Chapter Text
Brisk sea breeze and the warmth from the sun mingling and balancing out, the smell of crisp paper from a book that’s eager to leave the shelf, coupled with the occasional gasp or sniffle from the avid readers that frequented Wanwen Bookhouse, Aether was pressed for reasons not to call this place one of the best to stop by in Liyue for a moment of respite.
Or rather, it’s supposed to be one of the most calming places, if not for the excited gasps of awe and alarm from one icy eyed exorcist, followed by the wry smile and nodding of a distinguished young man with a flair for theatrics. Aether’s known them for quite a while, the talented pure-yang spirit of Chongyun and eccentric air that follows Xingqiu wherever he goes. They’ve both become commonplace whenever he trudges through Liyue to deal with daily commissions coming from the area.
In fact, this was the exact spot where he met Xingqiu no more than a few months ago, when he first arrived in Liyue and before he was tangled up with Zhongli and Childe’s escapades. Oh how calm life was back then, but it seemed the longer he stayed in Teyvat, the more secrets were unearthed and issues took place. It could just be the way things always are around here, but Aether highly doubted that thought.
Being frank, it seemed like Teyvat was plagued with all manner of troubles, from natural calamities to monsters to natural calamities caused by monsters. Aether was sort of in a place now where he could somehow understand why Chongyun fell so easily for the seemingly outrageous claims and rumors Xingqui prepared for him every week or so, not hesitating in the slightest before taking off in order to investigate.
Today was actually one of those days, hence his annoyance with being dragged into this briefing, in case ‘there was an issue he could deal with too’ in Chongyun’s words. Xingqui, the coy minx, took it in stride and continued to list down a mix of what Aether could easily tell were rumors, heresy, something actually from the bounty list at the Ministry of Civil affairs to more baloney that poor souls like Chongyun were more likely than not to believe.
Sighing slightly as the exorcist selects one of the more outlandish rumors – something about a floating eye that commanded the elements – he looks to Xingqiu who at the very least has the tact to snigger only after the claymore-wielder has descended down the stairs. Gold eyes then turn to him knowingly and offer him what looks to be a mock apologetic smile.
“My liege, I must say you’re acting skills are less than that of a blubbering thief. Might I suggest you take some lessons from Yunjin?” his speech is eloquent but the teasing is barely hidden. “You look just about as deflated as a defeated Anemo Slime. What’s the problem?” only Xingqiu could pull off a sentence where his jesting and his concern became mingled to the point of being indistinguishable. It was both endearing and irritating.
“Why do you do this to him?” Aether ignores the subtle questioning of his, even by his standards, rather prickly mood. Well, he was free of Paimon for once and just happened to be in the mood to read through a new set of books that had just come in stock after Lantern Rite so being dragged into what felt like an hour of deliberating over nonsense, Aether thought he could reserve some right to be ignored. “He falls for it every time.”
At that, Xingqiu gives him a chuckle. “Endearing no?” he asks. “He’s always so eager to test himself against the smallest hint of a spirit being immune to his yang energy.”
“A notion you brought up to him in the first place.” Aether retorts, earning an inquiring raised brow from Xingqiu. “He talks.” A curt explanation is all that leaves the blonde’s lips. And if he was being frank, Chongyun was quite the chatterbox when it came to things regarding his profession, so it should be no surprise to Xingqiu if other people find out the obvious gags he likes to play on the exorcist, either from the boy in question telling them of his woes or sheer observation.
“Ah, well don’t fret my liege.” The Feiyun heir brushes it off. “While he’s skilled in martial arts, he still hasn’t internalized the chivalric code. All I’m doing is helping ease him into that frame of mind.” Once again, his words are eloquent but the meaning behind them, or rather, the lack thereof, cause Aether to scrunch his face up in scrutiny. “As his most trusted friend.” He adds, a genuine smiling coming across his face that Aether asks for forgiveness that he finds insufferable.
For all his talk about chivalry and heroism, Xingqiu was still a young adult after all, yet to truly experience difficulty especially with how talented he is. Aether wouldn’t call them best friends or anything but he relied on Xingqiu and trusted him, seeming him often when he wanted the male to inspect and aid in the reproduction of various ancient tomes he recovers from domains. But what he does with Chongyun’s time and patience Is more than a little concerning.
Where did the ‘trusted’ come from anyway? As far as Aether knows, the two had met without much fanfare and had only really grown a connection with each other after Xingqiu had allowed Chongyun to think of the rather unlikely possibility he could finding a spirit that could withstand his unique physical condition.
“What does that even mean? You don’t think Chongyun lives up to your standards or something?” Aether questions, not quite able to wrap his head around the idea of Chongyun of all people not being chivalrous. In response, Xingqiu gives him a look as if he’s a kid that the explanation he’s about to give will be lost on. And who are you to judge chivalry anyway?!
“He’s an exorcist with pride for his craft. All he’s doing is running around like a headless duck looking for something that will finally let him showcase his abilities. That’s not chivalrous in the least.” The young heir explains, as if it was the simplest thing in the world which, to be fair, the point had some merit, but Aether found it rather cold Xingqiu thought that of the boy who called him ‘friend’.
“That’s unfair.” Aether states with a shake of his head, unwilling to just listen to that and not say anything. He was already irritated, why not just blow up in the middle of the bookhouse? “He comes from a whole family with expectations over him, this isn’t just his craft it’s his life and that’s what you have to say to his desire to prove himself? He doesn’t even accept mora when the job is too easy.” He finds himself going on, golden eyes narrowing at Xingqiu’s own amber ones, wavering slightly at the bluntness.
