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“...What’s this?” you asked, staring down at the red box.
At first glance, it seemed like a box of treats, nothing out of the ordinary. But you couldn’t be so reckless. Xingqiu had given this to you, after all.
“Do not be so cautious, my liege.” The bookworm reassured, flipping through his new book. “It won’t harm you, I promise.”
You glared at him, now squeezing the box to feel for anything suspicious, perhaps a sticky substance. “That’s what you said the last time you gave me a present. And guess what happened?”
Xingqiu stifled a giggle. “My apologies, I hadn’t expected the substance to be so...sticky.”
“You’re the reason why I hate slimes, now.”
“There isn’t that much to like about slimes, anyway.” he retorted. He shut his book gently and let it hang at his side.
A first. He never puts the book down.
Pursing your lips, you turned your attention back to the box. “So uh, you still haven’t told me what this is. I'd prefer that you do so, now.”
Xingqiu folded his arms, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Calm now, my liege. It’s just pocky. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“Pocky…?” you repeated. That was a name you weren’t familiar with. “Is that some type of spice?”
The bookworm shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. Pocky is...a type of snack, to best describe it.”
You held the box up incredulously. "It's...just a snack?" Then you scowled. “Then why did you hand it to me so discreetly? I thought this was an explosive when I first saw it.”
Xingqiu chuckled. “Because I wanted to mess with you.” He then held up his book to shield himself as you raised your weapon threateningly. “Joking! Hey! I-I’m joking."
"You better be, but that doesn't answer my qeustion."
He huffed, lowering his book. "I just can’t risk anyone seeing me with it.”
You sighed, now bringing the box towards your face. In the few weeks you had gotten to know Xingqiu, he had left you with more questions than answers. You had quickly come to learn that he had two sides. One was the formal, chivalrous bookworm that everyone had been acquainted with. Polite, selfless, reserved, yet always willing to assist anyone who was in need. You liked that side of him, and enjoyed listening to his quiet monologues while accompanying him for a bite to eat at Wanmin Restaurant.
The other side of him, however? You did not like it too much. From a bystander’s perspective, it was entertaining, but it was hell from a victim’s.
When Chongyun had initially warned you that Xingqiu had a “mean side”, you were skeptical. Xingqiu, of all people? Why would he have a mean side? Wasn’t his goal to promote justice and fairness for all? But after hearing Chongyun’s stories of the numerous spicy chilies he had snuck into various dishes, or the various traps in which he had laid in abandoned houses during expeditions, it began to make sense.
Unfortunately, the exorcist had been correct; you soon found yourself victim to a few of his antics, the most recent one being an explosive slime that covered you in a disgusting heap of secretions and condensate.
-----
“Hey Y/N, there’s some slimes occupying the area of Sal Terrae. I thought you had already cleaned that place up?”
“Wow, there are quite a few slimes here. Are you sure that you took care of the monsters here?”
“Watch out! That one is going to explode! That one, too!”
“Ah jeez, it’s all over you. Don’t worry, I will handle this.”
“Me? I put elemental traces here? Why, are you accusing me of starting this entire mess? And after I offered to help you tidy up? How insensitive...”
“Why are you glaring at me like that? I had warned you in advance that the water was cold. Besides, the secretions are gone, are they not? Now come on, let’s head back to the harbor. I promise I’ll make this up to you.”
-----
In short? Xingqiu was kind of an asshole. But you could manage with it most of the time.
“Did you know that there is a popular game that people play with this snack?” Xingqiu asked, now observing you.
H-huh?” You looked back at the bookworm. “There’s a game?”
“Why, of course.” he nodded. “Open the box, and I’ll tell you about it.”
“Uhm…” you stared back at it. You were still skeptical of his sincerity, but reluctantly got to work with opening the box. You dug between the slit of the box with your fingernails, and gently lifted up the flaps. You immediately took note of a sweet, almost bread-like scent, and smiled lightly. Good, he wasn’t lying after all.
“So...about this pocky game…” you began, pulling back the last flaps of the box. Inside the box was an assorted number of sticks with a pink filling on each tip. You picked one up and licked it cautiously, bracing yourself for a sudden influx of spices.
Nothing. Just strawberry. How nice.
“Ah yes, the game.” Xingqiu cleared his throat, watching as you began nibbling on the stick. “Well, the rules are rather simple. Two people bite on each end of the stick, and begin chewing on each end.”
You paused, the pocky in your mouth already halfway gone. “Is that it?”
“W-well…” Xingqiu’s cheeks reddened. “It’s a game to test your wits, I suppose. The two players keep biting on their end of the stick until eventually one person caves and backs out.”
