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Something wasn't right.
As he blinked awake, Lan Xichen felt something completely off. Normally he was the one to spoon A-Yao, to have the smaller man's back pressed against his chest.
However, it was now A-Yao who had been spooning him, but A-Yao felt… different. His head rested above Xichen's as opposed to on his back. And even though his legs were bent at the knee, his feet extended farther out than Xichen's did. But how could that be? How could he suddenly feel smaller in stature, compared to his beloved A-Yao?
To figure out this anomaly, Xichen slowly turned himself around. The moment he gazed upon his significant other, an audible gasp left his mouth. He was looking at himself, almost as if he was staring into a mirror. Except his own eyes were open while the sleeping figure next to him was, well, asleep.
A mirror, he frantically thought to himself. I need a mirror.
Lan Xichen carefully extricated himself from his own arms. It was such a bewildering notion that he still couldn't quite grasp. Sitting at the edge of the bed, he shook his head while rubbing his eyes with the heels of his palms. Just what in the world was going on? Was he drunk? Was he hallucinating? Or perhaps this was just some crazy dream he was having?
He pinched himself to make certain, and sure enough he'd found that he was indeed conscious. Xichen even dared to sneak a glance at the slumbering man on the bed, hoping to see A-Yao this time. But no such luck; it was still his own self. Quickly turning away, he got up from the bed and headed toward the wash area of their bedroom.
They had a mirror set up in there. He would just have a quick look into it, and see his own reflection staring back at him. That he was certain of.
And yet his steps faltered, hesitated. It was as if they shared his fear of what he might actually encounter in the mirror.
Drawing in a deep breath, Lan Xichen forced himself to keep going. Step after cautious step.
He first took notice of the hairstyle, a braided-like bun at the top. Rather different from how he usually styled his hair.
One more step, and he saw the beginnings of a forehead. The hairline had a widow's peak to it, not quite what his own hairline looked like.
One more step. A more visible forehead and thick eyebrows slowly coming into view.
Another step still. Deep brown, doe-like eyes. A bit too big to be his own.
One final, larger step. His face and neck now took up the full expanse of the mirror.
Except, it wasn't his face.
It was A-Yao's.
With widened eyes, he took a step back before he sprinted back toward the bed. "A-Yao, A-Yao!" He desperately called out to his lover, shaking him awake.
'A-Yao' let out a whine of displeasure as 'his' face scrunched up just the slightest. "A-Huan… it's too early…"
So it really was his A-Yao. In his body. Thank the gods it wasn't some complete stranger. But that was the least of his worries now. "A-Yao, love. This is important. I need you to wake up."
"What time is it?" A-Yao groaned, persisting on staying in bed.
"Love, please, that hardly matters." At this point, Xichen was desperate, imploring for A-Yao's cooperation. With not much choice left, he decided to just blurt out the truth. "Listen to me, our bodies got switched."
Bleary eyes finally started showing themselves. "Our bodies got switched? What are you talking about?"
"I mean to say, that you are me and I am you."
Xichen was talking to him in riddles; just what the heck was he going on about? It was much too early for this, and it was only giving him a headache. "What?"
"Look at me, A-Yao," Xichen urged, cupping A-Yao's face, --his face-- with both hands. "I need you to look at me and try not to--"
It was too late. A-Yao's eyes widened massively as he let out a horrified gasp.
"Panic…" Xichen needlessly concluded.
Immediately A-Yao sat up in bed, backing up against the wall as he brought his knees to his chest. "Xichen?" He asked cautiously, wary to even look upon 'himself.' "Just what kind of sorcery is this? Is that, really you?"
"Yes love," he nodded, as he calmly explained it again. "It's me. I am in your body, and you are in mine."
Meng Yao's brows furrowed in confusion, deep thought, as he gazed upon their bedsheets. He could no longer bear to look at 'Xichen' in his form. It just felt so weird, too weird, as he still tried making sense of it all. "But how? How did this happen, and why?"
Xichen shook his head. "I don't have the answers yet, but I know we'll figure this out and return to normal, alright?"
Lan Xichen wanted nothing more than to reach out and take A-Yao's hand in his, but he refrained. He didn't want to scare his beloved away; A-Yao already had enough of a fright as is. He probably wouldn't fare much better with sudden physical contact.
In response, Meng Yao nodded slowly. He began to brainstorm over how this all happened and how they could possibly fix it. "Do you think it was something we ate last night, or drank?" He tried suggesting, warily lifting his gaze.
Xichen had considered that possibility as well. The only way they could confirm it was if others in Cloud Recesses were experiencing the same thing. But if they tried doing that and everyone else was normal, they might interpret this as some kind of prank.
Another thought that crossed Xichen's mind was that someone may have cursed them. And if that were true, it would lead to even more questions. Who did this? For what purpose? Revenge, spite, jealousy? What could that person hope to gain by putting them through this?
"I don't know, maybe," Xichen ultimately replied. "Either that or we were cursed."
"Cursed? But who would do such a thing?"
Xichen gave a light shake of his head. "I'm not sure. It's just a hypothetical theory."
"Of course," Meng Yao nodded in agreement. "We can't discard any possibilities until we've disproved them."
"Precisely."
"I know it sounds rather far-fetched, but I also thought perhaps we're sharing the same dream. Though I find that to be highly unlikely."
A-Yao was correct in that assumption. Recalling the pinch he gave himself earlier, Xichen was definitely able to confirm it. "I had speculated that from the start as well, but I know for a fact we're not dreaming."
Well, at least that was one theory eliminated. All it came down to now was whether they had been hexed or if it was something they ingested. Either way, there was a culprit behind it. For whatever had been put in their dinner last night had to have been placed by someone. And a curse didn't just come about on its own; someone had to have performed an incantation.
With determination stark in their gazes, the two gave each other a knowing look. Together they would find out who was behind this and demand a reversal of this body swap hex.