Chapter Text
It wasn't everyday Aether had the opportunity to meet -- let alone spend time with, the blue haired male he wasn't originally scheduled to meet that day. In fact it probably was one of the first times they've ever really made any interaction outside of the casual greetings that were made if they so happened to see each other on the streets of Liyue in passing, never having the time to stop and chat.
So today was unexpected when Chongyun had called him over, light blue eyes staring straight at him when the traveler made his way over as he gave a small wave. "Chongyun, it's unusual for you to call me over. What's up?" Aether casually greeted as he stood in front of him, hands placed on his hips.
A few minutes of Chongyun explaining the situation and Aether had a pretty good idea on how things were going to go from that point on. A reply came after, causing Aether to snap out of his inner thoughts. "Do you think I'm not deciphering these clues correctly?" Chongyun had asked him, hand on hips as he stared forward.
Aether was hesitant at answering at first, fighting with his thoughts. 𝘈𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥, 𝘐'𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳. Instead, he offered a smile and nodded. "Okay, I'm free now anyway." What could be the harm in accompanying him, anyhow?
"Ah, you have my thanks!" Chongyun smiled. They eventually made their way to Wuwang Hill where countless rumors were circling about spirits in the area of the event, at least, according to what Chongyun had told Aether. He wasn't exactly sure what he was expecting, but it sure wasn't the way they were greeted right at the entrance of the hill.
Aether had immediately found the man, known as Uncle Jia, suspicious with his spewing on about how they couldn't continue forward without drinking something first. He glanced back to Chongyun who stood with, at first, a shocked expression, but then it morphed into one of concern.
"Y-Yang... energy?" Chongyun had asked, more or so repeated Uncle Jia's words.
"That's right. Ghosts are said to be full of 'yin energy,' so more 'yang energy' will surely deter them." Jia proudly stated.
Aether and Chongyun exchanged looks and a few words before a soft sigh slipped past the blue haired males lips.
"But if this drink really does boost yang energy, then it's potentially dangerous for me."
"Dangerous?" Aether asked, blinking in response as he crossed his arms. "Why would it be dangerous? I'm sure it's all just some sort of psychological thing."
"You see... I have a very rare constitution called 'pure-yang spirit'. Such a constitution allows me to scare away evil spirits, but it also makes me prone to emotional impulses." Chongyun nervously scratched the back of his head.
"But... you seem like a very calm person to me, Chongyun."
"Ah, I am constantly focusing to keep my mind and body in a normal state, which usually works until I suffer from some external stress..."
In the middle of their chat, Uncle Jia chimed in yet again unsurprisingly. "Don't worry so much about the drink. Or if you're still unsure, perhaps only one of you could take the drink. The person who takes the drink can protect the one who doesn't. It'll be exciting either way!"
The two exchanged looks and Aether gave a slight frown as Chongyun spoke up. "Hmm, it's hard to refuse when you put it that way..."
"Just let me drink it." Aether immediately spoke up, Chongyun's words still clear in his head. "I don't want anything bad to happen, if this drink is serious."
He perked up in surprise and shook his head, holding his hands up slightly. "There's no way I could let you drink this alone." Aether bit back an even deeper frown. By the short time he's been with Chongyun, he knew he was persistent. A sigh followed and Aether rubbed the back of his head while glancing to the side.
"Let's both drink it. If you close control, I'll be sure to take care of you. However, I still don't like the idea."
Uncle Jia gave both of them the drink with pleasure. "Alright, here it is! Please drink it slowly."
Aether glanced down at the glass bottle in hand before glancing to the side to Chongyun who, hesitantly at first, drank his share. He decided to not wait any longer and drank it immediately after himself. It had a slight bitter taste that clung to his tongue and the back of his throat, causing him to make a slight face. This just tasted like some bad juice.
After the approval of Jia, they were both given permission to continue forward. Though they were barely a few feet past the entrance before there was a low grumble to his side, which he assumes came from Chongyun following his words.
"I'm starting to feel something after that drink..." Aether gave a concerned glance and wanted to stop right then and there.
"Hey, maybe this isn't the best thing to do if you're already starting to feel odd. We can head back and come later, you-"
"No, I'm fine. We -- you came all this way with me, it would be a waste to just leave while we're so close. I promise. Besides, you said you'd care for me, right?"
