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Chongyun can’t shake the feeling that something must be very, very wrong. Yesterday had been quite disastrous by itself, and even Xingqiu’s reassuring that he’d be fine, that him apparently coming close to drowning wasn’t an issue and that once his clothing would be dry they’d head back, hadn’t come close to easing any of his worries. But the exorcist knew that Xingqiu’s family could be rather... peculiar at times and he hadn’t intended to make the entire thing any worse than it already was. So he’d waited for his friend’s clothes to dry while sitting in front of a small fireplace they’d managed to find, the other boy keeping close to him all the while. (If the circumstances had been different he’s sure he would’ve appreciated the other’s touch more.)
To be fair his clothes had dried pretty quickly and so they’d ended up heading back immediately, Chongyun still worried the other might end up falling sick. Even Xingqiu’s attempted soothing didn’t really do much to quell his worries, but once they’d reached his friend’s home the exorcist had been at least a tad relieved.
He can’t stop himself from thinking that his relief had been quite short lived as he sits at Wanmin Restaurant the next day, repeatedly stabbing his chopsticks in the small heap of cold rice in front of him. Xiangling shoots him a concerned look before turning back to her bird. (Yes, her bird. Chongyun isn’t quite sure himself when exactly that happened.) The exorcist huffs out of frustration, not quite sure why exactly he’s feeling so down at the moment. Was it the fact that it’s already midday and Xingqiu was nowhere in sight? That the feeling something terrible must’ve happened won’t seem to leave him?
“Didn’t things go as... planned?”
Chongyun turns his head in his friend’s direction. “Hm?”
Now it’s Xiangling’s turn to huff before she braces both her elbows on the wooden counter and leans slightly towards him. “Yesterday? Wasn’t there something Xingqiu had to tell you?”
Oh, oh right. He’d admittedly forgotten in the entire disaster. “No? He didn’t get the chance to.”
“Care to elaborate?” she asks, before narrowing her eyes at him, fixing him with the same gaze she usually uses to observe and analyse her food (admittedly quite intimidating).
“There isn’t much to explain really. Before he had the chance we got attacked by a few Cryo slimes and he ended up... compromised so to say.”
Xiangling releases a quiet humming noise as she leans back, currently fixing her gaze on the wooden counter between them. She bites her lip as her eyes begin to narrow and Chongyun can tell that there’s something she’s aiming to figure out. The sight admittedly doesn’t do much to ease his worries, rather quite the opposite, instead stirring them up even further and causing an ugly feeling to rest in the pit of his stomach. Luckily it doesn’t take long for her gaze to snap back towards him, her eyes widening slightly as they land on the exorcist. “So it is true then!”
“...What?”
“I thought Xingqiu was messing with me but then...” Her eyebrows furrow as her voice drops into incoherent mumbling and Chongyun admittedly begins growing impatient. “Xiangling, what are you talking about?” he asks, voice slightly strained, barely able to contain all the worries embedded underneath. At this point he’s just worried, a part of him positive that something must’ve happened, especially if Xiangling’s reactions were anything to go by.
The cook furrows her brows, her eyes not even fixed on the exorcist’s own. “I think- I think Xingqiu might’ve fallen sick.”
•
Turns out that there’d been one of the Feiyun Commerce Guild’s servants earlier in the morning, visiting Xiangling and informing her on the matter that Xingqiu had come to fall ill and likely won’t appear anytime soon, still, she should try not to worry about him. The message had allegedly been composed by Xingqiu himself, sending the servant to visit Xiangling personally. (The entire prospect admittedly seemed quite uncanny, giving Chongyun the feeling that such hadn’t been the sole reason for the other’s visit but was rather all Xiangling was willing to tell. Why would Xingqiu send someone to her specifically, merely to inform her on his illness? And then, why her?). Upon hearing said news Chongyun had immediately stood up from his seat, already on his way to Xingqiu’s home. There was no time to waste, especially if he wanted to see how his friend was doing and to figure out what this was truly about. While a part of him was close to disappointed that nobody had come to inform him on the matter but Xiangling instead, he figures there must be a reason for it. Perhaps Xingqiu knew he’d end up finding out this way?
