Chapter Text
To the average person, knocking on a closed door before entering a room is common courtesy. No one wants to be caught off guard, especially in their own private quarters. Xingqiu, however, has learned his lesson to never be in a position of compromise when in his room. He never has reason to be in one, but he makes sure to be put together regardless. On this rainy afternoon, he gets a demonstration of why.
“I have another sighting!” A familiar voice chirped from his doorway. A face peaked in, and Xingqiu knew exactly who it could have been.
“Wonderful, Chongyun!” He said back, slowly marking his spot in his current book. To make sure his friend wouldn’t catch the cover, he hid it under the nearest stack of papers. It was quite the romance novel. He swung his feet to the floor and beckoned for his friend to come in.
Chongyun happily sat himself on the floor of Xingqiu’s room. How he always managed to sneak into the Guild without notice from his parents, Xingqiu will never know. Perhaps it’s some well kept exorcist secret, perhaps it’s that Chongyun is like a lithe cat when he moves. “This one is from Wuwang Hill, so I have a good feeling.”
“How good of a feeling?” Xingqiu asked. “Good enough to travel all the way North for a silly ghost?” As usual, Chongyun rolled his eyes and suppressed a smile.
“At the very least, it’s good enough to check,” He said.
Xingqiu nudged Chongyun with his foot, slouching in his chair. “Well then, why won’t you indulge me in this fine sighting of yours?”
Chongyun’s eyes lit up with anticipation as he pulled a small slip of paper out of his back pocket. The ice cold boy rarely let himself get enthused like this, and Xingqiu was the only one who usually got to see him in this state of excitement. This was especially considering how he always maintained such a stoic appearance for the sake of his Yang energy.
Chongyun cleared his throat, and began to recite from the paper. “There is a ghostly girl who has been showing up more and more on Wuwang Hill within the past week. When I approach her, all she does is run away. If I go after her, I find that she practically disappears! If any exorcist or adventurer could come to confirm this strange sighting, it would be much appreciated,” he paused to collect himself, then folded the paper with a smile. “It’s quite generic, but I find that it may be worth checking out.”
Xingqiu had to hold back a small smile. Chongyun had always been quite the passionate exorcist, and it was quite admirable how he always took even the simplest of premises and made them out to be a grand event. He couldn’t help but find enjoyment in his efforts to exercise every demon or evil spirit he came across, despite his inability to physically come even close to one.
“It’s quite far away. You’ll have to make a stop at the Wangshu Inn,” Xingqiu mused. “Maybe even stay the night there. Make a few stops along the way to rest as well, no doubt.”
“Smiley is used to my food preferences, and I don’t mind the journey,” Chongyun said, folding the paper once again. “Plus, I haven’t had a reason to travel in ages!”
“My, I shall miss you a great deal, ‘Yun! How will I ever take care of myself without you?” Xingqiu sighed dramatically. This ushered a soft giggle out of the other boy, which Xingqiu embraced for a moment longer. “All the outings to Wanmin, all the walks to the teahouse! What am I to do?”
“I am positive you can manage,” Chongyun scoffed. “Besides, this mission surpasses you in importance.” He stuck his nose up in the air and glanced at Xingqiu, as if to make sure that his little jest hadn’t gone too far. He always checked to make sure that Xingqiu wasn’t actually offended by anything he had said. As usual, he only laughed in response.
Xingqiu smiled and easily slipped from his chair to the floor across from his friend. “You seem quite excited about this,” he said. “Is there anything especially interesting that you aren’t telling me?”
“Well, there have been a couple of sightings like this all across Liyue, so I figured that this would be worth looking at,” Chongyun said. He began picking at the cuff of his gloves, a sign that Xingqiu was plenty familiar with. “I’ve just been a touch worried about going.”
“Hm? That’s not like you,” Xingqiu scoffed. “What, are you scared of ghosts now?” He shoved Chongyun’s foot with his. Teasing Chongyun had quickly become one of his favorite hobbies when they were together. It had always been enjoyable, but it seemed that every time he teased recently it came with a different reaction. He would get flustered and his cold, pale skin would flush, which was rare coming from him. However, it became predictable. And, admittedly, adorable in a certain way that only Chongyun could manage.
As expected, Chongyun crossed his arms as a light shade of pink made its way onto his nose. “No! Of course not!” He protested. “It’s only that… my travels have been getting… ugh, I don’t know. It’s very hard to explain.”
“Why?” Xingqiu asked, pressing on. Chongyun never had a good way with words, so it could take some pushing to get him to talk. “What’s so wrong with traveling?”
Chongyun rested his head into his hands and ruffled his hair the slightest bit. “My travels have been getting sort of… lonely. I never minded it before, but something feels different when I leave now,” he sighed. “I love my travels. I just wish I wasn’t alone.” He took a deep sigh of relief, as if it had taken all of his energy to muster up those exact words.
“... Oh,” Xingqiu said, letting his words trail off. Sure, the two boys were close, but Xingqiu would have never guessed that Chongyun would feel especially lonely on his expeditions. He always seemed to take pride in his solo adventures. Xingqiu always wondered what he had occupied himself with on his travels, but it had never occurred to him that they were more on the mundane side. However, it did seem isolating for him to always be alone when he left the harbor. Maybe it would be for the best if someone came with him one and a while.
While he knew what he wanted the answer to be, Xingqiu asked; “Was there anyone who you wanted to join you this time around?”
Chongyun flushed once more. “Ah, well, I was going to ask… Is there any chance that you could join me?” He stuttered. He began picking at his gloves again. “I understand if you can’t, or don’t care to join, or-”
Xingqiu immediately clapped his hands together with delight. “I would love to!” He cheered with a wide grin creeping onto his face. “I barely ever get the opportunity to leave the harbor! Imagine the training I could get in… do you think that there’s any book shops along the way?”
“A-are you sure? Really sure? You don’t have to come at all, it’s a very long way-”
Xingqiu put both his hands on Chongyun’s knees, which got him to stop babbling. “‘Yun, I want to come. Very badly, actually.”
“R-really?” Chongyun stammered. “I… I can’t believe that you actually want to come with me. However, I could see the appeal that it would have for someone of your status… and your training…”
If Xingqiu was to be completely honest with himself, he wasn’t entirely going for the training. He had found himself missing Chongyun more and more as he left for his expeditions on his own. He was really the only person that Xingqiu had shown his real self to. He was a studious martial arts student along with being the second son of the Feiyun Commerce Guild, he couldn’t let his walls down with just anyone. Somehow, Chongyun managed to be one of the only people he was to be himself with. He’d let Xingqiu talk for hours about his newest read. Xingqiu would let himself be at peace when Chongyun was training, or researching, or just being present with him in the moment.
Whatever he was missing every time Chongyun left, he felt as if he needed to accompany him just this once. Perhaps it would lead to more travels in the future.
“When could we leave?” He asked, hands still resting on Chongyun’s legs.
“At your soonest convenience, I suppose,” the cold boy said with a shrug and a smile. His ruffled hair fell just so, in a way that made Xingqiu’s heart beat a skip faster, if only for a moment. A short enough moment that Xingqiu himself barely even noticed. Either that or he chose to ignore it.
Maybe this adventure was exactly what the two boys needed.