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Xiangling expected it to be a normal day, like any other day. In the morning, she and Xingqiu would go out grocery shopping while Chongyun did what he usually did: train. Normally, by the time they both wake up, he would already be gone, off to investigate evil spirits and such. That’s why his disappearance from the living room that morning didn't prompt any concern —It was just a casual day again, right?
For an ordinary Liyue local, grocery shopping simply meant visiting Second Life and the Wanmin Restaurant for their easy produce and ingredients. For the uniquely reputable Xiangling, however, it meant going beyond the harbor and scouring for the best wild finds.
“You cannot limit yourself in cooking,” she would say with her finger pointed up in pride, “You wouldn’t believe how many amazing ingredients are around you!”
While Xingqiu would sigh with a small knowing smile, he didn’t complain. It didn’t hurt to walk around Liyue, especially with a good book in hand. Nothing beats a nice and productive stroll. Besides, when they would encounter a slime or two along the way, Xiangling would let him practice his martial arts on them. One could not have such opportunities during a mundane grocery shopping trip. And perhaps, listening to Xiangling gush about the strangest and wondrous things was just as good as an immersive novel.
But of course, adventuring outside the harbor meant it would take the pair hours to finish: an expected four hours, to be precise. This meant that for Chongyun, who normally awoke at sunrise, training would be over before they were home.
To pass the time in their empty house, he would add to his Field Guide to Demons and Beasts, blandly stare at Guoba with a popsicle in hand, or read over Xinqiu’s ever-so-trustworthy leads. Eventually, the pair would arrive home, both happy to finally see their Chongyun.
It was going to be a normal day like that, or so Xiangling thought.
After a fruitful four hours of exploring the bountiful wild, Xiangling started turning the knob of their front door with Xingqiu close behind, holding the heavy bags of food (were they actually edible?). Pushing the door open excitedly, Xiangling raised her hand in an enthusiastic wave, hoping to greet their boyfriend.
“Chongyun!” She yelled out, “We’re ho—”
Xiangling stopped mid-sentence, surprised to see no one but Guoba in the living room. Usually, they would open the door to Chongyun, popsicle in mouth, and an imprisoned Guoba trapped in the time-out crib by the exorcist. Yet, that very day, Xiangling and Xingqiu cocked their heads in unison, confused as to why Chongyun was nowhere to be seen and why Guoba was free.
“Is he perhaps not home yet?” Xingqiu questioned, walking past her to set the overflowing bags on the kitchen counter. He turned his head in both directions, surveying the space.
Xiangling propped up her chin with her hand thoughtfully. “Well, I don’t remember him saying anything special about today.”
“No trips to Dragonspine? No exorcisms needed in Mondstadt?”
She scooped up Guoba into her arms, petting the creature’s head. It hummed in response. “Nothing from what I remembered,” She confirmed, shaking her head.
Xingqiu frowned. “That’s strange. He told us that he would never overdo his training on grocery days. I can venture to his usual place and check if h—”
Before Xingqiu could finish, a loud cough interrupted their conversation, causing all three heads to sharply turn in the direction of the sound. It came from down the hall, where their bedrooms were.
“H-hello?” Xiangling said instinctively, feeling her body begin to tremble. The cough was already a huge scare, equal to the jumpscares the terrible Hu Tao always did. If there was an intruder in their house though, that would be way worse.
No words replied but a coughing fit ensued, echoing softly through the hallway. Xingqiu’s brows furrowed but his expression revealed no fear or anger. Instead, he began walking down the hall, causing an unprepared yelp from Xiangling who rushed to stay close.
They cautiously navigated towards Chongyun’s room which had the door closed shut.
Xingqiu clutched the doorknob and pushed.
They weren’t quite ready for what welcomed them, immediately gasping.
“Chongyun! Are you okay?!”
Laid spread out on his bed, Chongyun didn’t react, his eyes shut tightly and his teeth clenched. His brows twitched, adding to the pained expression. Compared to his usual pale complexion, his skin blazed an unhealthy pink, especially at his cheeks as sweat drops slid down his temple. The (very thin) blankets were kicked off messily onto the floor and his hoodie was discarded, leaving him in his dark undershirt and his pants. It was a worrisome sight to put at the least.
Xingqiu and Xiangling rushed to his side, faces laced with concern. Quickly, Xingqiu pressed the back of his hand against Chongyun’s forehead, causing a weak groan from the bedridden. Poor Chongyun’s skin was ablaze. Xiangling reached out for his hand, immediately feeling the pads of her own fingers heat up at the touch. Instantly, Chongyun’s hand clutched onto her finger. In response, she let out a small worried whimper which Guoba mimicked.