Not like it matters at the moment though, at least now Chongyun finally has an explanation for the unsettling feeling he’s had all day. Still, he doesn’t know whether to actually be glad or not. It’s not as if this situation is even remotely close to ideal, and for one the exorcist isn’t even aware of how exactly Xingqiu is faring at the moment.
The reminder only causes Chongyun to fasten his steps, eventually coming to a stop in front of the massive door which he knows belongs to his closest friend’s house in record time, one of the guards eyeing him suspiciously while the other shoots him a small smile of recognition. Chongyun just proceeds to knock awkwardly, worries regarding his friend’s state continuing to cloud his mind. He just really wishes to see his friend right now, and luckily for him the door is opened by Biyu not shortly after, one of the servants and cooks Chongyun had come to make the acquaintance of. She greets him with a nod upon opening said door, beckoning him inside hastily and closing the door behind the both of them.
“I suppose you’re here to look after the young master?” she asks, a soft smile gracing her features.
Chongyun just nods, his entire body filled with anticipation to finally leave and to see how Xingqiu was doing. She offers the exorcist another smile. “He’s in his room,” she says, and that’s all Chongyun needs before almost dashing off, proceeding to ascend stairs which he knows lead to his friend’s bedroom. Once the familiar wooden door comes into view he inhales deeply before knocking tentatively.
He’s unsure for how long he stands in complete silence, seemingly no reply coming from within, before the exorcist settles on raising his voice. He doubts Xingqiu simply hadn’t heard, so making his presence known would likely be the wisest thing to do. “Xingqiu? Can I come inside?” His question is followed by incoherent murmur on the other side, which he figures sounds approving enough, and so he opens said door, his heart racing while his mind is still clouded with worry.
He doesn’t know what exactly he’d expected but... It’s not this. Speaking of, it’s not as if- As if there’s much to actually see.
The only thing being the other’s surprisingly clean bedroom, not a single thing out of place. (A surprise actually, Xingqiu tended to keep his quarters nothing even remotely close to organised most of the time, especially in the occasion of him being so immersed in his writing that he hadn’t even come to realise the even bigger mess he’d created. Said mess tended to be diminished occasionally though, whether it be due to the family’s servants or his own brother.) Although, currently there is a rather huge pile of sheets on his friend’s bed, specifically large enough to...
“Xingqiu?”
There’s something akin to a groan coming from the lump on the bed and Chongyun figures that his predictions are thus proven correctly. He stiffles a laugh as he makes his way towards it, dropping down next to it carefully. The exorcist eyes the pile next to him with mixed feelings, silently aiming to figure out what exactly to do next. Should he just-
“Don’t even think about it.”
Alright, that would answer his potential question. There’s another groan, and before Chongyun even has the chance to ponder over his next course of action, the heap Xingqiu moves a bit, dark blue strands of hair coming into view, accompanied by a pair of golden eyes which seem to be frowning up at him. His blanket shields the rest from view and the exorcist isn’t sure whether he should deem the entire view adorable or simply concerning. He simply settles on clearing his throat instead. “Are you-“
“Shhhhhhh.”
Then there’s a finger on his lips, causing Chongyun to nearly yelp at the coldness of the other’s touch. Xingqiu’s frown turns even deeper, his brows already beginning to furrow, before closing his eyes and sighing loudly. “I suppose this dreadful misery is what I’ve truly come to deserve, isn’t it? After everything...”
Chongyun has precisely no idea what the other is talking about nor does he actually have the opportunity to reply with the other’s finger still on his lips. Leave it to Xingqiu to either pretend to be perfectly fine or to make the most tragic thing out of it instead. He just shakes his head slightly, trying to show his disapproval, which apparently seems to be the wrong thing to do as Xingqiu just groans even louder and drops his hand. (At least now he can speak freely again.) Xingqiu flops back down on the bed, flailing his arms while groaning once again. “I feel utterly wretched.”
Chongyun resists the urge to scowl, still unsure what to make of the entire situation. “Didn’t you take some sort of medicine? What’s with your family? Where are they anyway?”