"I did but that's not the point." Aether sighed as they continued walking up the trail further into Wuwang Hill. They stopped at a certain point and glanced around, Chongyun placing a hand on his hip before glancing to Aether.
"So, this is the Test of Courage! Hmm, there are more people here than I imagined. They could all be in grave danger if there really is an evil spirit here. We must get to the bottom of this." He placed a finger against his chin in thought.
"The Test of Courage isn't actually dangerous, you know." Aether crossed his arms, knowing fully well Chongyun still hadn't caught onto the fact this was just an event meant for scaring the participants, but for some reason he just couldn't say that directly to the young exorcist in front of him.
Chongyun blinked, a confused expression aligning his features. "Wh-What? Please, enlighten me."
Aether almost wished he swallowed down his reply a few moments ago, glancing to the side to avoid eye contact. Should he tell him the truth? He wasn't exactly sure if he could, but he couldn't really lie to him for the sake of his hopes, could he? "The participants... are just here to have fun."
"You mean, being scared is like 'entertainment' to them? I see..." Chongyun sighed. "Maybe you're right. I'm certainly a stranger to entertainment, after all. I mostly spend my time purging evil spirits and practicing thaumaturgy. Besides training, I also need to constantly focus on my own emotions to avoid losing control."
If Aether had to be honest, he'd say he was feeling a bit sympathetic for Chongyun and his words. He frowned to himself with crossed arms, eyes never leaving his partner as he spoke while rubbing the back of his head with a weak laugh trying to play off the fact he's probably never really experienced anything fun. At least, something fun in Aether's aspects.
"So," Chongyun continued. "I rarely have any time for leisure activities. I'm completely unfamiliar with what others would consider entertainment." He glanced to Aether. "Hm... well, either way, let's check the area for any evil spirits, just in case..."
Aether quietly sighed to himself before the two where off exploring the area for any signs of potential spirits, and truth to those clues from earlier. Right off the bat Aether was inspecting an odd dark aura, it immediately gained his attention, considering it would be incredibly hard to miss. Seems to be the same for Chongyun as they both met at the space, looking at each other.
"Hmm, these are traces left by an evil spirit, no doubt about it! The traces are quite weak though, so there are only two possibilities. Either the spirit that left the traces is very weak, or has already left for some time now."
Despite Aether knowing already there was something off about the black aura, he still was slightly surprised to know that maybe those rumors weren't so false, after all. He tilted his head in thought. "Are evil spirits the reason why Wuwang Hill is so gloomy all the time?"
"No, I don't think so. There have been many rumors regarding the cause of Wuwang Hill's gloomy aura, but nothing is certain. Although, once it became the murky place you see now, it also began to attract more evil spirits. Let's keep looking." Aether gave a short nod and they kept on.
The two spoke with a few couples before Chongyun had to stop for a moment, a hand placed against his stomach as he rested his hand against the nearby stonewall.
"...Sorry... sorry, I feel... unwell." Aether immediately stopped and stood by his side, worry filling his senses as he carefully placed a hand against Chongyun's back. "Are you alright? Maybe we should go back. I knew this wasn't a good idea."
"No, I think the drink we had earlier stirred the yang energy inside my body... But I should be-" A quiet groan left his lips and Aether shook his head quickly, almost making himself dizzy.
"Is it that serious?"
"If there's too much yang energy, I'm afraid that I won't be able to control myself. Even though you were willing to accompany me this far, I don't want to cause you any further trouble." Chongyun had mustered up a weak laugh.
"But we've finally found some traces of an evil spirit." He mentioned and frowned more. Though, of course Aether knew Chongyun's health was way more important than any traces they've managed to find to this point.
"If I lose control, I fear that I'll be the one endangering everyone here, not evil spirits. We'd... better find somewhere to rest." Aether could feel the labored breathing from the other through the shaky vibrations on his hand that was pressed firmly to Chongyun's back.
"Please, let me help you find a place to rest." Aether insisted, frowning more (if that was possible at this point) at the way Chongyun apologized once again. He carefully led him away to a nearby spot, settling him down and bit the inside of his cheek.
"Ughh..." He kept groaning under his breath, trying to hold back the sounds of his discomfort behind a lip bite, which only left Aether even more alert and concerned.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" He asked worriedly.