There was a short pause as the duo soaked in the situation.
“I’m afraid this is Code Jueyun Chili,” Xingqiu finally muttered under his breath to his girlfriend.
Their eyes met. The distress in Xingqiu’s gaze uneased Xiangling, confirming that this indeed was Code Jueyun Chili.
What was Code Jueyun Chili? A signal for a crisis. To effectively communicate with his two sometimes-clueless partners, Xingqiu prepared a list of codes. Code Blue was saved for losing Xiangling in the likely case she wandered off to assess ‘ingredients,’ and Code Yellow stood for Xingqiu’s list of to-read martial arts novels getting too short for comfort—talk about urgent problems. Since Code Red was already reserved for the problem of Guoba setting something in their home on fire, Xingqiu labeled the unthinkable ‘Code Jueyun Chili’: Chongyun being sick.
“How?!” She questioned, her thumb gently brushing over the burning hand clinging onto her. “Why would he be sick?”
Xingqiu didn’t respond immediately, his eyes shifting to observe their ill partner. He thought back to the last few days, replaying the moments when Chongyun summarized his training periods at dinner. The past two days, Chongyun explained that he was just doing normal training instead of investigating. However, three days ago…
“He investigated Dragonspine not that long ago, I recall.”
Suddenly, the memory became clear to Xiangling. “That’s right!” Every time Chongyun spoke about visiting the mountain, both she and Xingqiu braced for trouble. Once, the exorcist came home with his fingertips an icy purple. It took his pyro-wielding girlfriend a total of 20 minutes to bring back feeling to his hands. Another time, he came home with a sprained wrist from fighting several ruin guards.
A sigh escaped Xingqiu. Chongyun often forgot that he was still a mere human despite his special yang energy. The exorcist’s unbreakable dedication to his work and his strong preference for the cold sometimes mixed into recklessness. Xingqiu's eyes softened as he laced his fingers through his boyfriend’s hair, hoping the coolness of his touch could comfort him. Even since their first meeting, Chongyun was stubborn; too stubborn to admit that he could also freeze to death.
“We should prepare some treatment for his fever,” Xingqiu spoke up, turning back his attention to Xiangling. “I’ll go grab him a glass of cold water and a cloth. Can you make one of his emergency popsicles, something stronger than his usual order? Oh, and maybe put Guoba away, my love.”
At the sound of its name, Guoba let out a sad noise.
“I know buddy, I’m sorry,” Xiangling apologized with a pout, softly patting the creature’s head. “But, Chongyun is sick, and setting things on fire won’t make him feel better. I promise I’ll feed you more tonight.”
With that, she reluctantly let go of Chongyun’s hand and exited the room with Xingqiu as they headed straight to the kitchen. After securing Guoba in a high chair far from all the wooden furniture, Xiangling didn’t waste a second as she quickly filled a large cup of water and set it upon the counter. Her perception seemed to heighten in the kitchen. From the corner of her eye, she observed Xingqiu quietly and aimlessly looking around for a glass. Chongyun always protested against Xingqiu cooking for them (since it would always end up with him sneaking something spicy into their meal) so he wasn’t familiar with the kitchen.
“It’s right under the counter where you’re standing,” She chirped, plucking a popsicle stick from the large collection they had near the stove.
“Ah, I knew I could count on you,” He chuckled softly. Xingqiu ducked to grab an empty cup and a dry cloth nearby. The vision at his waist emitted a soft blue glow as he summoned water into the glass and wet the cloth in his hands. He started heading back to Chongyun’s room but halted right before the hallway.
“Hey, Xiangling, my love, I wrote down Chongyun’s recipe on a note near the shelf if you need it!”
“You wrote it?”
“Yes, it should all be recorded.”
“Okay!”
Xiangling may have responded with her usual sunny smile, but deep inside, she felt a chill. Now, she may not have the neatest writing ever, especially compared to Ganyu or Zhongli, but even she shuddered at the thought of reading Xingqiu’s handwriting. She and Chongyun agreed to never let him write any of the to-do lists for their household. Building up courage, she craned her head to peek at the shelves full of cookware. Surely enough, a paper note was pinned onto the wood, one scribbled over in a rich blue ink.
Thank the Archons that Xiangling already knew how to make Chongyun’s signature popsicles. Reading the hellishly written recipe would’ve sacrificed so much time.
She swiftly moved to their grocery bags from their trip. If Chongyun was this bedridden, he needed something stronger than his ordinary watery popsicles, as noted by Xingqiu earlier. Besides, it wasn’t like Xiangling to suppress the urge of adding spice to her cooking (not actual spice though)!