There’s some incoherent grumbling leaving Xingqiu’s lips and Chongyun rolls his eyes as he leans towards the other, now hovering slightly above him. And oh archons, the sight of his sick best friend definitely shouldn’t be so endearing.
Xingqiu’s messy blue hair is fanned out on the silky sheets, a pout gracing his slightly reddened face. His lashes seem longer than usual too, what was up with that? To be fair he does look unwell though, his red lips slightly swollen too and-
“You’re staring. Do I really look that miserable?”
The exorcist startles at the question and clears his throat awkwardly, quickly averting his gaze while leaning back a bit. “You- You didn’t answer my question.”
“Well, I told them I don’t wish for them to enter my room except if it’s out of absolute necessity, though I doubt they would’ve done so in the first place. In addition I do believe they’re planning on leaving for a short trip tomorrow.” He nods before something hits him. He doesn’t wish for anyone to enter?
“Wait, then am I-“
A huff interrupts him. “Oh please, you basically barged in now didn’t you?”
“I was worried! How come Xiangling knows about your condition before I do anyway?” Alright, that was something he’d admittedly not been planning to indulge the other in, especially since part of him is sure there’s a reason for all of this. He turns his gaze back to his best friend’s face only to find him looking... close to afraid? No, surely that can’t be it-
“She didn’t tell you anything did she? You know, the whole reason as to why she was the one to-“
“W-what?”
Now Xingqiu quirks an eyebrow at him, scanning his face before exhaling in relief. “I assume she hasn’t then, that’s good.”
Chongyun has admittedly never been this confused in his entire life and the fact that Xiangling knows something regarding his friend that he doesn’t admittedly doesn’t sit right with him. Especially since that seems to be the entire reason she’d found out about the Guhua disciple’s state before he did, wasn’t he supposed to be the one closest to Xingqiu? Then why was the other indulging her in something Chongyun knew nothing about, even proceeding to keep it a secret from him? It seems to be of importance as well, if his friend’s reaction from earlier was anything to go by...
“You look upset.”
Chongyun does the first thing he can think of; he all but flees. “I’m going to head outside, I’ll be... right back.” He doesn’t even spare his friend another glance as he gets up and walks outside, his heart beating way too loudly for his liking, something he’s all but sure is due to his abundance of yang energy. Definitely not a good sign, he needed to calm down as soon as possible. Perhaps he could go look for something that could ease his mind and perhaps even help his friend’s condition? One thing was for sure, he couldn’t stay with Xingqiu for now, not with the exorcist bordering on the edge of acting up. (He wonders when exactly the last time had been when it came this close, actually a rare occasion these days.)
•
When Chongyun’s gaze drifts towards a few silk flowers along his way, the feeling of guilt regarding his actions all but consumes him. Had he really just left his ill friend all by himself? All because he’d been upset about something that was likely even close to trivial? While his decision hadn’t been entirely selfish, he figures it had mostly been selfish nonetheless. He heaves a sigh, eyeing the delicate flowers in front of him.
The exorcist isn’t sure why exactly but the flowers had always come to remind him of his friend, so delicate but pretty at once.
Without much further thought he decides to make his way back as soon as possible, hoping Xingqiu wouldn’t be too upset due to him leaving rather abruptly earlier.
On his way the guilt from earlier keeps growing inside of him though, causing Chongyun to worry even more and to ultimately just feel worse than when he’d left Xingqiu’s home. Come to think of it, how was his friend feeling anyway? While his actions had been more dramatic than anything else, Xingqiu had actually looked unwell and Chongyun had admittedly been gone for quite a while... The exorcist shakes his head at the thought, opting to walk even faster, in order to apologise as soon as possible, and to look after his friend.
On his walk back he’s so consumed in his thoughts that he doesn’t notice the look of a certain Funeral Parlour’s owner falling his way, filled with skepticism and surprise at the exorcist’s hasty walk.
When he reaches the familiar sturdy doorframe, two guards he’s unfamiliar with are standing guard, not letting him inside despite Chongyun’s explanation. He nearly comes to start an argument with the both of them out of sheer frustration (definitely not the best thing for his pure-yang spirit), when Biyu comes bustling outside, chiding both guards for ‘not recognising the young master’s dearest friend’ (he tries, and fails, not to blush at the title). Once inside, she shoots him an apologetic smile.
