stared at the dessert in apprehension. He picked up the provided cutlery and tried to investigate the contents, prodding at the suspicious substance. From the way he could easily cut through the food, he deduced it wasn’t gelatin, and from the sickly sweet smell-

“Well,” spoke Xingqiu, interrupting Chongyun’s examination process. “What are you waiting for?”

He considered sectioning off a miniscule portion, but Chongyun feared that it might offend Xiangling, so he took a sizeable piece with his cutlery, closed his eyes and shoved it in his mouth without a second thought.

The first sensation he felt was cold, even for his standards. The anemo and cryo slime condensate had a minty effect without the minty taste. The flavour instead was what Chongyun could now distinguish to be sticky rice and pudding, but there was something more.

As promised, there was no initial spice, but the more he chewed on the mush, the more he could sense a counteracting element weakening the freezing sensation. The element could be described as no other than spices. Surprisingly, the cryo and anemo condensate seemed to balance out the spice perfectly, and he could mostly enjoy the sweet rice and pudding.

He must have been too distracted, enjoying the dessert, because Xingqiu pushed a glass of water that he must have asked while he was eating towards him and asked, “How is it?”

Swallowing down whatever was left in his mouth and the cold water that was offered to him, he briefly pondered how to describe what he just ingested. “I mean, once you stop being able to distinguish each individual flavour and sensation all at once, it actually tastes really good.”

Xingqiu’s brows raised up slightly. “Is that so?” Subtlety, he eyed the contents in his bowl before meeting his eyes again. “Would you mind me trying some?”

“Sure.”

He pushed the bowl closer towards his friend who picked up his cutlery and took a piece of the rice-pudding mush, scrutinizing the contents before cautiously putting it in his mouth. As he chewed, his brows furrowed and he squeezed his eyes shut, Chongyun guesses from the overwhelming anemo-cryo sensation. After a few moments of chewing, his face slowly relaxed and his eyes opened in surprise and wonder.

Chongyun watched his friend’s lips move along with the motion of chewing, the slight puff of his cheeks, and his eyes alight. There must have been something about how the sunlight filtering in fell on Xingqiu’s eyes, but he couldn’t help but continue admiring the gold of his eyes. He was always aware that his eyes were a beautiful shade, but it was more stunning now, shining brightly. It wasn’t until he felt a sudden tug in his chest paired with a floating sensation in the pit of his stomach that he realized he was staring.

Feeling the strange knot in his stomach was normal. He’s been feeling it a lot more recently, but they were always easily dismissed. Usually, the unconfirmed conclusion was that he had ate something that his body didn’t entirely and just shrugged it off. Considering his condition limiting his diet, it wouldn’t be an outlandish conclusion, but now, that feeling has come full force, and it was paired with the strange feeling of his chest being caved in.

What could have caused it? Was it the food? Did whatever Xiangling create have a worse effect on his body than he expected? Or was it because he was hyper fixated on Xingqiu?

…

No, that didn’t make any sense. He’s seen his dear friend many times! What makes this so different?

The amber eyes that were distracted by the food slid their way to meet icy blue ones. Chongyun, still distracted by his musings didn’t realize the shock and concern that was written on his friend’s face.

“Oh, Chongyun, there wasn’t anything spicy in this, was there?” Xingqiu asked. Confused, the exorcist gave a small hum as a question. “Your face is turning red!”

Oh? Was he burning up? That didn’t make any sense either. Touching a hand to his face, surely enough, his skin was a touch warmer than what he was used to. What did Xiangling give him? What was in the food?

“I’ll get more water!” the chef cried before rushing out.

Chongyun didn’t even notice her leave. He could only stare at Xingqiu in confusion.

Chapter Text

Xingqiu could hear the soft pitter patter of the rain from the window seat that he was against, but his main focus was the text in the book that Chongyun had picked out for him.

They were at the Wanwen bookhouse to find new novels for the bookworm to read since the store had a recent delivery of new publications. Unfortunately, the skies have been pouring down since the morning and Jifang brought all the books inside the building, giving both the books and the customers shelter.

When they entered the bookhouse, Jifang had looked up from her work and gave them both a smile. Or more accurately, she gave Xingqiu a smile. Being a regular and having a slew of mora in his possession, Xingqiu is one of the only exceptions to the “pay first, read later” policy, and by extension, one of Jifang’s favourite customers. Jifang has become familiar with Chongyun, the young exorcist being dragged by Xingqiu to accompany him to the bookhouse plenty of times, but as far as they’re concerned, she doesn’t have many opinions regarding him, except that he doesn’t cause any trouble. Nonetheless, she allowed both the boys to stay up to exactly one hour after she closes.

Which is where they found themselves that night after Chongyun had finished several exorcising jobs which, as always, were effortless for him, but nonetheless weary from travel. Jifang had just reminded the two of them that the store was closed and that they had an hour left before they need to leave. Both boys nodded and she strode off, finishing off her cleaning and re-shelving books.

They continued in silence, Xingqiu reading his novel, and Chongyun sitting silently, likely meditating. Although Xingqiu was aware that Chongyun wasn’t as avid of a reader as he, he greatly appreciates him coming along regardless. There are some days that he asks for Xingqiu to read for him, and he happily obliges, but today, the exorcist wanted to remain quiet.

