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A normal outing for the two of them, today was. Xingqiu and Chongyun head together to the popular establishment Wanmin Restaurant, order the exact same dish every time and have Xiangling serve it to them. Half of the time, though, Xingqiu admits he likes to put something rather suspicious in Chongyun’s food, maybe something a little fiery and hot just to elicit a reaction out of the boy. Ah, fun times.
Most of the time when he eats the food, his face would turn a bright red as he fanned himself with his palm. In mere seconds, he then would immediately wolf down one of his signature popsicles then grumble at Xingqiu for a few minutes explaining why that was a horrible idea. Xingqiu giggles his way through it every time, promising him he’ll take him out to Luhua Pools or Dragonspine again to make up for it (which is something he actually does do, mind you) and every time Chongyun forgives him only to fall for the prank once again.
Xingqiu remembers, though, the one-time Chongyun’s reaction was so horrendous he began to dance on a table with his greatsword, chatting up everyone in the restaurant as if they were his best buddy. That was possibly one of the best times Xingqiu had in his life to date, he would silently admit to himself, purely from how ridiculous Chongyun’s actions were and how he finally let down the oh-so-strict walls and barriers he had built around himself.
He wishes that, someday, he could see such a reaction again, just in private this time so Chongyun doesn’t feel guilty about it for a whole month straight. He even made a homemade talisman to give to Wanmin Restaurant as an apology, one which Xiangling had much curiosity about yet accepted nonetheless.
It would be hard to get him to such a yang-filled state again, though. He has gained many new techniques to ward off his pure yang energy. Meditating, deep breathing, those gosh darn popsicles, and even carrying around a parasol everywhere to avoid the sunlight. He would do anything, anything, just to make sure his yang-infused spirit wouldn’t overtake his emotions again.
Maybe, though, just maybe, he and Xiangling could figure out a way to make the walls he built around himself crumble. Just a little, just to test waters, just to see how far Chongyun can go. Just so Chongyun can be himself without fear, without any boundaries, and most importantly, to get a round of applause from the people at Wanmin once again.
Heh. This was going to be fun.
***
“So, Xiangling, what’s your idea?” Xingqiu inquired, leaning up against the wooden table on his elbows. The rather hyper girl then stood up and slammed her palms on the wood of the table, a certain mischievous grin being present along with her eyes sparkling with joy.
“I have the perfect plan!” she exclaimed, suddenly picking up a plate of noodles that seemed like it appeared out of thin air and placing it on the table. “I cooked these earlier with some super-duper rare chilies that my papa gave me! Right when they were in my hands, I used them to cook this super delicious dish.”
She dramatically used a pair of chopsticks to tear off a tiny bit of noodle, shoving it in her mouth haphazardly like a starving bear. “It’s delicious! And super spicy too! I bet this’ll work perfectly if you wanna activate that pure yang of his, it’s so spicy it even makes my mouth feel like it’s on fire!”
“Are you sure it’s okay for him?” Xingqiu asked with the slightest tinge of concern ringing in his voice. Xiangling’s happy expression dropped immediately, eyes dramatically becoming half-lidded.
“Xingqiu!” she scolded. “Papa says this chili isn’t even that much spicier than a jueyun chili. Plus, it tastes oh-so-good and I daren’t eat all of this myself! That would be a huge waste, I’ve already eaten half of it, I don’t wanna steal anymore!”
“Half of it?” Xingqiu exclaimed, “You are serving that dish!”
“Oh- quiet, you! I do that with most of my dishes anyway…” she grumbles, taking the plate of noodles off the table and instead placing it on the countertop beside her. Nobody dares question the “I do that with most of my dishes anyway…” part, Xingqiu would not want a fired-up Xiangling right beside him when they’re trying to come up with a villainous plan. Not right now.
“Wait,” Xingqiu suddenly said, Xiangling turning her head to face the mischievous boy. “Can I taste-test some?”
Xiangling groaned, placing her hands on her hips. “You were just complaining about people eating it! Don’t be hypocritical Xingqiu,” she complained, proceeding to take the plate of food to the back of the kitchen to prevent anyone (including herself) from taking a quick sneaky bite.