“You can’t imagine how glad I am to see you return, I’m afraid the young master’s condition is only worsening and he won’t let anyone inside except for myself and a few of the maids.”
Overwhelmed with the new information Chongyun feels his brows furrow at the confession. “Isn’t there any sort of medicine he could take?”
She sighs, “Oh there is, while he’s certainly faring pretty badly at the moment his condition is far from being lethal or anything of the sort. You see, the problem is that the medicine provided causes certain side effects which seem to keep the young master from consuming said medication.”
Side effects? “What kind?”
She hums in contemplation, raising a hand to her chin in thought. “I believe drowsiness to be one of them, impaired judgment, decreased perception and... I recall hearing something regarding memory lapses where one cannot remember events that occurred while under the influence.”
Now it seems dreadfully obvious why Xingqiu keeps refusing to take said medication. But still...
“And if he keeps refusing?”
She merely sighs again. “Well, I’m afraid he’d still end up feeling better in the end. But it would take much longer and the pain he’s likely to endure will be even worse than it is currently.” Even worse? Xingqiu was already faring quite badly if he was being honest, even when taking his dramatics into account... “That’s why I had hoped for you to convince him.”
Him? He figures he could try, though once Xingqiu sets his mind on something it was all but impossible to convince him (Chongyun had come to learn that the hard way). “I will see what I can do, is he still in his quarters?”
She nods and so Chongyun ascends the stairs leading up to his friend’s bedroom the second time that day, the previous conversation ringing inside his head all the while. Convince Xingqiu to take the medicine provided? Admittedly Chongyun doubts he’d be able to but- but there was truthfully nothing worse than seeing his friend in pain. But perhaps his state wouldn’t be as bad as described? In all honesty he doubts it, but still...
He comes to a stop in front of the other’s wooden door and doesn’t even have to knock for Xingqiu to raise his voice. “Retreat at once. I do not wish for any-“
Chongyun opens the door anyway, causing a surprised Xingqiu to glance up at him from where he’s perched on the bed, this time in a sitting position. He knows others would take his friend’s current state, which wouldn’t be that of lying underneath a heap of blankets but sitting upright instead, as a good sign, but the exorcist knows better than that. “You’re back?” He actually sounds oddly relieved though, which really only adds to the guilt still swirling around in his gut. “Yes, I am. I apologise for rushing off earlier I just- Needed some fresh air,” he sighs, knowing that Xingqiu wouldn’t believe his poor excuse anyway. His friend merely smiles at him though, the expression so earnest it makes Chongyun’s heart flutter inside his rib cage.
“It’s quite alright, I’m admittedly feeling better already,” he pats the small space next to him before cocking his head to the side, “would you like to join me?”
The exorcist eyes him skeptically, the doubt continuing to creep up inside of him at the other’s statement, before nodding and seating himself next to his friend. Xingqiu coughs slightly, the sound clearly repressed and Chongyun immediately begins worrying again. “Xingqiu are you-“
The other just rolls his eyes. “Chongyun I told you, I’m-“ He’s interrupted by another coughing fit, louder and harsher than before, Xingqiu’s body leaning forward as he braces his right hand on the sheets for support. The sight is horrible and Chongyun hates it, his hands reaching out automatically to at least somewhat support his friend.
Once the coughing dies down Xingqiu closes his eyes and sighs before slumping back against the wall. “Ah...” Xingqiu just shoots him a sheepish smile, seemingly all that he’s capable of at the moment, before sighing and letting his head loll to the side and thus onto Chongyun’s shoulder.
So as expected Xingqiu really had only been pretending to feel better earlier then. Chongyun nearly shakes his head at the realisation, internally cursing the boy beside him for being so reckless and stubborn, for refusing to head home right away and for refusing to take the one thing that could actually make him feel better. Come to think of it Xingqiu had always been like this, disregarding his own health for various reasons. Mostly in order to enforce his morals and to stay true to the chivalric code, or however he referred to it. Lucky for him his health had never come to actually be in danger or anything of the sort- not as if it were right now, but still...