The book Chongyun had picked out for him was a new series but from an author that he had enthused about multiple times but wasn’t necessarily his top pick. His choice was excellent nonetheless. It was the beginning of a promising plot with interesting characters and he was already eager to purchase the next installment upon release.

His reading was interrupted by a sudden weight on his shoulder. From the corner of his eye, he saw a tuft of light blue hair and his heart leapt, thoughts running a mile a minute. Sliding his eyes over to the boy next to him, Xingqiu noticed he was asleep, his pale eyelashes fanning over his cheeks. He looked so peaceful. So… beautiful.

He’s not surprised by his initial reaction; he was always aware that Chongyun was attractive, as much as he’d like to deny these thoughts, but in that moment, it became painfully obvious how deeply rooted his feelings for the exorcist are. Feelings that are far deeper than mere appearances.

Ever since that one night when they went to climb a mountain above Qingce Village and looked over the colourful fields on a quiet evening, those feelings began to bloom. That night was the first time he had seen Chongyun smile, a full, uninhibited smile as he gazed upon the stars, a glaze lily he had given him in hand. It was the first time he had felt a tug of longing, and he had understood its implications immediately. Since then, he’s been suppressing his feelings, pushing them away for the sake of their friendship.

Not that he believed that Chongyun would push him away so easily, but he feared it would create a subtle rift between them, as much as his friend would try to avoid doing so.

For months, he’s been trying to snuff out the fires that burned within him, but spending most of his free time with the exorcist only further ignited them. And now, with Chongyun’s head resting peacefully on him, it became apparent to him that these feelings will never fade, never waver.

So for the first time, he decides to freely admit it to himself.

He’s in love with Chongyun.

He knows it’s hopeless. He doesn’t even know if Chongyun could ever be capable of reciprocating. Although they’ve never spoken about it, it’s evident he hasn’t put much thought into a romance, much like Xingqiu. Until now that is. Before Chongyun.

A thud somewhere in the bookhouse pulled him out of his train of thought and he realized he was staring very intently at his friend’s face. Somewhere in the middle of his thoughts, he had put the book he was holding onto his lap and his hand had started to reach his face. He wasn’t even sure what his hand was aiming for, but upon realization, he immediately retracted his hand and felt his face heat up.

Right. He was supposed to be reading. Wasn’t he almost done the book? Picking up the book from his lap, he began to look for a familiar passage, but his thoughts became muddle, being painfully aware of the weight on his shoulder. What was the book about again?

After flipping through several pages, he finally found a familiar sequence of words. He read through the passage, but soon realized he never absorbed the content the text held and went back to reread it. His attempt was just as futile as the last and went to reread it again.

And again.

And again.

Evidently, his brain was currently preoccupied with a certain exorcist on his shoulder.

Focus, Xingqiu, focus.

He tried to empty out his thoughts, using a similar method that Chongyun uses before training. Focus on his breathing and the ideal temperature found at one’s core. But not even his deep breaths could quiet the pounding of his heart and the insistent thoughts regarding the exorcist beside him.

Sighing, he closed the book and looked over at his friend. As much as he wanted to stay like this, letting himself indulge in it just a little more, he decided against it. Chongyun was clearly exhausted, and it would do him better if he headed home and rested up. He woke up early to train every day after all.

Shakily, he reached out a hand to gently tap his friend’s shoulder twice. After a few seconds of delay, Xingqiu saw his eyebrows furrow and blink his eyes open before he tilted his head and his ice blue eyes found his.

Xingqiu has seen sleepy Chongyun before, but his face has never been this close when he’s seen it. And, oh Archons, does he feel both blessed and cursed at once. The warmth of his breath tickled his neck, and his half-lidded eyes paired with his small pout was heart-wrenchingly adorable. How is he supposed to maintain composure with that?

Ignoring his increasing heart rate and the heat that was very prominent in his face, he tore his eyes away from that angelic face and cleared his throat. “I believe we should leave soon. Er… now,” he said hastily, hoping that Chongyun wouldn’t comment on the fact that his head was on his shoulder, and how red he undeniably was right about now.

Finally, Chongyun lifted his head from his friend’s shoulder to look at the clock across the room and Xingqiu dared a glance at him and he’s not sure if he imagined it, but it seemed his cheeks had a faint pink tint to them.

The exorcist looked over to the Guhua guru confused. “The bookhouse isn’t closed yet.”

Of course he would find it strange. “Oh. Yes. I’m just a little more tired than normal,” he replied. Somehow, he managed to respond with an even voice despite his internal homosexual crisis.

Chongyun rubbed his eyes sleepily before he examined his friend, and wow, he really won’t give Xingqiu a break, will he? To try and keep some sort of composure, he tilted his head as if asking a silent question. “I can sense a different energy from you,” Chongyun stated. “Are you feeling okay?”

From the question alone, Xingqiu could hear the genuine concern dripping in his voice and he hesitated on his initial plan on denying it. He didn’t want to lie to him when his friend was worried about him.

Taking a deep breath, he replied “It’s nothing much, just a lot on my mind.”

Chongyun pinched his brows and pouted. “Is it a topic you’re not willing to talk about?”

Xingqiu shook his head and cleared his throat. “Worry not, it’s but a minor speculation I just had.”