When she returned, she sat down in the same sandbearer stool she was sitting in earlier, a thrilling look stirring in her irises. “So, Xingqiu,” she began, “when will Chongyun come over?”
“I can go ask him right now. He should be home,” Xingqiu explained, “and plus, it’s getting towards dinner time anyway.”
Xiangling clapped her hands excitedly, stifling a giggle with her palm. “Perfect!” she exclaimed, pushing away the stool and standing up beside the table. “Plus, he won’t even need to wait for it to cool down, since it’s already cooled! Ah, this will be perfect.”
Xingqiu grinned mischievously, standing up as well. With a wave goodbye, he left the restaurant and skipped towards his best buddy’s house, giggling indulgently at the thought of being able to see Chongyun’s yang-infused self once again.
***
“Thanks for taking me.” Chongyun mentioned, Xingqiu responding with one of his usual quips of “oh, it’s nothing!” or, “no problem, it’s my pleasure!” It was hard to stifle his laughs after he spoke, though, knowing Chongyun is definitely going to regret what’s coming and would very much not thank Xingqiu for taking him.
Despite this, Chongyun seemed… Off. His movements were stiff, pupils thin and slitted despite the low light. Not awkward, not tense, simply… Strange.
Part of Xingqiu felt like he was going to regret this. He has been pranking his dear friend for years now, yet Xingqiu only felt guilty when there were major consequences. Now, though, there was a stirring in his stomach; a sinking feeling, almost.
He knew Chongyun wasn’t going to like this.
Yet he took pleasure from it. Pleasure from seeing his friend displeased.
Is this something friends do?
Is this really normal?
̶I̶s̶ ̶X̶i̶n̶g̶q̶i̶u̶ ̶a̶ ̶t̶o̶x̶i̶c̶ ̶f̶r̶i̶e̶n̶d̶?̶ ̶
Ah. No time to overthink now. Chongyun won’t mind that much. This is making him more open and freer regardless, it’ll be okay.
Xiangling’s eyes lit up when they saw the pair enter the restaurant, finding them both a table to sit at. After a bit of looking, the chef sat them at a table close to the door where the final beams of sunlight could just peek through.
Now, on second thought, perhaps seating them next to the door was on purpose. Maybe Xiangling felt a little guilty too.
They both sat down on the wooden seats, Xiangling rushing to the kitchen to cook their orders. She already knew what the two wanted; in fact, they always ordered pretty much the same thing every time. Plus, Chongyun’s dish was already premade, it would be awkward if when Xiangling took their order he wanted something completely different.
When waiting for their food, they had their usual small-talk. Xingqiu rambled about some fantasy story he had just read, Chongyun telling the tale of a young lad who he found lost when adventuring in Dragonspine. “He said he was waiting for his dad,” Chongyun explained, “I wish I could’ve helped him, yet it would be dangerous for me to explore the peak of the mountain. I simply gave him my best wishes and wandered off.”
“Do you know if he was ever found?” Xingqiu wondered, poking at the chopsticks by the side of the table. Chongyun simply shook his head no, a tinge of sadness painted over his expression.
“You see, that’s why part of me wanted to contact Buhu Pharmacy or the Adventurer’s Guild. I was worried that he was-”
“Your food’s ready!”
Suddenly, Xiangling appeared from the kitchen and darted towards their table. She haphazardly placed the plates of food in front of them along with refilling their cups of water, adding extra ice to Chongyun’s.
Despite the spiciness that had been sneaked into Chongyun’s dish, the dishes were beautiful nonetheless. There was an exquisite scent, one you would only find at this very restaurant. No pre-packaged food or food you made yourself could compete with the smell or taste of Xiangling’s; heck, she even one the cooking contest during the Moonchase Festival.
Xingqiu could almost smell the mischievous look on Xiangling’s face, yet poor Chongyun had no clue that something was up. He then heard Xiangling giggle under her breath (a bit too obvious this is a prank, Xiangling! Don’t spoil the secret!) as she dashed away in a mere moment.
Xingqiu knew, though, she wasn’t really back in the kitchen. She was waiting for when Chongyun ate the spicy food.