"The feeling... is getting more intense. Usually, I can manage by simply eating a popsicle... but that's only under normal circumstances..." Chongyun spoke between quiet groans and moans, cold sweat beading at his forehead. "I may need something... a bit more potent in this case..."
"Potent? Like what? I can get you anything." Aether was kneeling beside him, rubbing his back in a failed attempt to help the other.
"Like Cryo Slime Condensate, or Cryo Whopperflower Nectar, for example..."
Aether perked up. Thank god he didn't have to travel far for anything. "I think I have some."
"You've collected these during your adventure, right? But I'm afraid they're no good... They're not fresh enough."
Aether bit the inside of his cheek and glanced around the area. Were there even any Whopperflower's or Slimes in the area? If there were, he's praying to all Archons that they're at least of the Cryo element. He had to try regardless. "I'll go get some Cryo Slime Condensate for you."
"Thank you... I'll be resting here." Chongyun offered a lopsided smile and Aether still didn't like the idea of leaving him here, even if just for a small while. But he didn't have a choice. Chongyun needed that Slime Condensate and Aether promised to take care of him. He wasn't about to just take that back now since things turned for the worse.
Aether didn't waste any time and left to find any nearby Slimes, and to his surprise he found some Cryo Slimes just a few meters away from where he had left Chongyun. It only took a measly minute for Aether to take down all three, gathering the fresh Condensate and was just about to leave before a voice echoed out near him. He looked around for a moment before feeling his brow twitch in slight annoyance. He really didn't have time for this.
After a very awkward interaction with one of the 'spirits', which only happened to be a staff member, which wasn't surprising. Fu San'er kept him longer than he had wished and was rushing back to Chongyun after the pointless interaction. Once he was by his side, Aether immediately gave him the item.
"Thanks for finding these ingredients for me. I feel much better now." Chongyun offered a smile. "Although I still feel the yang energy stirring, at least I won't need to worry about it getting out of control." Aether was relieved to hear and see him doing better than he was when he last saw him. He couldn't help the small smile that crept up to his lips.
"So, did you find any new leads when you were out looking for ingredients?"
As much as Aether didn't want to shatter this poor exorcists heart, he couldn't bear to not tell him the truth either, especially after everything. "No, I only saw an event staff member pretending to be a ghost."
"Huh...? So that's what's going on here!?" The shock and disappointment in Chongyun's voice was almost heartbreaking. Almost. He did mention earlier the people that were here were here for entertainment. "Does that mean all the strange things here are just a hoax?"
"That's all there is to the Test of Courage." Aether smiled apologetically.
"I... I see... so I was wrong again." He frowned with furrowed brows, glancing to the side. "...In that case, I suppose there's no reason for us to linger here any longer."
"Right, let's head back together." Aether watched as Chongyun struggled to steady himself, immediately going to his side to support him. He wrapped his arm around the male and gave a slight smile.
"Sorry, it seems my body is still recovering." He sighed and Aether shook his head, adjusting his grip as Chongyun wrapped his arm around the blonds waist for extra support, fingers pressing into soft skin.
"Don't apologize, just keeping my word. It's not like I can just leave you in this state either, can I?" Chongyun didn't know if it was the drink he consumed earlier, or perhaps his hazed mind, but Aether's voice sounded strangely sweeter close to his ear. Not to mention the way his skin was so warm to the touch it took everything in him not to grip onto that slim waist for more of his warmth.
"...Right." Chongyun's own voice sounded odd in his ears, a high pitched crack that would have left him slightly embarrassed any other time, but for now all he could think about was the faint fragrance of flowers that seemed to cling to Aether's very being. Has he always smelt so... flowery? Perhaps, and even if he did, how come he was just now noticing it? Maybe his senses were still in overdrive, but that Slime Condensate should've helped him calm down enough to be able to focus, but he just couldn't.
Was it not enough? Did he need more? He couldn't simply ask Aether to go hunt for more slimes after everything he's done.
"Are you okay?" It wasn't until Aether spoke up that he realized his breathing became slightly labored again and he swallowed down the buildup of saliva in the back of his throat. Was he? He didn't know. He instinctively pressed his fingers down until they sunk into the soft flesh of Aether's exposed waist, hoping the gesture didn't seem out of place.