The worry on his friend’s face never wavered, and the longer his eyes bore into his, the more restless he became. After what seemed like several minutes to Xingqiu, Chongyun finally ceded. “Well, if you ever have anything you want to talk about, you know you can always come find me.”

Although this claim was of no surprise to him, it still warmed his heart to know that Chongyun will always be there to support him, and he would do the same. Xingqiu smiled fondly at the exorcist, still trying to calm his racing heart. “Thank you.” Sliding his eyes to the window, he noticed that the rain wasn’t letting up, and it probably won’t any time soon either.

“You want to just head home?”

Xingqiu looked back at the source of the voice and saw he was also surveying the rain. “Yeah.” Chongyun looked at him and watched as the hydro swordsman stood up, signalling that he was ready to leave, and the exorcist followed suit, picking up the umbrella propped to the side. The umbrella that Xingqiu had given him for his birthday last year.

They both strode out the bookhouse, waving to Jifang before they left, who looked after them in confusion but waved back nonetheless. When they passed the doors, a chilly breeze greeted them and Xingqiu felt a barrage of droplets hitting his face. Despite being a bearer of a hydro vision, it didn’t make the rain any less uncomfortable for him and, secretly hoped Chongyun would offer his umbrella much like earlier today.

From his peripherals, he could see the light hues of the umbrella come into view, and from what it seemed, it was being thrust in his direction. Looking over at his friend, sure enough, Chongyun, whose hood was up, was offering his opened umbrella. It was uncharacteristically chivalrous, but he appreciated it nonetheless. Maybe he is slowly learning the chivalric code after all.

“Here, take it.”

Xingqiu gingerly took the umbrella without a second thought and cast it over his head. Looking over at Chongyun, he saw that his clothes were already becoming drenched and examined the space in the umbrella. In favour of returning the act of chivalry, Xingqiu took a deep breath and offered, “You know, I’m fairly certain there’s more than enough room in here for two…” doing his best to maintain composure at his own suggestion.

There was a space of time where neither of them moved letting the rain fall around them, before Xingqiu sensed Chongyun shuffling closer, sharing the umbrella space with him. Instinctively, Xingqiu moved away to ensure that the exorcist had ample room, but was stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder opposite to his friend and pulled him closer.

Startled, he looked over to the exorcist, whose arm was wrapped around him, with wide eyes and heart racing.  Chongyun noticed him staring and, seeming to not notice what was off, Chongyun raised an eyebrow. “Something wrong?”

“Nope,” he replied promptly. Looking forward, he cleared his throat, and added, “We should make haste to avoid getting too wet.”

From their proximity, Xingqiu could just about feel Chongyun nod and looked forward, returning his arm to himself but never moving away.

As they silently walked down the stairs and headed home, Xingqiu’s thoughts were filled with iterations of, Too close, too close, too close.

Chapter Text

Chongyun tested the mug in front of him that had been sitting out for a while now and immediately retracted his hand from the temperature and sighed.

He had told Xingqiu that he had no jobs that day, and immediately he suggested that they hang out after his daily training early in the morning. So Chongyun is currently sitting at the Heyu Tea House, idly listening to Tea Master Liu Su. Normally, he’d be listening attentively while leisurely sipping his tea.

Unfortunately, today he forgot to ask to get his tea cold and he didn’t want to bother Fan Er’ye to get him a new cup. He would try to use his cryo vision to cool it, but last time he did, he ended up completely freezing his drink, so now, he just sits and waits for it to cool down on its own.

Judging from the thin crowd below him, he figured that he had arrived a little too early at the tea house to meet up with Xingqiu, but still quite early that the sky was still painted with orange hues. Regardless, Xingqiu normally wakes up the same time Chongyun finishes training so he doubts he’ll have to wait for too long for his friend.

“Well, what would everyone like to listen to?” asked the Tea Master.

One of the two finely dressed people sitting in front of him responded to the call very quickly, shouting, “The Guhua Clan!” At the response, Chongyun perked up and looked up from his mug to observe.

“Oh?” Liu Su’s brows shot up. “You’d like to hear more about the Guhua Brotherhood?” The pair in front of him vigorously nodded and Chongyun passively wondered if they seek to become Guhua disciples, much like a certain hydro swordsman he knows.

Smiling, the Tea Master began to speak in a more expressive and powerful tone. “Well then, if you all do not mind, I shall say another verse…”

Another verse? Could this tale be pertaining to Xingqiu? It was well known amongst the folk in Liyue that the second son of the Feiyun Commerce Guild frequented the bookhouse and was normally found reading in the most quiet and secluded corners of Liyue. Could that be a reference to his bookworm nature?

“As you all know, the Guhua Brotherhood suffered a decline and became the Guhua Sect, and the Sect too withered and became the Guhua Clan as we know it today.” Chongyun was very well aware of the decline. Xingqiu had lamented that not enough people were interesting in the art of fighting the Guhua possessed. However, he wasn’t as adamant about recruiting new practitioners. He’s said before that as long as one person passes down the knowledge to someone else, the art will live on.

“Today we shall speak of a young hero of the Guhua Clan, a scholar and a swordsman.”

Somehow Chongyun knew that Xingqiu would be the one to share that knowledge with someone.