Out of character for Xingqiu, though, he felt a wave of nervousness wash over him. It made him dizzy, almost, like he was going to deeply regret this despite this being a usual act of his. Why was he scared again? Why was he like this again? No overthinking, Xingqiu, just enjoy the moment while you can!
Xingqiu placed the chopsticks in his hands and picked at one of the golden shrimp, feeling it squish under his touch. Ah, crunchy on the outside yet smooth on the inside, the best kind of shrimp. He was waiting to consume them after Chongyun took a bite of his marvelous dish though, he wouldn’t want to laugh with a mouth stuffed of food.
Suddenly, Chongyun glared at him, chopsticks in hand. There was a certain tense look in his eye, one rarely conveyed to Xingqiu.
Does he know?
“Is it spicy?” Chongyun asked, in an oddly quiet tone, almost akin to a whisper.
Xingqiu froze. He had a decision to make.
Either lie and betray his dear friend yet have the plan both he and Xiangling spent much time working on follow-through, or tell the truth and betray his dear friend Xiangling.
Well, he was a prankster. Only one way to respond, isn’t there?
He stumbled on his words, almost fumbling with his chopsticks. “There shouldn’t be any spiciness,” he settled on, despite his tone having very little reassurance at all if any. He didn’t feel in the mood to straight-up lie, though, especially not when he already feels stirring guilt in his stomach.
Chongyun kept gazing at him for a few more moments until he nodded. “Alright,” he mumbled under his breath, grabbing a long noodle with his chopsticks and stuffing it into his mouth.
Immediately, as he expected, his face turned bright red, eyes widening in disbelief. His face was almost that of a pout, reaching for a washcloth that he had brought with him to rub at his face. It didn’t seem to help much, though, as he was still red as the chilies he had just consumed.
“Xingqiu-!” he scolded, his voice being dry and coarse. “You told me that-”
His voice was interrupted with a sudden cough. He cleared his throat and reached for one of his signature popsicles, next, summoning it into his hand and taking a tiny bite of it, chewing it carefully and cautiously before swallowing thickly. Odd for him, he usually devoured that thing in five seconds.
Xingqiu couldn’t help but let out a little giggle. “Sorry, dear Chongyun,” he said, despite it only having a tinge of genuineness strung into it. He wasn’t sure how to act, though, usually in these pranks, he would be enjoying himself, but now… Nevermind.
He watched as Chongyun struggled, yet unlike regular spicy food, he wasn’t in his- pure yang state. It was like he was fed a tiny bit of chili; wasn’t this chili supposed to be extra spicy? And why was he acting like this, anyway?
Xingqiu threw a quick glance at Xiangling. Xiangling shrugged when she made eye contact with him, still watching Chongyun struggle. The hyper girl said something to him, yet from how quiet her tone was, Xingqiu couldn’t hear a single word. Not that he minded, though, it was probably unimportant.
As he turned his gaze back to Chongyun, though, he wasn’t eating his popsicle. In fact, he dropped it on the table, a small trickle of pale blue liquid leaking out of it already. His chopsticks had been abandoned, too, sitting on the table in the corner sadly.
Well, this was odd.
Xingqiu was tempted to ask if he was alright. His face was very red, like usual, yet everything else he usually did when his yang-energy had been activated… He hadn’t been doing it.
Had he been wanting to go in his yang-infused state? Oh Archons no, that is the least possible thing that could ever happen.
Was the popsicle not working?
Well, he would still eat it.
Is he in such a yang state he can’t function properly?
Maybe. But that’s kind of ridiculous.
Suddenly, though, the answer became crystal clear. After a few moments of awkward silence, Chongyun sucked in a gasp of air only to cough it out in return. He brought his hands up to his neck and coughed more, eyes still squeezed shut yet not a single breath of air being inhaled. Be began to cough in a way that made it seem like he was choking, and Xingqiu felt a sense of sudden doom.
The sinking feeling in his stomach returned. The build-up of guilt, all slowly collecting in his heart only for him to hide it with a veil of “I like seeing this happen”! The nervousness, the tenseness, all lead to this.
Crap. I fed him something he’s totally allergic to.