"I'm fine... just feeling a bit light on my feet." He lied, he didn't know why he lied, but the words just flowed out of his mouth. It seemed to be the most believable excuse at the time as to why he was getting handsy with the blond.
And to his shameful delight, Aether believed him, and even pulled him closer. "I have you, just lean on me, okay?" Aether spoke out as they walked down the trail to the bottom of Wuwang Hill. Oh he wouldn't decline such an offer now, would he? Despite feeling shameful as he pressed hip-to-hip with Aether, hand clinging to that very waist, he blamed it on that drink.
Somewhere along the way the aroma of flowers became unbearable -- not so much as unbearable, but tempting. It took everything in the remaining willpower Chongyun had left to not burry his face into Aether's neck and stay that way. He slowly glanced to his side, watching how Aether's braid bounced lightly with every step and how his earring swayed slightly, barely out of sight under his blond hair.
Without thinking much, Chongyun ran his hand up slowly, then back down with the same speed against Aether's waist and enticed a small shiver from the boy and this was 𝘰𝘩-𝘴𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵. He retracted his hand slightly and swallowed the lump in his throat, glancing away after they made short eye contact.
"Chongyun?" Aether asked, slightly concerned.
"...Sorry, it seems my yang energy still hasn't calmed down as much as I had hoped." He trailed off and clenched his fist. "I still don't have the best control of my impulses..." It somehow felt dirty the second it left his mouth for some odd reason. It wasn't like Aether didn't know about his emotional impulses, he told him earlier, but in this context he felt shameful.
"Oh."
Oh.
𝘖𝘩?
Chongyun didn't understand what that response was supposed to mean, did Aether feel bad? Did he make Aether regret taking care of him? No -- perhaps made him regret ever coming in the first place. He looked up and was about to apologize again before Aether cut him short.
"Why would you apologize for something you can't control?"
Now it was his turn for his lips to form a small 'o' in response, his stomach doing weird flips as Aether smiled at him. "Chongyun, I promised to take care of you, besides, it's also kind of my fault you're in this mess since I so easily allowed you to drink that stuff..." He nervously scratched his cheek, looking to the side with half lidded honey eyes.
"So... you're my responsibility." He smiled wider and gently squeezed Chongyun's shoulder, who in turn, could swear his entire face might have just combusted into a flushed shade of pink. It didn't help he was still slightly flustered from still calming down from earlier.
Though the embarrassment soon washed over with a sudden urge and need to be bold. 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘺 bold. Chongyun reached and grasped Aether's hand with his own, breathing out as he laced their fingers. "You're so warm." He whispered out and squeezed Aether's hand, who was now becoming slightly flustered himself at the actions.
Aether gulped as an arm snaked around his waist, cold fingertips to pad at his stomach. "And soft." He continued and leaned forward, rubbing his thumb gently against Aether's knuckle. "Your scent is intoxicating... it's stirring me up just like the drink." Chongyun buried his face between his shoulder and neck, inhaling softly, feeling the way Aether jolted and shuddered in his touch.
𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘥.
"Ch-Chongyun..." Aether stumbled over the males name at first, tilting his head slightly at the hot breath that raked down his spine. Was this one of this emotional impulses? Aether figured he meant he'd get incredibly angry, or maybe even destructive, so the male that was pressed against him and holding him so tenderly was quite the surprise. Does that mean Chongyun didn't realize what he was doing right now?
"Aether." Chongyun breathed out his name feverishly, lips slightly pressed against the shell of Aether's ear, making him shiver yet again. He needed to make sure Chongyun wasn't completely out of it, worried for his wellbeing.
He reached with his free hand and carefully pushed Chongyun back just enough for them to make eye contact, though he didn't let go of his other hand. "Chongyun, I need to ask you some things." He just had to make sure. "Where are we right now?"
"Huh?" The other males voice sounded a bit heavy followed by with a huff. "We're... at the bottom of Wuwang Hill."
"Can you tell me why we're here?"
There was slight confusion in the exorcists expression, but he answered nonetheless. "We came here to search for evil spirits at the event being held here..."
"What event was it, Chongyun?"
"The Test of Courage." He answered without missing a beat and Aether let out a soft sign of relief. 𝘚𝘰 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥. Aether cleared his throat and glanced to the side.