“Now this young hero was dressed to impress, polite to a fault, fair-faced and keen-eyed.” Being the second son to the Feiyun Commerce Guild, these were mannerisms that he had grown up into. It was something Chongyun had appreciated about him, looking after your own image with care, considering these were assets of his own life he was never taught to pay much mind to. In his family, he was mostly taught exorcism and basic manners, especially being the heir to his clan of exorcists.

“Wielding the sword and scroll alike, he wandered far abroad like a visage of the Guhua Brotherhood of old. Though the Clan had fallen far indeed, none of its members had ever ceased fighting for justice.”

Justice.

That was a value Xingqiu held very dear to him and fought for the most. If there was a shred of injustice, he would quickly seek to bring the injustice to light, and to repair the damage that was done. It was what had given him the title of “juvenile gallant”: a young boy who wished to perform heroic and chivalric deeds.

And Chongyun absolutely admired him for that.

There have been ample times when Xingqiu would drag him to aid him in a quest for justice, and every time, he would willing answer his call. It was for a good cause. Whether he accompanied him to fight off hilichurls, or simply there as the supportive friend, he would come.

“And so one day, as the young hero passed through the stone forest of Jueyun Karst, he heard voices calling to each other through the mountain mist.” The tea master’s tone sharpened, while still raising in intensity. “The merchants with him were scared to death. It was all over – they were beset by bandits!”

As Chongyun continued to listen closely to the nuances of the story teller’s voice as he expressed the details of the encounter, he compares the details of the story with the encounter the tale was based on from the primary source himself.  

Although Xingqiu never told him of what he had said directly to the bandits, the exorcist had no doubts that it was a grandiose declaration of fighting in the name of justice.

Xingqiu, being a firm believer in allowing him and his opponents to be on equal footing, had never used his vision, more specifically, Rain Cutter, once during that fight with the bandits. The fight was solely using fists, feet, and blades. No extra elemental aspects.

“But the young hero did not grow lax, for he heard a rustling in the bamboo forest, a sound most ominous.”

He had, however, used it for this fight. The battle that was to follow this tale.

Chongyun remembers Xingqiu seeking him out that same night, a little more shaken than the brave, composed fighter he normally was. The signs weren’t clear, but he could tell solely from the way his normally keen and bright eyes looked duller, and how his responses were cut shorter.

He remembered Xingqiu asking if he could stay with him as they were laying down on his bed. Fortunately, Xingqiu’s father didn’t mind the extra company, given the large amount of space in their house, and was rather glad that his second son was preoccupied regardless.

Naturally, Chongyun had agreed, knowing his own family was familiar with him going on journeys that could last a few days. Besides, how could he ever say no to his best friend?

“And indeed, another pair of eyes watched him from within… Now, who was this interloper…”

Chongyun noticed the Tea Master’s eyes shift from the audience to the stairs and although entranced with the rise and fall of his voice, he peeled his eyes away from the story teller, only to notice a familiar silhouette haloed by the rising sun. Immediately, the exorcist knew who it was, despite the shaded features from the backlight.

The boy from the story climbed the stairs with grace, a slight quirk on his lips and bright eyes that sought out icy blue ones. When their eyes met, Chongyun couldn’t help but notice how his amber eyes lit up and his smile became a touch more pronounced. As Xingqiu strode over to the table, there was a persistent thought paired with a foreign twinge of yearning. He’s well aware of how much he adores his friends, how much he enjoys the time he spends with Xingqiu and Xiangling, but this was very different from what he was used to feeling. It could almost be described as hurting, but the way it hurt wasn’t exactly suffering either. It was warm. It was tender. He quite relished in the feeling.

And after listening to Liu Su’s story of his dear friend and seeing him now, he was…

He’s amazing.

Being so deep in thought, he barely noticed the second son of the Feiyun Commerce Guild as he sat down, nor did he notice the subtle droop in his features as he looked at the dazed exorcist.

“All shall be revealed in my next telling!” the Tea Master declared, pulling Chongyun out of his thoughts, who suddenly realized he was getting a little too warm. Looking around swiftly for anything to cool him off, but instead found the Tea Master’s eyes on the pair with a carefully blank expression.

Without breaking eye contact, he proclaimed, “All shall be revealed in my next telling!” before he relaxes and looks away to survey the audience of four with a smile. The pair in front gave their praises and began quietly chatting amongst themselves.

Chongyun, who was still feeling a little warmer than normal, slid his gaze over to his friend, who was returning his gaze with a slight quirk on his brow.

“Are you too hot?”

Ah right, the strange expression was from concern. Was he that visibly red?

Before he could respond, Xingqiu mumbled, more to himself, “It’s not the weather, I would assume. The air is quite crisp this morning.”

“Ah, no! I-“

Chongyun saw Xingqiu eye his mug of tea, faint tendrils of steam still dancing above. In an instant, Xingqiu turned around in his chair and politely called for Fan Er’ye who was standing by the railing. When the boss of the tea house reached their table, he gave them both a smile and asked what the young boy wanted.

“I’d like a cold chrysanthemum tea with three sugars, if it’s not too much trouble.” Cold? Did Xingqiu normally didn’t drink cold tea. Even in warmer weather, he still chose to drink his tea hot. What had convinced him to try it now? And even more curious was his choice of adding three sugars. Xingqiu drank his tea black most times, except on special occasions. It almost sounded like…

“Of course, no problem at all.”