The exorcist isn’t sure for how long exactly they stay in their current position, him seated next to his friend with Xingqiu’s head on his shoulder. It gives him time to think though, thoughts regarding their current situation and a certain conversation from earlier.
When he hears the other’s breathing evening out, he silently declares that it’s probably now or never. “Hey,” he gently pokes the other’s side, causing Xingqiu to stir slightly before mumbling something unintelligible. Now Chongyun cranes his head, peering down onto his friend’s face, partly obscured from view due to his dark hair. The exorcist sighs before tucking one of Xingqiu’s longer strands behind his ear, causing the other to sigh heavily before falling silent again.
Chongyun just frowns down at the sleeping figure of his friend, now seeming so delicate and fragile, faintly reminding him of the silk flowers from earlier. He eyes him for a few more seconds, his inner thoughts raging an inner conflict regarding what to do and what the right course of action would be.
He can’t help but think of Xingqiu’s reaction from earlier though, the reminder causing his heart to clench and for his gaze to drift away from his friend’s sleeping face. Before he’s even capable of processing what exactly he’s doing, he readjust the other’s position into a more comfortable one and silently slips outside.
•
“Xingqiu, you have to drink something.”
“Hnmmm?”
Chongyun nearly chuckles at the other’s drowsy state, but with bis heart currently running a mile a minute and him just praying to the archons that this will work, he somehow keeps himself from it. Xingqiu blinks a few times, slowly rubbing his eyes before finally taking the cup of tea from Chongyun’s grasp in order to take a sip.
“Tastes a bit funny.”
The exorcist’s heart stops for a split second at the remark, but Xingqiu merely shrugs before downing the whole drink, causing Chongyun to quietly exhale in relief. When Xingqiu hands him the empty cup he’s already on his way to the other’s door, until something stops him. “Can you stay?” Xingqiu asks, the question whispered so quietly he might’ve missed it.
He’s not quite sure why he even utters his next question at the remark, knowing there’s nothing he’d rather do in order to look after his friend. “If that’s what you want?”
A hollow laugh escapes his friend’s lips. “Oh come on Chongyun, I doubt anyone wants to be entirely on their own when they’re sick. Even certain exorcists.” Chongyun has no clue how his friend manages to still look so entirely smug with his hair a complete mess and his face slightly red.
He just clears his throat at the reminder before sitting back down next to his friend, taking off his hoodie and belt to at least be somewhat comfortable. Xingqiu scurries to the side before wiggling his eyebrows at him in a suggestive manner and Chongyun nearly regrets coming here in the first place. The exorcist slips underneath the blanket, it not taking long for Xingqiu to huddle up against him, similar to earlier today and the previous day, when they’d been sat in front of a fire.
Without much further thought he reaches out, his fingers carefully tangling in his friend’s dark hair, eliciting a small humming noise of approval from the other. Chongyun closes his eyes, his hand still in the other’s hair, continuing to carefully weave through the silky strands. In all honesty he’d always admired Xingqiu’s hair, the longer strands a rich navy colour and always appearing so soft and silky, shining nicely whenever the sun hit them just right. He can’t help but compare them to his own unruly icy blue locks, never staying in one place and additionally never where they’re supposed to. He liked Xingqiu’s hair, always wondered what it would feel like to touch it and lightly weave his fingers through it. It felt nice, and judging by his friend’s response from earlier, he’d like to think that Xingqiu thinks so as well.
“Mmmm this is nice.”
Well, there goes that train of thought.
“Really?”
Xingqiu merely hums again before pressing himself even closer to Chongyun, causing the exorcist’s face to heat up. It’s only now that he even manages to fully process their current situation, not having been able to earlier with all his anxieties and worries. But archons, they’re so close and never before had he seen Xingqiu so affectionate. Was it the sickness? Or maybe just...
“‘Course dearest. Why would I lie about it?” Xingqiu huffs after voicing his question, sounding close to exasperated about Chongyun doubting him. The exorcist shrugs in response. “I’m not sure. You do lie about some things after all,” he says, not sure what he’s even trying to achieve with his response. To make Xingqiu feel bad for lying to him earlier? To make him realise that there’s no point in lying to him, whether it be about alleged spirit sightings or his illness? To make his friend realise that there’s no possible way for Xingqiu to lie to him, since Chongyun always knew when there was something bothering him?