“My liege-” No, you’ll listen for once you Guhua Geek.
“He’s strapped for mora almost daily while battling his pure-yang spirit or whatever and you can stomach the idea of getting his hopes up every week with a quest he’s hoping for but will never appear?” Aether hisses, toning his voice down at the slight peek of other customers in their direction, certainly perplexed. “He doesn’t have a commerce guild to rest his laurels on like you and doesn’t have the luxury of a talent, he’s always working hard and-”
Suddenly there are hands pressed against his lips and a furious glare coming from Xingqiu. Well, furious in the sense that, it was so rare to see the boy lose his composure that it was hard to call it anything else. Swiftly, one of Aether’s hands is caught in a grip and he’s being pulled away from his seat and towards the overpass connecting Wanwen to what seemed like a private space that Aether never quite understood the purpose of.
With one look to the girl who seemed to always be sweeping there, Xingqiu sent her on her way, waiting for her to reach the bottom of the stairs before turning back to Aether, the same frosty expression on his face.
“Don’t, ever speak to me like that again my liege. I hold you in high regard after all.” His speaks in the same refined manner as always but there is a slight blush to his normally pale cheeks, from frustration or anger Aether could not tell. Still, he held the gaze firm, conveying through his expression that he did not regret what he said in the slightest.
“Wasn’t it the truth? Or is whatever convenient for you the truth?”
“You- Ugh!” Xingqiu palms at his face, as if finally giving up and breaking his façade of classiness. This was the Xingqiu Aether has come to know over the past months, impulsive and a bit reckless but his intentions are always in the right place. Which is why he just can’t place a finger on why he subjects Chongyun to such torment. “Must you always be so tactless?” he asks, now fine with showing his exasperation now that there’s no risk of his behavior being seen.
Aether is unimpressed.
“I just can’t wrap my head around it.” He finally admits, crossing his arms and turning slightly away from Xingqiu as a pensive expression crosses his face. “You never really have bad intentions and I’m familiar with your eccentricities but I just can’t figure out why you do this to Xingqiu of all people. You usually have such reverence for people like him, at least, those you talk about from the books you always have your head tucked in.”
This gives the Feiyun heir pause, not expecting such a detailed answer from Aether. Well, apart from commissions and trying to figure out how to get to Inazuma, Aether has more or less searched every corner of Mondstadt and Liyue. The lack of things he’s gotten to do in a day have dwindled to the point where he has more time for introspection than he’d like to admit.
“My liege you… really are quite blunt without that little friend of yours to talk for you.” Xingqiu says, voice defeated enough that Aether is prompted to turn back to him. “Chongyun is indeed very skilled and very eager to prove his words. But it wouldn’t do him any good chasing baseless lead after lead which is why I wish to oversee it myself.”
“That sounds conceited.” Aether states without hesitation, casting a pained expression over the Guhua disciple before he continues.
“A-Actually I do recognize the traits you described. He truly values his lineage and is very modest, battling the natural talent he has so that his hard work shines through. I’ll be the first to admit there is no shortage of traits that Chongyun possesses that I don’t admire my liege, but you know how he is when he’s being praised. Passionate an all that.” Xingqiu spills, as if it’s natural to do so like…. He’s talking about a character from his novels.
“It’s not that I wish to torment him, rather, think of them as trials? Testing his character!” he holds on to that train of thought, but Aether feels like he already knows where it’s headed. “He’s quite gullible and too eager to jump at an opportunity to prove himself yes, though what I may do seem like pranks, don’t I make sure he never really gets hurt or suffer any repercussions apart from feeling down? And it’s only natural to feel down when-”
“He’s your muse.” Aether concludes for him, watching with a bit of morbid fascination as Xingqiu’s entire face slowly turns from pink to a bright red. A marvelous impression of one of Xiangling’s Jeuyun Dumplings topped with Hydro Slime Condensate… or something along those lines. “He’s basically a real life hero and he’s not exactly restrained by anything as you are, so you live vicariously through him.”
Xingqiu is at a loss of words for once, gesturing slightly with his hands as if to retort but nothing comes out. Now that Aether thinks about it, it makes a lot of sense now. Chongyun isn’t attached to any particular business and never mentions familial pressure on his progress as an exorcist, all of Chongyun’s battles are arguably with himself and he trains every day in eager patience for when he can finally prove his worth. Humble and modest, with a simple wish to do good and recognize his own worth.
Yep, sounds right like the kind of character Xingqiu would read about.
“Ah then that means you must really like-”
“Oh would you look at the time my liege! I believe I’m late for a particularly important meeting!” Xingqiu pushes past him in a rush, catching him off guard. “If you are ever in need of me again my liege, please don’t hesitate to inform Xu! Farewell!” he states, the sound of his voice receding as he practically leaps off the overpass and onto the streets below, Aether rushing to see where the hell he’s running off to. And right as it was on the tip of my tongue too.
Now alone, he ponders quietly the relationship between Chongyun and Xingqiu, looking deeper for the complexities behind the blind trust the exorcist has for him, the indulgence Xingqiu has in his affairs, and how in the end, they still remain inseparable. Blushing slightly at all the things he said in the heat of the moment earlier, he’s come to regret a few choice words. “Maybe they really are a good pair.” He admits to no one in particular.