Fan Er’ye turned and walked off to prepare the tea his friend had just ordered and Xingqiu turned back to the exorcist, who was still feeling a dull buzz of warmth, and slid Chongyun’s mug towards him. As he picked up the mug, Chongyun very soon realized what he was doing.

“Wait,” he said quickly. “It’s very sweet.”

Instead of putting the steaming mug down, Xingqiu simply smiled and replied, “I know” before taking his first sip with little hesitation.

Chongyun carefully watched his expression, hoping that the sweetness didn’t hinder him from enjoying the tea. As Xingqiu took a slow sip, his face was carefully neutral and seemed to almost be purposefully drawing it out. Once he placed the mug back down, he offered Chongyun a genuine smile.

Whether or not the smile was because of the drink or for another reason he couldn’t figure out, Chongyun was still grateful for the generosity his friend had shown him, regardless of how menial the act may be.

He was forever grateful to have made friends with Xingqiu.

Chapter Text

Through the curtains, orange and purple hues filtered in from the setting sun and Xingqiu was sitting quietly on a cushioned armchair, book in hand, and a steaming cup of jasmine tea on the table in front of him. As his novel began to approach a rather enticing and invigorating section, he heard a knock on the door.

Strange. He wasn’t expecting any visitors, and from the familiar knocking pattern, he definitely wasn’t expecting the one currently at the door.

Closing his book, he walked towards the front door and hazily recalled supplying some fake intel to Chongyun about a demon that had yet to be vanquished. That was likely the reason for the visit. As always, he lightly suggested the possibility that it could be immune to his condition. The condition that has, by far, made him one of the most successful exorcists to date. The only downside is that Chongyun never had the chance to use the proper exorcising technique that he’s practiced for so long, and still practices to this day to perfect it.

Of course, putting theory into practice was always different, and Xingqiu knows the exorcist has been awaiting the day that he gets to prove his talents.

Opening the door, an icy blue figure stood in front of him, weary, with a couple fresh, shallow cuts marring his face, small traces of blood still embedded in them. Xingqiu wasn’t surprised that Chongyun had went to investigate by himself, despite knowing that Xingqiu was typically available to accompany him, but he was hoping to come along on this excursion. Far more often than not, he was willing to go on any adventures the exorcist decided to take.

“I couldn’t find the spirit,” Chongyun spoke softly with a sigh. “All I found were small traps.” The Guhua guru had been too preoccupied examining the new marks that marred his friend that he hadn’t noticed the slightest narrow of the eyes directed pointedly at him. When he finally looked up to meet his eyes, a short surge of panic arose from Chongyun knowing the truth about his intel, and perhaps all his other fibs.

His habit of providing Chongyun with fake intel had naturally began from the sheer desire to prank his best friend a few times. The mischievous nature in him had been itching to expose itself from being confined and restricted due to Xingqiu’s environment growing up. Being the second son to the Feiyun Commerce Guild, there was no room for light antics; only professionalism was permitted.

As easy as it was to remain composure amongst the people that made frequent visits and while strolling alone in the towns of Liyue, even more so when he’s preoccupied by a novel. Paired with his heroic image he willed to maintain, he couldn’t cause mischief whenever he so pleased.

Fortunately, becoming close with Chongyun gave him an opportunity to let that concealed side expose itself. He had wanted to play a simple prank, lightly implying that there was a spirit that had been difficult for even the most talented exorcists. Naturally, it had piqued Chongyun’s interest, and the way his eyes lit up at the prospect had tugged on Xingqiu’s heartstrings long before he had realized his futile feelings for his best friend. It almost made him reconsider the harmless traps he had set there. Of course, he still went through with his prank in end, ensuring that he was well tended to as compensation for the trouble he had caused, despite Chongyun being unaware that the intel he had been given was fake.

After that initial prank, seeing Chongyun become more animated at the mention of a new demon, and the aftercare when his friend inevitably failed, became addicting. Needless to say, he did quite enjoy pampering him, especially because he had grown up without such luxuries.

Chongyun continued to glare at him, now with an added pout and Xingqiu, now realizing that he hadn’t found out, only smiled and reached up to cradle his friend’s cheek, tracing his thumb against the new scar. Startled, Chongyun let a sharp gasp slip and his eyes widened, the faintest of pink hues colouring his pale complexion. “I wasn’t aware it would be a trap.” He slid his hand from his face to cradle his hand and suggested, “Come in, I’ll tend to your scratches,” while gently tugging on his friend’s hand, urging him inside.

Xingqiu turned to face forward to guide the stunned Chongyun into the room where he left his book and tea and sat him on the armchair. As the exorcist stayed silent, Xingqiu went to grab a washcloth, draping it over his shoulder, and basin with lukewarm water from the washroom downstairs. When he returned from collecting what he needed, Chongyun had the book he had left on the table in his hand, and was reading the summary on the back cover. Noticing that his friend had returned, Chongyun looked up and eyed the basin. “Is the water-“

“Not hot,” he replied quickly, placing the basin in front of him. Xingqiu grabbed the washcloth from his shoulder and soaked it in the basin, squeezing out any extra water before standing up. “It’s a lot colder than how I would normally tend to people’s wounds.”