Let’s see, sweet flowers, Jueyun chilis, pinecones, some slime condensate, violetgrass, mist flower corollas, and mint. Hmm… Xiangling knew that Chongyun preferred a bland and chill flavor. She thoughtfully picked out a small violetgrass bunch, a mist flower bud, and some cryo slime condensate. The combination was good enough to satisfy Chongyun’s non-exciting taste buds and to cure his burning fever. In the span of a couple of minutes, Xiangling picked apart the petals of the violetgrass flowers, crushed up the mist corolla, and mixed it all in with the slimy condensate. The mixture appeared an icy blue color, a reassuring appearance. The last step was just to add in the water and freeze it.
If only Chongyun was...well, not ill, the product could've been frozen in an instant. Instead, she turned to their manual freezer, placing the popsicle inside. It was going to take some time to solidify. Xiangling planted her hands on her waist, humming as she brainstormed on what to do as she waited. Her eyes surveyed the kitchen, eventually settling onto the fridge. Funnily enough, with perfect timing, her own stomach grumbled.
“Ah, of course, Guoba! I have to prepare lunch for us!” Xiangling exclaimed, turning excitedly to her small friend. Nothing like cooking could inspire her. With a firm fist on her hand, the giddy chef grinned. “And I’ll make Chongyun’s favorite for us.”
For the next half hour, the only sound in their home was Xiangling clinking, clanking, and singing in the kitchen. As always, she kept it lively in her favorite place.
Phew.
Guoba let out a small gust of fire. Xiangling perked up, recognizing it as a sign that the popsicle was done in the freezer.
She looked proudly down at the three plates in front of her. “Right on time, too, Guoba.” Her hand instinctively reached out to ‘taste test’ her cooking, but she pulled it back. Surprisingly, she wanted the boys to have the first bite. Instead, Xiangling swiveled around to open the freezer, revealing a perfectly frozen popsicle. She brought it up onto the counter and extracted the icy product from the cup. It looked nearly identical to the ones Chongyun carried, except for a few visible violetgrass petals. What great work done, Xiangling!
“Guoba, I’ll be back for you later, I swear. Just hang in there!”
Carefully, Xiangling placed one of the plates onto her head, the other two balanced on her right arm, and the popsicle securely in her left hand. Being a waitress most certainly came in handy for these situations. With little caution, she walked down the hallway. She was glad to see the bedroom door slightly open and pushed it softly with her shoulder.
Inside, Chongyun, still pink and sweating, was sitting upon his bed, his back against the wall and his head resting upon Xingqiu shoulder. They were holding hands while Xingqiu held onto the now half-full glass of water in his free hand. The wet cloth was left on a bedside table. At the creak of the door opening, Xingqiu’s eyes lifted to greet Xiangling and Chongyun’s eyelids slowly fluttered open.
“X...Xiangling?” The sick one croaked.
Immediately, Xiangling pouted, her heart breaking at the sight of her boyfriend weak. “Chongyun! How are you feeling?”
“I’m...good.”
Xingqiu shook his head in disappointment. “He still thinks he’s not sick.” Gently, Xingqiu lifted Chongyun’s head off his shoulder and pushed himself off the bed to help Xiangling. He took the dish atop her head and the one resting still on her right forearm.
“Are these—”
“Yep!” Xiangling beamed, eager to reveal her cooking. “Cold Noodles with Mountain Delicacies, Chongyun’s favorite!”
At his name and Xiangling’s surprise, Chongyun managed a small smile. No sickness could prevent her contagious positivity.
Xingqiu sat back on the bed, setting a plate on Chongyun’s lap and the other on his own. Xiangling decided to join them, sitting on the other side of the feverish exorcist. From his right, she offered him the special popsicle,
He observed it through squinted eyes. “...For me?”
“Yes. But I could eat it if you want,” Xiangling joked.
“Thank you,” Chongyun mirrored her smile and accepted the treat. With his other hand, he clutched onto his chopsticks and brought a clump of noodles to his mouth. After confirming that Chongyun had enough strength to feed himself, Xingqiu did the same. Xiangling, for the first time in forever, quietly watched, too interested in their reactions than in her own meal.
“Is it good?” She asked earnestly.
Xingqiu laughed. “Your cooking is always great, Xiangling, you nailed it again.”
Chongyun agreed with enthusiastic nods, still chewing. The noodles seemed to restore bits of his energy.
A warm bubbly joy filled Xiangling. Seeing people happy with her food, especially her partners, made her incredibly happy. Her heart fluttered and she let out a sweet giggle. She practically glowed in the room with her radiating delight. The boys looked at her in awe, both having matching rosy cheeks, as she finally dug into her food, eating the noodles at the speed of light...