“Don’t be upset nooow ‘Yunyun,” Xingqiu whines, pushing his head against Chongyun’s hand, apparently trying to convince the exorcist to continue weaving his fingers through his hair (he hadn’t even realised he’d stopped).
Yunyun?! “Did you just call me-“
Xingqiu’s loud sigh interrupts him, sounding close to annoyed even. “It’s adorable I think, you’re not allowed to judge anyway,” he says, and Chongyun just huffs at the response, knowing that this conversation wouldn’t lead anywhere anyway.
It’s quiet between them again, the only thing filling the silence being Xingqiu’s loud breathing. Chongyun eventually settles on mimicking his friend, closing his eyes to perhaps even get some rest himself.
“You know... This is actually your fault.”
What?
“Or to be fair, rather Xiangling’s than yours... Her and her frivolous idea of making me confess of all things, archons know it wouldn’t’ve ended well either way. Who knows, maybe the Cryo slimes were a sign...”
Chongyun has absolutely no idea what Xingqiu was referring to or talking about, but as his friend’s voice falls quieter and quieter, ultimately transitioning to unintelligible mumbling, he decides to just let it rest. Xingqiu’s incoherent ramblings were likely just that; incoherent ramblings. And so he closes his eyes, letting his body rest for once in a while, feeling entirely at ease knowing that Xingqiu was so close to him.
•
He’s startled awake when there’s the rustling of movement next to him and Chongyun notices almost immediately that it’s nighttime, the other’s bedroom plunged in almost complete darkness with only the light of the moon shining through the thin curtains close to them. “Xingqiu?”
“Chongyun? You’re still here?” He actually sounds surprised, and a part of the exorcist silently hurts at the sound and its implication. He nods in reply, only to realise that Xingqiu was very unlikely to actually see his reaction. “I am,” he says, and then it’s quiet between them, until Chongyun remembers the reason he woke up in the first place.
“Are you alright? Do you need anything?”
“N-No but... ‘S really warm you know?”
He probably would’ve thought the drowsiness in the other’s voice sounded adorable if it weren’t for their current situation. “O-Oh, do you want me to...” Archons, Chongyun isn’t even sure what he’s supposed to do, his mind still half asleep and no coherent thoughts or ideas whatsoever seemingly hitting him anytime soon. To his immense horror Xingqiu nods though (he’s surprised he can actually make out the slight movement) and the exorcist is at a loss for what to do.
“And you what?”
“Ah...” Now Xingqiu’s face turns an all but alarming shade of red and Chongyun starts genuinely worrying about his well-being. “You know, you’re slightly red in the face, are you certain you’re not the one feeling unwell?”
His friend doesn’t reply though, merely continues gaping at him, his face still very red and so Chongyun does the first thing he can think of; he uses his vision to cool the other’s flushed skin.
Though he knows his actions had eventually resulted in teasing his friend, he had managed to cool him off a bit (at least that’s what he likes to think). And so the exorcist shrugs to himself, gently placing one of his hands on Xingqiu’s forehead, summoning Cryo energy to hopefully cool him down a bit.
As soon as his fingers make contact with his friend’s hot skin Xingqiu sighs in relief, leaning into the touch as he starts humming again. “Oooh yes this is very nice, I’d initially hoped for you to offer me a cup of water but... this is much better.” Oh. So he’d just intended for Chongyun to hand him a glass of water?! He nearly smacks himself at the realisation, but Xingqiu’s rambling pulls him out of it. “Ohhh I do very much remember the last time you- you tried this, you know, it wasn’t really the nicest thing to do, got me all worked up into a state of frenzy instead, that’s what you did.”
“Ah, I apologise?”
Xingqiu groans loudly, to Chongyun’s horror letting himself fall forward and face first into his chest before mumbling something into the thin cloth of his shirt.
“Xingqiu I can’t-“ He shakes his and sighs, “You know, perhaps we should aim to go back to sleep, I could... try keeping you from overheating again.”