Chongyun, having full faith in Xingqiu’s word, nodded and closed his eyes, offering his head by tilting it up towards his friend. Being careful not to irritate any of his scratches, Xinqiu graciously took his chin and began to lightly dab around the affected areas. Although the cuts weren’t serious, Chongyun still gave a short hiss and tightened his eyes when he accidentally pressed just a smidge too hard on one of his cuts, to which he mumbled an apology and continued.

Once he determined that his scratches were fully cleaned, Xingqiu was suddenly aware of huffs of air on his cheek and soon realized that he had subconsciously started to lean in closer while tending to his friend’s cuts. Immediately, Xingqiu felt his cheeks flare up as he dumbfoundedly stared at Chongyun’s unfairly cute face. Oh, how he wished he could kiss the scratches off his face.

Xingqiu must have been silent for an unusually long period of time because Chongyun, eyes still closed, furrowed his brows and asked, “Are you done?”

Realizing he’d been too preoccupied staring at Chongyun’s face, he jolted back, standing straight, and sputtered, “A-ah, y-yes!” In attempts to still his pounding heart, he took a deep breath. “Your face is clean now.”

Chongyun opened his eyes and lifted a hand to his scratch, tapping it gently with the tip of his finger and bringing it up to his face to examine it.

The small pout and furrow of his brows was far too endearing for Xingqiu and he willed himself to look away lest he gave away his very apparent feelings for him. In attempts to distract himself, he kneeled to the basin and placed the washcloth that was still in his hand in the water. “Is it still bleeding?” he asked, hoping his voice was level.

“Not really, just small traces.”

Xingqiu nodded before picking up the basin and standing up. Examining the scar he touched, the faintest of reds still lined it, but it wasn’t anything that would require a gauze on top. Xingqiu slid his gaze over to Chongyun’s, who was staring right at him, head tilted slightly to the side.  

As they stared at each other in silence, Xingqiu tried to recall his mental checklist when taking care of Chongyun. First step was done: tending to any of his wounds. Second step was-

A muffled grumbling sounded from where Chongyun was sitting. Ah. That was the second step. “I still have the leftover cold noodles if you’re hungry,” he offered. Chongyun, who was sheepish from his noisy stomach, nodded and stood up and walked towards Xingqiu.

“Have you ate yet?”

“No,” Xingqiu responded, starting to walk out to the hall towards the washroom, Chongyun walking alongside him.

He nodded in acknowledgement. “I’ll get two bowls for the both of us then,” and he separated from his side, stalking off towards the kitchen.

When Xingqiu dumped out the water, placed the washcloth aside and put the basin back, he walked out into the hallway, towards the kitchen. As he approached, he could hear the soft clinks of the bowls and chopsticks.

Peering into the kitchen, he noticed Chongyun already sitting down at the table with a bowl of noodles and with another bowl by the seat beside him. Xingqiu waltzed in and sat down, picking up the chopsticks and began to dine in. It wasn’t Xingqiu’s favourite food, but it was Chongyun’s, and he wanted to ensure that he enjoyed it after his excursion. Besides, there weren’t any carrots.

In the middle of their feasting, Chongyun suddenly spoke quietly as he picked at his food idly. A trouble of his that Xingqiu knew was always brewing in his mind.

“Xingqiu,” he began, voice barely above as whisper. “Do you think I’ll ever be able to expel a spirit. And not using my congenital positivity, but from my own exorcism skills?”

Xingqiu was aware that Chongyun would often doubt his words from before. That he would eventually find a spirit immune to his condition. But he knew it wasn’t because of a lack of trust for his word. Quite the opposite. It was simply the recurring evidence that would disprove such a statement that bore down on him every time.

Though, no matter what, Xingqiu had only full faith that Chongyun will find such a spirit, and will finally feel the pride that comes from exorcising a spirit using his own efforts.

So to that, Xingqiu always says:

“Of course. Without a doubt.”

Chapter Text

The crisp, early morning air. The slight chill from the mountain winds. The darkness encompassing the lone exorcist.

The atmosphere atop Mount Tianheng before the sunrise was soothing for Chongyun, and he took advantage of it, meditating before he began his training.

He sat cross-legged, close to a ledge that overlooked an empty Liyue Harbor, save for the very few early risers and the Millelith . There was a different allure to the town in dim light and away from the bustling crowds. Perhaps it was Chongyun’s natural aversion to crowds and bright lights, thriving in a much different, calmer environment. Nonetheless, he drank in the imagery, drank in the sense of tranquility before closing his eyes and fixated on his breathing.

It must have been not even two minutes before he sensed footsteps approaching from behind him. The rhythm of the footfalls were familiar, and Chongyun’s mind relaxed as they approached.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Chongyun asked the owner of the footsteps, who was now right beside him. The sound of heels scraping against rock told him that they were now seated, and the faintest contact on his knee told him that they were also cross-legged.

“No, tonight was rather sleepless.” There was a shift of the boy’s clothing beside him and Chongyun opened an eye to peek to his side to see Xingqiu with a book open in his lap, his head resting on his hand, elbow propped up on his knee. The soft winds blowing dark blue hair past his ears and brushing against the tassel on his earring.

Chongyun concluded that Xingqiu merely sought him out for his company, and not to bother him like he was partially expecting and closed his eyes to continue his meditation.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

He was able to keep his thoughts at bay for some time, focusing only on his breathing, until he heard a bated gasp followed by a frantic page turn not too long after, reminding Chongyun of the presence beside him. Briefly, he wondered what his face would look like right now. Was it in sorrow? Was it in glee? What happened in his story to warrant a reaction?