“So...you keep eating your side of the stick until the other person stops?”
“Precisely. Or until the stick breaks.”
You nodded. “Ah, you're right then. It is a game that tests your bravery.” Then you furrowed your brows. “But what happens when no one backs out?”
Xingqiu laughed nervously. “W-well, you tie. But you also...” He paused, words dying down. "You also..."
You looked at him eagerly, now finishing the stick. “So, can we play, then?”
Xingqiu’s jaw dropped for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. “N-no can do, my liege. I-I don’t participate in such games.” He took a deep breath, his sleeve covering his face. “But if you’re that interested in playing, then you can always ask dear Chongyun.”
“Coward…” you whispered under your breath. Then you cleared your throat. “Alright, I suppose I’ll ask Chongyun, then.”
“I heard you, you know…” Xingqiu grumbled. “But you are aware as to what happens if no one backs out, right?”
You pondered his question for a moment. Yes, you knew very well. Did the possibility of it happening bother you? Yes, quite a bit. But when it came to games like that, you didn’t have much faith in Xingqiu’s ability to maintain his bravery. Hence why you offered to play with him. But oh well, typical of him to chicken out before the game even began.
“My liege?” Xingqiu inquired. “Did you not hear?”
“I heard.” you smirked. You picked out another pocky stick from the box and held it towards his face, waving it around playfully. “Coward~”
Xingqiu rolled his eyes. "Good luck, then."
The hardest part about being friends with Chongyun was constantly having to look for him. Xingqiu was relatively easy to find, as there were three locations he would be at. Wanwen Bookhouse, the Guhua Sect, or occasionally the Yangshang teahouse.
Chongyun, however? There were few places where he would stay consistently. Oftentimes, you’d run into him while out picking ingredients, and quickly run up to him to ask him how he was faring. Occasionally, he’d show up to Wanmin Restaurant while you and Xingqiu were indulging in the latest meals, and you two would cheer excitedly while forcing him to try Xiangling’s latest concoction. But when you actually needed to search for him? That was when things grew difficult. Chongyun often camped out during the day, the locations varying about every single time. Finding him would be about as easy as locating an unusual hilichurl within a short period of time.
Thankfully, you managed to get lucky today. After leaving the Wanwen bookhouse with your box of pocky, you set out towards Mount Tianheng to begin a plan of your search. As you made your way to the peak, feeling your arms grow weak as your stamina depleted, you heard the familiar cry of the exorcist as he slammed his claymore against the old rocks. He seemed to have noticed you too, because he suddenly grew quiet as you made it closer to the peak of the mountain.
“Ah, you’re here, too!” Chongyun observed as you finally reached the peak. “I hope I’m not invading your space by being here.” Then he gasped. “W-wait, is this place reserved? If yes, then I’m so sorry. I don’t mean to trouble you, Y/N.”
"Calm...down…” you heaved, trying to catch your breath. You were grateful that you had left your weapon in Xingqiu’s hands down at the harbor. Climbing the mountain with it would’ve been hell otherwise. “I….was actually….going to look for you….”
Chongyun blinked. “Me? W-why?” Then his face lit up. “Oh! Do you have more ghost stories for me to listen to?”
You almost wanted to pout. Disappointing this exorcist hurt more than an icicle to the leg. “N-not today. But I promise that I’ll provide you with some more!”
“Ah…” Chongyun’s excitement faded.
You wanted to scream. But that would make it harder to catch your breath.
“So...uh…” you rubbed the back of your neck timidly. Now that Chongyun was actually here, the idea of inviting him to play pocky sounded rather...embarrassing. But you weren’t going to back down. Not after you scaled that stupid ass mountain. “I wanna play a game with you.”
“A game…?” Chongyun’s hand went to his pockets. “If it’s something Xingqiu invented, then I will have to politely decline. I just know that it will involve spices of some kind.”
“Ah, don’t worry.” you reassured. "it just involves this." You reached into your pocket and pulled out the box of pocky, shaking it lightly.
Chongyun glanced at the box. “Is that….pocky?”
Your eyes widened. He...knew what it was? You felt your heart rate increase as Chongyun held his hand out, expectantly waiting for you to place a stick in his palm. If he knew about the snack itself, then...did he know of the pocky game? If he did, then wouldn’t he decline? He would, wouldn’t he? He’d turn down the offer faster than he did just a few moments ago.
Not like that mattered. It was Chongyun’s decision, after all.
“Uhm…” you cleared your throat, before reaching into the box and pulling out one of the coated sticks. You placed it in his palms, smiling timidly, before inhaling sharply. You had to ask him, even if he was going to decline. There was no harm in trying, wasn’t there?