The Guhua disciple nods into his shirt and Chongyun waits for a few seconds, before realising that Xingqiu wasn’t planning on readjusting his position anytime soon. The exorcist stifles a groan as he leans back against the many cushions, raising his other arm to wrap it around Xingqiu’s middle. He’s tired and his thoughts are a muddled mess and he just really wishes to go back to sleep as soon as possible.
When his eyes fall shut, and he’s about to fall asleep once more, he’s not entirely sure whether the touch of two arms wrapping around his middle is something he’s imagining or not. He’s too tired to make sure though, and so he surrenders to the sleep gnawing at him instead, pulling the other boy a tad closer before eventually falling asleep again.
•
When Chongyun wakes the next morning he finds Xingqiu hugging one of the many silky cushions on his bed, his lower body wrapped in a large blanket on the other side of bed, so close to the edge Chongyun fears he’ll fall off.
Without much further thought he pulls the other boy back a bit, earning him a grumbling noise which makes him huff, before putting on his belt and hoodie. He spares one last glance to the sleeping figure of his friend, finally seeming close to calm, and heads outside.
The rest of the day goes by pretty much uneventful, the exorcist manages to bump into Xingqiu’s brother while on his way to the kitchen, but other than that it’s... well, close to peaceful even. Xingqiu sleeps for most of the day, only awake when Chongyun prods him to eat some of the food he’d gotten from the kitchen. And though his friend voices his dismay towards eating said food more than once, he’s eventually convinced when Chongyun makes the proposal of feeding him (initially a threat which - to his horror - had turned into the other’s delight). Perhaps it’s a good thing Xingqiu had accepted the offering though, with him being a complete mess and all.
“Chongyuuuun...”
The exorcist rolls his eyes for perhaps the hundredth time that day, dropping the spoon of soup back into the bowl. “What is it Xingqiu?” he asks, only barely managing to keep the annoyance out of his voice. Xingqiu seems to notice the exorcist’s growing irritation anyway, jutting out his lower lip as his eyebrows start to furrow.
“I don’t want to eat soup and I don’t wish to sleep either, I’ve already slept most of the day.”
“So what do you wish to do then?”
In all honesty Chongyun doesn’t expect anything even remotely close to a plausible reply, perhaps something along the lines of wishing to climb Mt. Hulao or visiting Wanmin Restaurant (neither would work with Xingqiu barely even managing to walk a few steps). What he especially doesn’t expect though, are Xingqiu’s following words.
“I wish to cuddle with you.”
Chongyun all but chokes on air at the reply, feeling his skin heat up as he continues to cough and archons, surely he must’ve misheard that?!
“Are you done now? I don’t wish to embrace someone who’s on the verge of death.”
Alright, it seems like he hadn’t. It’s not as if Xingqiu’s replies and wishes have been even close to calculated and logical the whole day but... this? Nothing even came remotely close to this. While he had been rather affectionate (that is once he wasn’t asleep), Chongyun would’ve never expected for his friend to wish for something like.. cuddling. It’s not as if he actually minded though, the only thing worrying him being the possibility of his pure-yang spirit acting up. Xingqiu seems to take the lack of response as some sort of approval though, as he begins tucking at Chongyun’s arm, causing the bowl of soup still in his grasp to wobble dangerously.
“Xingqiu w-wait up, just give me a second.” His friend groans at the reply, clearly displeased, but retracts his hand nonetheless and lets himself fall back into the small pile of colourfully decorated pillows on his bed.
After placing the dish somewhere safe and praying to the seven that his positivity won’t act up too much, he carefully seats himself next to Xingqiu, aiming not to disrupt the other’s current position. The Guhua disciple squeezes an eye open at the movement, a lazy but triumphant smile making its way on his face not shortly after. Chongyun is about to ask how exactly Xingqiu had envisioned for this to happen, when his friend suddenly rolls around and thus face first into Chongyun’s chest.
“Ah Xingqiu?”
“Put your arms around me you fool, have you never read anything even close to romantic?”