Even as he kept his eyes closed, Chongyun could imagine the furrow in his brow in concentration to the words on the page. He could imagine his lips parted as he held his breath. The dazzle in his eyes as they moved quickly across the page and back. Xingqiu’s keen fascination towards stories had always endearing to Chongyun, how charming it was.

Wait. He needed to focus. Taking another deep breath, he fought against the intrusive thoughts in attempts to regain the clear state of mind. Fortunately, having trained himself to shun unwanted thoughts at bay, it didn’t take too long to return to his mediating.

After a long moment of comfortable silence, Chongyun exhaled deeply, which was followed by a sudden thump beside him, surprising him. The exorcist looked over to see Xingqiu placing the now closed book in his lap, looking over at his friend with a gentle smile.

“Are you done meditating?”

In response, Chongyun nodded and folded his hands in his lap. After meditation, training follows, though today, he meditated further away from his normal training area. The calm mountaintops were calling to him.

Which posed the question, how did Xingqiu know to seek him out here if his training area was on lower ground closer to Liyue Harbor?

“Xingqiu,” the exorcist spoke up. “How did you know to come find me here?”

The hydro swordsman only smiled wider. “You’ve praised this particular mountaintop plenty of times.” He turned his head to look down upon the harbor. “Well, maybe Tianheng specifically, but you do prefer the ones that are close to the harbor. You enjoy watching the serenity of a quiet town during the dark hours.” A chuckle escaped his lips. “That, and it’s the one closest to your training grounds. When I failed to find you there, I deduced you were up on higher ground.”

Chongyun smiled to himself. It shouldn’t surprise him that Xingqiu knew him just as much as he knew Xingqiu, but it made him smile nonetheless, a warm, tender feeling creeping into his core.

Looking out below towards the sea past the harbor, the faintest tint of light was peeking over the horizon, rippling with the waves.

“I do enjoy these calming sights,” he concurred as he admired the view. “However, the only downside is that we’ll need to climb down this mountain to reach my training area.”

“Nonsense!” Xingqiu cried. “There’s no need for training dummies!”

No need for training dummies for… training? Taking a quick survey of the area, he failed to notice any viable object to train with. A tree certainly doesn’t seem like it would be too kind to his sword either. “Are you suggesting we fight each other?” Chongyun asked skeptically.

“Oh, no, I wasn’t suggesting that at all,” Xingqiu replied, bewildered before turning his head slightly to look behind him. “If I recall correctly, there should be a ruin guard not too far from here. I believe I caught a glimpse of one while I was walking here.”

“A… ruin guard?” Was fighting something of that calibre considered ‘training’?

“Yes.” He uncrossed his legs push himself onto his feet. Immediately, Xingqiu grabbed Chongyun’s arm and dragged him up. Chongyun, still unsure about fighting a ruin guard so early in the morning, used minimal energy to resist, which didn’t help in terms of being lugged away from the cliffside. Did Xingqiu get stronger? “I’m sure with our skillsets put together, we’ll be done before the sun fully rises,” he predicted. Glancing briefly at the horizon, and seeing only the tip of the sun visible, Chongyun figured Xingqiu was being awfully generous with the amount of time it would take.

After reluctantly letting Xingqiu pull him a fair distance, he noticed he started slowing down and his grip loosening on his arm. Chongyun wasn’t paying too much attention to where his friend was taking him and was somehow fixated on the contact between them. It was curious, but he feared it would open up too many issues with his positivity.

Looking up ahead to see what had caught Xingqiu’s attention, Chongyun realized that perhaps they bit off a bit more than they could chew.

In front of them was not a ruin guard, but rather, a ruin hunter, that was in the process of waking up. Well, so much for training. Neither of them had warmed up and a ruin hunter would be far too strenuous this early.

A quick tug on Chongyun’s sleeve told him that Xingqiu intended to leave and he shared the same intent. Unfortunately for the pair, the ruin hunter seemed to have caught sight of them before they could retreat and its drills began spinning, readying itself for a charge attack.

As the ruin hunter swooped down and the two ripped away from each other, the volatile machine barely grazing between them. Regaining their footing, they met each other’s mirrored gazes of alarm before Chongyun began reaching for his claymore behind his back and Xingqiu drawing his weapon following suit.

Their attention was drawn to the ruin hunter that was just floating, calculating its next attack. Xingqiu used this as an opportunity to strike as he lunged forward with two quick swipes, lining his attacks with a splash of hydro as water swords coalesced around him. Chongyun quickly followed, applying cryo as he swung it above his head, freezing it.

Both of them took this opportunity to land their attacks freely, weaving their attacks in succession with each other until the ice completely shattered off its core. Once it shattered, Chongyun took that opportunity to take a short breather and further assess the situation while Xingqiu continued to attack.

While Chongyun’s attacks were heavy arcs, Xinqiu’s were quick and sharp with a subtle flourish in each swing, true to the Guhua style. There was a certain gracefulness in his movements that Chongyun commended and somewhat envied, not that he ever strived for it.

Running back into battle, he swung his sword from behind him, arcing above his head to hit the ruin hunter’s body while Xingqiu continued to swing, occasionally applying hydro through his water swords piercing the target with his attacks.

