Chapter Text
After staying in the lake for half a day, he finally caught a glimpse of his target.
However, after pursuing it down the mountainside, he discovered it was only a snow rabbit that had been frightened off by his flying swords and floating charms.
The fever that ran afterward lasted far longer than it would in a normal person.
---
When Chongyun first found out that he was sick, it was during an early morning at Wanmin restaurant, where he promised to bring Xingqiu along with him to another exorcism request. After returning from his trip yesterday, Chongyun felt a constant throbbing headache but brushed it off as a side effect from working too much. As the throbbing got more intense, he did not pay much attention to his surroundings and tripped over one of the chair's legs and fell to the ground. The last thing he remembered before blacking out was the worried sounds from his friend.
When he regained consciousness, he found himself awake in an unfamiliar room. Right on time, the door creaked opened and Xingqiu came in carrying a basin of cold water and that's when he felt a cold towel resting on his forehead. 'Ah, so this is Xingqiu's place.' After taking a look around, Chongyun saw the neat and tidy room decorated with some of Xingqiu's favourite poems 'prim and proper, just like him.'
"Chongyun," Xingqiu said, sounding strict. "Do you even know that you've caught a fever? Suddenly fainting at Wanmin restaurant and all, even Xiangling thought she had poisoned you again."
Setting down the basin of cold water, the towel was removed from Chongyun's head and was replaced with a cooler one.
"If I knew you were feeling unwell I would've cancelled today's trip. You could have even rejected my request!" getting more agitated with each word.
"I'm fine..." Chongyun spoke in a muffled tone, trying to prove he was alright by removing the towel (which surprisingly got warm quickly) and getting out of bed before being pushed back by Xingqiu. He felt too weak to even resist.
"No you're not, do you even know how high your temperature is right now? You're basically burning." He nagged, although Xingqiu's tone was harsh, his actions were gentle. Pulling up the bedsheets and over Chongyun to make sure he was snugly in bed before cupping both of Chongyun's cheeks and lowering down to measure his temperature.
Foreheads pressed together, Chongyun could pick up the faint scent of glaze lilies coming from the younger, and it helped to ease his headache as he relaxes into Xingqiu's touch. He was unknowingly clingy during these times.
"Your temperature isn't lowering at all," Frowning, Xingqiu pulled back and Chongyun let out small noises of disapprovals about Xingqiu's hands leaving his face, the younger's hands were cool and felt great against his burning skin. "I'll get you a colder towel."
But before he was able to take another step, a hand reached out and tugged on his sleeve,
"Please don't leave me alone," managing to squeeze out a few words, Chongyun can feel the dizziness coming back to him and another hand placed over his.
"I'll be right back, anyways, you need to rest." He said as he placed the other hand onto Chongyun's cheeks, to which the other nuzzled into and caused Xingqiu to giggle. This side of Chongyun was rare and when compared to the hyper mode when Chongyun eats anything heaty, Xingqiu enjoyed every moment of it.
Making sure Chongyun was sound asleep, Xingqiu replaced the towel on his forehead before making his way out and towards the kitchen, it was time to make something delicious for Chongyun. And so, he decided to make two dishes to have for lunch. Lotus seed and bird egg soup, recommended by the pharmacist, and his specialty, Crystal shrimp. Xingqiu also made sure that the food was cooled enough before delivering it to Chongyun.
---
"Chongyun," He said, gently shaking his shoulder until the older's awake. "I made us lunch, it's cooled already so you can just dig in." picking up the tray from the side and placing it onto Chongyun's lap, Xingqiu looked at Chongyun as if he was waiting for Chongyun to praise him. After all, who would expect their second young master to appear in the kitchen? One look from the head kitchen maid was enough to make sure that the rest of the staff would keep their mouths shut and mind their own business.
"Thank you Xingqiu, these are delicious," Chongyun said as he took another bite of the juicy shrimp dumplings. "Did you leave the carrots out?"
As if mentioning something horrible, Xingqiu made a face of disgust. "You know much I hate carrots, just thinking about it makes me feel sick, ugh."
Lunch was enjoyed with both of them laughing and talking about the latest news in Liyue.
---
After clearing away their dishes, Xingqiu monitored Chonhyun to take his medicine and asked him to rest again. This time, Chongyun spoke out in a clear voice, "Would you stay by my side?" towards Xingqiu while unintentionally pouting.
'How cute.' Xingqiu thought, 'He's like a cat haha~'
"I will." He assured him as Chongyun started to doze off again from the effect of the medicine.
---
The afternoon sun bathed the room with its warm glow as specks of dust danced around the wooden panel windows. While Chongyun was sleeping soundly in bed, not too far away from him, Xingqiu was occupied in a comfortable armchair, reading yet another one of his novels. He frequently checks to make sure that the towel on Chongyun's head remains cold for Chongyun's fever to go down.
After he got better, he got an earful from Xingqiu to take care of himself more and not to make him worry again.