Chongyun decides to pointedly ignore that comment and its indication, instead gulping down air before nodding to himself and carefully draping his arms around the other. It’s only then that he realises they’ve done this before, his face beginning to feel even hotter at the realisation. To Chongyun’s horror Xingqiu even has the audacity to move and burry his face into the crook of his neck, navy blue strands of hair tickling his chin while doing so. Chongyun nearly groans again at the other’s actions, ready to tell his friend to move because he cannot handle this, when he realises that this actually... feels nice. He knows its a stupid realisation, who in the world wouldn’t be glad to snuggle with their closest friend-who’s-actually-a-tad-more-than-that, but he’s surprised nonetheless. Having Xingqiu close enough to make out the other’s soft breathing and perhaps even his heartbeat, carefully holding him in his arms as the feeling of utter adoration towards his friend flows through him. It definitely does feel like something straight out of a romance novel, if it weren’t for the fact that his feelings are likely far off from being reciprocated.
Because Chongyun knows for a fact that his friend’s delusional ramblings about affection are simply just that.
He can’t can’t help but hurt silently at the thought, subconsciously wrapping his arms tighter around the other’s middle, earning him a sleepy stir from his friend, before Xingqiu’s breathing evens out again.
And now, despite his dearest friend’s current closeness, Chongyun has never felt lonelier before.
•
Xingqiu can’t recall most of his days of sickness, just that Chongyun had been a steady presence through most of them. It annoys him though, claws at his consciousness because he knows it’s not normal for one to simply forget almost three entire days, even when one is sick and has to stay in bed the entirety of it all.
To make it all worse his clearer memories of it don’t even include the exorcist, a realisation that worries him and makes him wonder. Why would his friend choose to spend his worst days with him but then simply disappear when Xingqiu is close to recovery? Even Xiangling had visited him when he’d felt better, his head clear and thoughts sorted, it only being his still weakened body that was tying him to his bed. He’d talked to her for a bit, the subject of Chongyun pointedly not being mentioned (something he’s very grateful for, despite knowing Xiangling wouldn’t let it rest in the future) and even Hu Tao had come to visit him when Xingqiu was all but recovered.
He isn’t sure whether to actually appreciate the other’s visit though, while he does think rather fondly of her he’s definitely not used to seeing her actually care for him, even deciding to show up in his own home. It does come as an even greater surprise when the director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor chooses to mention a topic Xiangling had all but avoided, which would be that of a certain exorcist.
“I am rather surprised to see him absent if I’m being quite honest with you master Xingqiu!”
The Guhua disciple merely shakes his head at the comment. “I told you to call me Xingqiu- Not like it’s of great matter. But yes, I’m admittedly quite... surprised myself. Not because he’s absent at the moment, Chongyun can decide what to do himself, but...” He struggles, should he really indulge someone like Hu Tao in any of this?
“Oh oh! I know! Because he’s been sticking by your side the last few days and then just disappeared?”
“How do you know of such?”
Hu Tao rolls her eyes. “Oh please, I haven’t seen him at all the past days so it only made sense for him to be by your side!”
“I-Is that so...” Then that just made this entire situation so much more bizarre. Had he said or done something to upset Chongyun and scare him away? If only he could actually remember...
“Don’t worry master Xingqiu, I’m sure he’ll pay you a visit soon! And if not then-“
“You shall not seal him in one of your coffins.”
She just giggles in response, winking at Xingqiu before bidding him goodbye. As Hu Tao closes the door behind her, the Guhua Disciple exhales in relief, glad to finally have some peace and quiet, when the door opens once again.
“Young master!”
“Biyu?”
The woman bows deeply before Xingqiu even has the chance stop her, sending him one of her bright smiles which never fail to make him feel at ease. “I’m here to inform you that your family will return this afternoon.”
Xingqiu nods, not sure what else to reply really, waiting for her to turn around again and leave. It’s not like he dislikes her presence, rather the opposite, but his head is starting to hurt again and getting some rest sure does seem quite appealing right now...
“I know it’s perhaps not in my position to say this but... I’m glad you decided to take the medicine, and to see that you are doing better now because of it.”
The last thing Xingqiu registers is the door shutting with a soft thud, his heart rate picking up as his brain tries to catch up on the information he’d just received.
And as the pieces slot together he feels sick all over again, this time for an entirely different reason.