"Do you understand how you're acting right now?" Aether asked another question, but this time with hesitation. There was a short silence that followed and he swore he could hear how loud his heart was pounding.
"Yes I'm aware." Chongyun whispered and there was a hint of disgust in his voice Aether was quick to catch onto. "I'm... sorry. It's just, being near you feels good right now, but at the same time the longer I'm with you, the harder focusing becomes and-"
Aether pulled Chongyun close, squeezing his hand while his other rested on his back as he whispered softly. "I told you, I'm here." He could feel how Chongyun's shoulders relaxed and become less tense at his words. Good.
Chongyun traced his fingers against exposed skin, pressing his nose to the top of Aether's hair as he inhaled the scent yet again, light blue eyes closed as he melted into the very being that was wrapped in his arms. He swore time felt slower with each stroke of his fingers and each time his lips lingered close to Aether's neck and shoulder, but never touching.
Aether stood still, his pale cheeks flushed red to the tips of his ears, soft breaths slipping past slightly parted lips. He wondered if Chongyun could hear how loud his heart was pounding, even wondered if Chongyun was in the same state. He reached his hand up slightly and carefully pressed it against his chest, swallowing dryly as he took as much courage he had to muster a quiet, "Is your heart pounding, too?"
𝘛𝘰𝘰.
That word rang over and over in Chongyun's ears he almost forgot to respond. He moved a bit to whisper softly into Aether's ear. "Of course it is." His breath lingered for a moment as Aether pulled away just enough to tilt his head to the side to meet Chongyun's gaze.
They stared into each others eyes for a few moments, both noticing how gazes flickered to lips before immediately going back up to the intense gaze. The air around them felt heavy and if it wasn't for the more light fog away from the center of Wuwang Hill, Aether would have been able to hide the rising heat to his face at Chongyun's words that followed.
"Can I... kiss you?" There was a long pause between words, but Aether couldn't fault him for it. Granted he would have never guessed this ghost-hunting business would end in such a way, it still didn't relieve him of the growing heartrate and heat rising in him at those very words. He gulped, nervously fidgeting in place as Chongyun seemed to patiently wait for any type of response.
Aether didn't know how to answer, any sensible person would have immediately rejected, considering this was the first time they ever spent so much time with one another. How did it end up like this? He supposes he was partially to blame. He had Chongyun drink that weird concoction, then did kind of edge on his actions without stopping him. However, he wouldn't exactly say theses touches left him uncomfortable.
More like, Chongyun's gently graze of fingertips, his occasionally tender squeeze and sweet whispers made him feel safe almost. He breathed out nervously as half lidded eyes glanced to Chongyun's parted lips. He wonders how long he debated the answer because it seemed Chongyun was growing slightly inpatient with the way he kept pulling Aether against him for any sort of contact.
Maybe this would bite him in the ass later down the road, or maybe he'd be greeted with a flustered Chongyun every time their eyes met in the future -- which, wouldn't be so bad. A nice change of pace. It was almost laughable, really.
Aether, not able to find his words, gave a slow nod and Chongyun's blue eyes seemed to somehow light up even more. A gentle hand found its way up to carefully cup Aether's warm cheek, though the other never let their hands become untwined. "Are you sure?" Came a soft voice and Aether could feel Chongyun's warm breath mix with his own.
It took a moment before Aether could find his words and even then it came out with a slight crack of his voice. "I'm sure." He reached with his other free hand, placing it on top of Chongyun's that rested on his cheek. He leaned slightly closer and so did Chongyun until, hesitantly at first, their lips met. It was a lot warmer than Aether was expecting at first as their kiss was mostly made up of a prolonged peck of the lips. Though once pulled away, Chongyun was immediately moving in for another gentle kiss, thumb gently swiping against Aether's cheek.
"So sweet," Came a slight muffled voice while he softly planted another kiss to Aether's pink lips. Aether couldn't help the soft rumble of a chuckle that left his throat as he did his best to properly return each and every kiss the other littered over him. Once Chongyun pulled back enough for them to meet each others eyes, he gently bumped their foreheads together.
They both stood in comfortable silence, the warmth of each others lips lingering as they didn't dare leave the embrace they shared. Maybe he could get used to this side of Chongyun, after all. They pulled away slightly after a bit and continued their way back to the streets of Liyue, hands still intertwined between them as they walked.