“Do you…” you broke eye contact, choosing instead to focus on the Cryo Vision on his belt. “Do you want to play the pocky game…?”
There. You had said it. Now all you had to do was wait for a response.
Chongyun pondered your offer, his fingers traveling through his hair as he stood there. He knew about pocky, but wasn’t too familiar with the rumored “game” behind it. He had heard of it, of course, but wasn’t aware of the rules behind it. And now you were offering to play with him? How peculiar. If this was Xingqiu, or perhaps Xiangling, he’d deny it. But this was you. He wasn’t as suspicious of your possible antics compared to the previous two. So maybe it wouldn’t be that bad of a decision to accept. He took another bite of his pocky stick as he decided on his response.
“Yes.”
Your head snapped up, eyes widened as you looked back at him. “H-huh?”
Chongyun smiled. “I don’t mind playing it with you. A-as long as it’s not dangerous or anything…”
“It’s not dangerous, I promise…” you quickly clarified. “It’s just a game that tests bravery...”
“Bravery…?” Chongyun glanced at the box incredulously, before pausing with his chewing. “Are you sure that spices aren’t involved? It's really easy to hide them in regular snacks. I would know.”
You rolled your eyes. His cautious nature was more than understandable, but it was a little irritating at times. “There are no spices involved. Trust me.”
Chongyun raised a brow, but continued eating the pocky stick. “Then...how is it a test of bravery?”
“Well…” you placed one in your mouth. “You see how I’m holding it in my mouth like this?”
Chongyun nodded.
“Well…” you felt your face heat up as you struggled to continue. “You are gonna bite down on the other end…”
Chongyun’s face remained blank. “Okay...and then what?”
Again, you wanted to scream.
“Each person keeps...uhh...biting and biting on their end, which will result in the distance between them diminishing…” you continued. God, this was beyond embarrassing. You were now beginning to regret this. Maybe you should’ve just given him the box and left.
Chongyun’s eyes widened. Now he understood why it was a game that tested bravery. His face flushed red as his eyes continued to focus on the pocky in your mouth. “Oh…”
You nodded lightly. “And so...the person who backs out first loses. O-or if the stick breaks, then the person who ate the least amount of pocky loses…”
You weren’t sure if that was a rule or not, but it wouldn’t hurt to make it one.
“And...what if the stick doesn’t break, and no one backs out?” Chongyun inquired.
“You…” you glared at him furiously. “You know what happens! We tie!”
“I see…” Chongyun mused. “It sounds rather risky, but I don’t see the point in playing if there’s nothing on the table….”
You eyed him disbelief. Of course he’d say something like that. Chongyun wasn’t one to take risks, as it hardly benefitted him in the long run. There was hardly much to convince him anyways. Unless…
“How about Mora, then?” you offered.
He froze. “Wait, what? Did you say Mora--”
“Alright, that settles it! Twelve thousand Mora.” you boldly declared. “I-I’ll put twelve thousand Mora on the line. How does that sound?”
A period of terse silence followed. Chongyun stared at you in utter disbelief. Were you not aware of how much Mora that was? Only a fool would bet so much on such a simple game. Especially if it was difficult to reimburse oneself after that money went to waste.
“Are….are you aware of the value of twenty thousand Mora?” Chongyun scowled.
“T-twelve thousand…” you corrected.
“Still….” he pressed. “I beg of you to reconsider the amount of Mora you’re betting. That’s not too easy to make--”
“F-fine…” you interrupted. “Eight thousand Mora.”
Chongyun held back a groan. “Sure. That’s...better, I suppose. But why bet Mora to begin with?”
You shrugged. “Well, you said that there’s no point in playing if there’s nothing on the table. S-so I’m adding something to the table.”
Chongyun flushed. “Are you that desperate to play the game?”
“N-no!” you denied. The last thing you wanted was for him to assume something rather embarrassing. “I mean, I guess...but not for the reason you may be thinking of! I just wanna try it with you, that’s all.”
“Why me, of all people?”
Good question.
“Because…” you searched for an excuse, your fingertips dancing across your top nervously. “Because….”
Your eyes landed on the entrance of the harbor down below, and you were instantly reminded of who gave you the pocky in the first place.
“Because...Xingqiu chickened out.” you concluded. “A-and, he redirected me to you afterwards, so…”
Chongyun sucked in a breath. “So...Xingqiu gave you this, then.”
You nodded briskly. “B-but there was no ill intention behind it, promise.” You tried to smile at him, tried to ease his suspicion as he glared at the pocky lingering in your mouth. “Trust me, I’ve already had a few before coming here. It’s fine. And besides, I already interrogated him about it.”