After dodging multiple dives and spins from the machine, the ruin hunter elevated itself high above ground and began shooting down a rain of bullets in their general area.

The pair moved swiftly out of the area of effect as they further gauged the state of the ruin hunter and their surroundings, trying to find a way to attack it now that it’s out of their reach. From the electric discharge and its beaten down body, it was close to collapsing.

Just next to the ruin hunter stood a feeble tree, its leaves mostly fallen from its branches that just reached below the eye of the machine. It was probably the only way to reach it, but from the tree’s state, it didn’t look like both of them could reach the top branch safely. It would seem, Chongyun, having no range, would have to be the one to climb.

“Xingqiu,” he called out. From his peripherals, he saw his friend’s head turn towards him as Chongyun kept his eyes trained onto the ruin hunter. “I’m going to climb up to try and hit it with cryo. When I’m up there, apply hydro with your swords.”

“Funny, I was thinking the same thing.” Chongyun could hear the smile in his voice as his friend turned back to face the ruin hunter, who was prepping to send out missiles in their direction. “I’ll keep its fire so you can climb.” With that, Xingqiu ran closer to the ruin hunter as Chongyun ran for the tree.

Chongyun reached for each branch, testing each one’s strength before hauling himself up, occasionally looking down to check on Xingqiu. As expected, Xingqiu’s footwork was impeccable, always barely dodging each missile heading towards him, however, barely perceptible to him, his breathing seemed laboured from exhaustion. With care, Chongyun hasted up the tree until he reached the topmost sturdy branch.

Once he reached the top, he called out to Xingqiu below who looked up at him before turning back to their target and summoned more swords beside him in a swift motion. Chongyun steadied himself as he stood on the branch and focused on the ruin hunter’s eye. Its weak spot.

Taking deep breaths, he gripped his sword and leapt towards the eye, applying cryo to his sword. He swung his sword into an arc, stabbing the weak point dead centre, spraying frost, just as four hydro swords pierced the same spot of impact. Once both attacks hit, Chongyun pulled out his sword and fell to the ground, rolling backwards to move out of the way and to cushion his fall.

The machine whirred and trembled, still suspended before the light flickered and died out and the entity dropped to the ground, lifeless, and the remains of the ruin hunter crushed within itself. Both of them stared at the defeated ruin hunter warily as if it would come back to life at any second before they looked at each other, panting.

Xingqiu’s lips curved upwards as his eyes held a certain gleam to them. Instinctively, Chongyun had a sneaking suspicion to be on high alert. But what-

Before he could complete his thought, a splash of water hit his face, stunning him briefly before he wiped it off his sleeve. Once he deemed himself dry enough, Chongyun shot a glare to Xingqiu, who was hiding a smirk behind his hand, and his sword in the other pointing towards him.

 “You looked a little red there so I thought I’d cool you off.”

Xingqiu’s smirk widened as Chongyun continued to glare at his friend. The longer he glared, the wider the smirk before the hydro swordsman slipped out a chuckle, unable to suppress it.

Perhaps it was the long silence between them as they continued to stare at each other, but Xingqiu’s chuckle soon became a full blown laugh. Surely his meager prank wasn’t humorous enough to make him laugh this hard. Nonetheless, his laugh certainly was something to admire. When his face lights up and he grins his widest. Chongyun always enjoyed seeing his friend laugh.

Looking at the sky behind Xingqiu, he noticed that, true to his word, they would be done before the sun fully rose, seeing as most of the sun was still hiding behind the horizon. The early dawn painted the sky in orange hues mingling with darker pinks as it greeted the sun.

As beautiful as it was, it only served as a frame for the boy in front of him, the rays haloing around his figure as he smiled and laughed.

The strange tug in his chest was back. Chongyun still had yet to decipher its meaning, but he felt he was on the precipice of uncovering these strange reactions. The strange reactions that filled his thoughts with a yearning that he couldn’t describe. The ones that willed for him to be closer to Xingqiu, but how much closer could they be? They were already best friends.

Xingqiu’s face softened as his laugh simmered down to a chuckle, then further into a mere smile, his eyes finding the exorcist’s. “As I predicted, we finished on time.” There was a shift in his gaze, something far more tender in his eyes than what Chongyun could understand. Xingqiu’s voice barely audble, Chongyun almost missed his next words.

“We work well together after all.”

The subtle bashfulness in Xingqiu’s face as he said those words was not a sight Chongyun was accustomed to, but somehow it tugged at his heart even further. There was a twitch in his fingers that wanted to reach out and hold his hand, caress his cheek, anything to hold him tenderly. He looked so beautiful.

Suddenly, Chongyun could put a word on his strange feelings. He could put a name to the yearning, the need to be close to Xingqiu. The reason his heart was aching, knowing his underlying desires could never be fulfilled.

This feeling was so blatantly in front of him, and it has been for so long now. He can’t pinpoint when it started, but he knows that these feelings were brewing within him as he pushed them away in fear for his congenital positivity. He feared the unknown emotion and let it fester before realizing what it was.

As he looked towards his best friend, haloed by the rising sun, giving him the appearance of a beautiful ethereal being, Chongyun wonders how it hadn’t been obvious before.

That he was deeply in love with Xingqiu.