“Chongyun, are you okay?” Xingqiu asked, despite there not being any proper way Chongyun could respond. He immediately got out of his seat and rushed towards his friend, unsure of what to do. He firmly placed his hands on his shoulders, just in case if he were to lose consciousness he wouldn’t get a concussion either.
He was frozen for a few moments out of pure confusion. All of the eyes inside of the restaurant were on him, and it was his job to save his friend.
After running through every possible solution to what he could do, he settled on the only possible one.
Sprint to Buhu Pharmacy. Fast.
He knew that, if Chongyun couldn’t breathe and he was to pass out then within around three minutes he would… Nevermind. Xingqiu daren’t think of that.
Suddenly, though, Chongyun’s rapid coughs and attempts to inhale air stopped. Xingqiu had a moment of hope that he was okay, no need to create a scene, a butterfly of sorts, flying ever so softly only to be crushed by the fact that all of Chongyun’s weight had suddenly been placed right onto Xingqiu’s arms. So much so that Chongyun’s head almost collided with the table, yet his grip was firm enough that he stayed for the most part in one spot.
Usually, his passing out was okay. They would let him rest until he eventually woke up in utter confusion but now… He wasn’t breathing. He had a pulse, yet who knew for how long.
Without a second thought, Xingqiu picked up his friend (he was heavy. Him being a greatsword user wasn’t helping right now), having one arm be underneath his knees while the other was supporting his back. He dashed out of the restaurant, Xiangling failing to even intervene with the scene.
Xingqiu had such tunnel vision when running that he couldn’t quite tell what was going on around him. His only thought process was to save his friend for Archon’s sake, it’s your fault he turned up like this anyway. Most of the time, he hated how small the harbor was and how congested the streets got, yet now, he was thankful for how close everything was. Otherwise, who knows if he would make it in time.
Suddenly, though, when he was around halfway to Buhu Pharmacy, he heard someone cough. From right beside him.
Chongyun, are you-?!
He stopped sprinting just for a brief moment to look down at the friend in his arms, panting horrendously like a dying dog. To his surprise, though, Chongyun was awake. His eyes weren’t open, yet he was breathing somewhat normally again (even if it wasn’t perfect, any oxygen in his lungs he would take).
The amount of relief that flooded Xingqiu was more than he had ever felt in his life. He sent a quick thank you to Rex Lapis (wherever He may be) despite not being that religious, and figured it would be fine to head to Buhu Pharmacy anyway. He was still very red and had hives developing on his skin regardless; he should get treated.
“Chongyun,” Xingqiu stammered, letting go of his friend and allowing him to stand up beside him. Of course, Xingqiu allowed Chongyun to lean against the rather mischievous boy; he wouldn’t want Chongyun to pass out again from standing up too fast.
“I’m okay,” Chongyun reassured, despite sounding like a bird who had just rammed into a window. His breaths were heavy and coarse like he had just run a seventeen-kilometer race and back, as well as his skin being covered in either rashes or hives.
Archons, only Chongyun would get an allergic reaction like this.
“No you’re not,” Xingqiu scolded, “you need to get some treatment. You’re definitely not getting enough oxygen from how swollen your throat got. Plus, you have hives all over.”
“I-I do?” Chongyun realized, opening his eyes just the slightest bit to take off his gloves and check his skin. There was a look of bewilderment in his expression upon checking, proceeding to immediately slide his navy-blue gloves back on.
“Ah, and I guess this is the time to say… I'm really sorry,” Xingqiu began, unsure if Chongyun was even understanding what he meant by that, “Xiangling said this was a new “super-duper rare” chili that her dad had found. I requested to taste it myself, but… She didn’t let me. I should’ve been more cautious.”
“Huh?” Chongyun stammered. Xingqiu was right. Now was not the time to explain these things.
“Nevermind,” Xingqiu breathed, “let me just take you to Buhu Pharmacy. Come on.”
Allowing most of Chongyun’s weight to be supported on Xingqiu’s side, they stumbled up the concrete stairs towards Buhu Pharmacy.
The look on Baizhu’s face when they entered surely wouldn’t be forgettable.