Chongyun seemed hardly convinced. “Uh huh…”
You exhaled indignantly, turning to face the base of the mountain behind you. Maybe there was no point. If he was too suspicious about it, then there was no point asking him to play. You were borderline pushing him, after all. Good on you, willing to throw away eight thousand Mora just to play a game of pocky with this exorcist.
“If I find out that you’re tricking me, you have to pay me double the Mora you bet...no matter what the outcome of the game is.”
“W-what?” you whirled back, eyes wide. “You’re gonna play?”
“Yes.” Chongyun replied, a shy smile tugging at his lips. “There’s still the question of how one can make eight thousand Mora, however…”
“Oh, that’s easy!” you laughed, nudging him lightly. “Just ask Xingqiu for a reimbursement. He’s too attached to you to say no, after all.”
“Haha, very funny…” Chongyun pouted. Then his eyes narrowed. “H-hang on, why are you assuming that I’m the one that’s going to lose?”
“Because you are going to lose.” you stated simply.
He folded his arms. “Oh? How can you be so sure?”
“Because you always chicken out on the games that we play.” you taunted. “Even if there’s Mora on the line between you, me, and Xingqiu, you’re always the first one to back out--”
Your sentence fell apart as Chongyun leaned forward, furiously biting on the other end of the pocky stick. You froze, nearly letting the stick slip from your mouth completely. Now that he was on the other end of the stick, you realized how embarrassing this truly was. The distance between you and Chongyun was...much smaller than you had imagined. Had you picked up a smaller stick by mistake?
Chongyun took another bite, eyes narrowed as he focused on your eyes. He flashed a small smile upon noticing your surprised glance. “D-didn’t expect that, mm?”
No, I didn’t.
You leaned forward, taking another bite as you glared at him furiously. Chongyun followed suit, continuing to nibble at the stick. The distance between the two of you began to diminish. Inch by inch...by inch...by inch…
“Chongyun…” you muttered. “I was just kidding, y'know…”
The exorcist ignored you, continuing to nibble at his end of the stick. He was winning. Only by a small amount, but he was still winning. You huffed for a second before taking more bites on your end of the stick. You were praying, no, begging the archons above to let the stick break. But unfortunately, they didn't seem to hear you.
Chongyun kept biting, his stare too focused to notice the diminishing distance between the two of you. You looked at his eyes, examining his lashes, his irises, his pupils. You felt your face grow sweaty, felt your stomach churn as you observed him. His eyes, no his face was really pretty. Everything about it--his eyes, his lashes, his nose, his cheeks--was just...attractive. You felt embarrassed admitting it to yourself, but it wasn’t like you could deny it. Chongyun was pretty, and that was that.
Closer still he came, his nibbles increasing in size. You held your breath, trying not to back out, despite every nerve in your body screaming otherwise. It was just eight thousand Mora. You could easily make that money back by this evening. But at the same time, you didn’t want to lose against him. So you continued to nibble at your end of the stick.
“Your eyes…” you whispered, then temporarily shut your own out of embarrassment. Of course that had to slip out.
Chongyun’s eyebrows scrunched, and his focus seemed to falter. “M-my eyes…?”
You took another bite of your end, trying not to focus on the rather small distance between your lips now. Why wasn’t he backing out? Why wasn’t he embarrassed? Why had he seemed so stoic up until this point?
“Your eyes...are really pretty…” you admitted, taking another bite of the stick. Now you were winning. If Chongyun wanted to take the lead, then he’d have to bite enough for the distance to--
Chongyun took a larger bite of his end, his face now reddening completely. “U-uhm, t-thank you…”
Did he just…?
Maybe it was your gasp that shattered his focus, or perhaps it was the sudden compliment you had meant to keep to yourself. Either way, Chongyun's expression had completely changed. His entire face was a bright shade of red, and his mouth was now clamped cautiously on his remaining end of the pocky. He seemed about as embarrassed as you were now, just about ready to quit as you were.
You, however? You didn’t want to quit. You wanted to keep playing, wanted to keep observing his face as he held onto the other end of his stick. Of course, this wasn’t an appropriate time to admire how he looked, to stare blankly at him while you kept biting absentmindedly, but you couldn’t help yourself. Part of you wanted to rest a hand on his cheek, to rest your forehead against his and take the last bite of the pocky. Thankfully, the other part of you was more reasonable, and assured you that making such a move would likely kill both of you.
“Hmm...w-who’s winning…?” he commented.
“What…?”
Chongyun placed a hand on your chin, eyes narrowing once again as lifted it up. The pocky nearly slipped from his mouth as he leaned in closer.