“You know, it isn’t sophisticated to eat on a bed.” Xingqiu started.
Xiangling gasped in pure surprise, causing the noodles hung up on her chopsticks to fall back onto the plate. “No way! I always eat on my bed!”
With an all-knowing finger pointed up, Xingqiu light-heartedly nagged, “That’s the reason why your bedroom is always a mess, my love.” He stretched out the last few words playfully.
“Hey,” the passionate foodie puffed her cheeks, “Where else am I going to eat my midnight snacks?”
In the middle of it, Chongyun’s features ease. He felt significantly cooler than before and something about seeing his partners already felt like a cure. Being stuck stationary on the bed felt like a nightmare; it irked him. Oh, how he hated to be sick, cursed to do nothing but lay down all day. But now, thanks to Xiangling and Xingqiu, he was getting better, and hopefully soon, he could get off the bed to shower them with affection.
“Oh, Chongyun, you’re done! You ate well, great job,” Xiangling cheered, snapping the exorcist out of his thoughts. He looked down at his lap, shocked to see that he did indeed finish his own share of noodles. Bummer. He couldn’t savor the last few bites.
Xingqiu carried the empty plate and put it aside.
“Thank you guys,” Chongyun said, his voice still quiet but much stronger.
Xiangling pointed to the popsicle still in his hand with a smile. “You still have to eat this, remember? Don’t let it melt, I worked hard on this.”
He brought it closer to his face. It wasn’t far from his regular popsicles, the colors being similar. Next to him, he could feel Xingqiu also lean closer.
“I assume you added your own touch to it, Xiangling?” Xingqiu inquired, his hand holding his chin.
“Yup!”
The purple petals were easy to spot but if the boys looked closer, they could also see some deep blue bits, the fragments of the mist flower corolla. Thankfully, Chongyun couldn’t see any flashes of red, orange, or yellow, nothing spicy. They wouldn’t prank him when he was sick, right?
He brought it to his mouth and licked it. Nothing but a cool and fresh taste—a taste he enjoyed for his yang-energy-quenching popsicles. There was a bit more flavor than what he was used to—a sweet one—but it wasn’t overpowering or intrusive. Although it was incredibly likely Xiangling incorporated slimes into the mixture, Chongyun didn’t mind. It was effective in helping his body temperature and headache anyway.
To assure his girlfriend, he put up a satisfied thumbs-up and flashed an eye-smile. Overjoyed, Xiangling clapped and Xingqiu cracked a smile.
“I’m feeling so much better now,” Chongyun said in between his munching. He sat up straighter and attempted to lift himself off the bed. “I think I can get up now.”
In a flash, he was yanked back down onto the mattress, falling down with a soft oomph.
“Absolutely not!” Xiangling and Xingqiu shouted in unison, pulling poor Chongyun into a tight group hug, linking their arms around his body.
“Bu—”
“No buts,” Xiangling shook her head profusely. “Even though my cooking is amazing, it’s still not medicine.”
Xingqiu agreed. “She’s right, Chongyun. You still need rest.”
With their tight hold onto him, Chongyun couldn’t protest, practically bolted onto his own bed. Guess he wasn’t going to do anything productive for a while with these two…
“But no worries! We’ll be here with you as you rest!”
“So don’t rush yourself and do anything stupid.”
Suddenly, both Xiangling and Xingqiu pressed gentle kisses on Chongyun’s cheeks. It was usually the best strategy to shut him up, and it worked as expected. His cheeks immediately warmed up, not because of his fever, but because of his flustered state. He bit a huge chunk out of the popsicle to hide his red face. The mischievous duo laughed, their chuckles creating a sweet harmony to Chongyun’s blushing ears. Maybe resting with them wasn’t the worst idea ever.
He sighed in defeat, finishing the last of his icy treat. The two took this as compliance and relaxed their arms, hoping to not warm him too much. Imagine how futile their efforts would be if Chongyun’s fever worsened.
Not long after, the three ended up napping together in the same position. Chongyun was in the middle, Xiangling on his right and Xingqiu on his left. Xiangling’s head was nestled into the exorcist’s shoulder as she snored, her arms hugging a pillow. Meanwhile, the boys’ heads gently leaned onto each other. Xingqiu’s mouth was a bit parted and Chongyun unknowingly wore a tender smile on his face as he slept. Their hands were intertwined, both of Chongyun’s hands laced with his partners’ fingers. Three plates were stacked close by on a bedside table with a singular popsicle stick on top; it could almost be Xiangling’s room now.
There they laid, against the wall with bright sunshine pouring through the windows, painting a warm hue onto their blue hair and saturating their pink faces.
...
But what about Guoba?