What...what is he…?
“You….” you began, but couldn’t find the willpower to continue. Instead, you closed your eyes and allowed Chongyun to continue with...whatever he was doing. Despite the internal panic you were desperately trying to push down, you didn’t...really care as to what would happen next...
...At least until his thumb brushed across your lower lip. His breathing grew hushed as he leaned forward still, eyes still observing your face as his thumb moved back and forth. You felt your embarrassment resurface, felt your panic boil over, felt your personal bubble grow tighter and tighter....
Too…too close...
…
His hand squeezed your chin, his eyes closed again.
...
T-too close! I can't do this!
Your eyes flew open, and you frantically stumbled away from him. A quiet crunch immediately followed, and the last few inches of pocky fell to the ground. You gazed at it incredulously, your pupils dilating in horror as the realization hit.
I...I lost?
“Ehehe, you backed out. So...that means I win.”
You looked up at Chongyun. He was smiling sheepishly, an apologetic smile on his lips as he tugged at the strings of his hoodie. “S-so, that’ll be eight thousand Mora.”
“You…you won…?” you repeated.
“W-well, you backed out so….” Chongyun licked his lips and fiddled with the fabric on his gloves. “I-if I recall, the rules stated that--”
“I know...” you groaned. There was no point denying it. “I’ll pay you the Mora later, alright? I...don’t have any on me right now.”
Chongyun pouted. “Alright, I suppose that’s fine.”
An awkward silence soon followed. You continued to stare down at your shoes, unsure of what to say next, unsure of what to do next. You weren’t even sure as to what happened. All you knew is that you were flustered, incredulous, and a little angry.
And yet...part of you wanted a rematch.
“Are you okay?” Chongyun asked, placing a hand on your shoulder. “I hope I didn’t embarrass you too much.”
You kind of did. Why did you do that?
You forced a smile. “It's fine. After all, I was the one who challenged you to play.”
“Hmm…” Chongyun bit his lip. “I suppose that’s true. But it wasn’t...that miserable of an experience.”
You chuckled. “You didn’t seem to notice what was going on until the very end.”
Chongyun flushed. “That’s because I didn’t. I was too busy focusing on you.”
You blinked. “Me? Like...my forehead?”
“No, your eyes."
Ah....
“Oh…” you looked down. “S-so we were on the same page, then.”
“What?” Chongyun questioned. “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand…"
“Well…” you squeezed the box of pocky in your grasp. “You know how I complimented your eyes earlier? I wasn’t doing it to throw you off or anything. I-I...I genuinely like how they look. But I didn't mean to say it verbally.”
Chongyun shifted, his cheeks reddening further. “I-I see. Thank you…”
You felt your stomach churn again. That was adorable. “You’re welcome.”
He glanced at the box of pocky, his lips pursing as he studied the decoration on the cover. “Can I have another one?” he then quickly apologized as he corrected himself. “N-not to play again or anything! I-I just want to eat one.”
You attempted to grin at him, and took one out of the box. “Here ya go~”
He raised a brow at your response, but obliged eagerly, opening his mouth. With a quiet giggle, you slipped the stick into his mouth and watched as he munched on it eagerly.
“Mmm...the coated part tastes much better…” he mused. “Thank you, Y/N.”
“It’s nothing really.” you responded, turning around to start your journey down the mountain. “I-I’ll go fetch your Mora now.”
“Ah!” He grabbed your arm. “O-one last thing.”
“Oh?” you tilted your head to the side.
“If...uhm…” he coughed lightly, eyes darting everywhere, but never landing on your face. “I-if you’d ever like to do a rematch….I-I wouldn’t mind.”
…
What..?
“Really…?”
He nodded briskly. “Yes.” Then he let go of your arm. “That’s all. You should uh...go fetch the Mora, now…”
“Yeah, I probably should…” you managed to get out. "When I come back, I have a few questions for you."
"You...do?" he paled. Then he shook his head frantically. "I-I mean, that's fair. I probably did something stupid."
You put a hand on your chin. Was he...not aware of what he did? You eyed his face for a moment, checking for a sign of excess positivity, but there was nothing noticeable. Though it was unlikely, you couldn't rule out the possibility.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Chongyun pressed, leaning down to pick up his Claymore.
You flashed an awkward smile and gave him a thumbs-up, before turning around and starting down your mountain. As your hands clung onto the rock, you began to ponder whether or not you should ask Chongyun to meet you at the base. You were not going to scale that mountain again, especially with late afternoon sun peeking through the clouds.
You also began to ponder whether or not you'd confront Xingqiu about this. Because knowing him, he probably had an idea that this would happen.