Work Text:
It was a breezy afternoon in Guili Plains as Xingqiu was walking around, exploring the ancient stone ruins in search for a peaceful place to read and temporarily take a break from his Feiyun Commerce Guild responsibilities. This, of course, was under the excuse of "I need to go see if I can find an ancient text that I heard is only found in Guili Plains and must add it to my collection!" to his lovely assistant, Xu, and his father.
"Well, if it isn't a wild Chongyu-" he cut himself off.
There the young man was, sitting under a tree and oh… his eyes appear to be shut. He didn’t wake up from Xingqiu calling out to him. Huh, he must be so tired then. He looked at peace with a calm expression leaning against the tree bark. Looks like he's cooling off beneath the shade. He must have been exploring these ruins too, however, instead of searching for a tranquil place to read, he's in search of an evil spirit, as usual.
It seems that Xingqiu has found the perfect spot! He proceeds to sit down beside his dear Chongyun and opens up a book he's been eager to read for a long time. It's alright, he can wait for the boy to wake up. In the mean time, he'll savor the contents of his book.
When Chongyun awoke, his saw the world slanted and then… he smelt silk flowers. He knew exactly who the person beside him was.
"Eh, Xingqiu?"
He sat up straight and turned his head towards his companion who was in the middle of peeling a page to reveal the following texts.
"Oh, good morning, Chongyun! How was your sleep? My arm was beginning to go numb, so it better be an excellent one!"
"It was good, thank you! And I'm sorry! Uh, how long was I asleep for?"
"You've been asleep for a while, perhaps you didn't get enough sleep last night?"
"I was searching this whole of this place up and down for an evil spirit I was commissioned with, but I haven't seen any traces of it… So I decided to take a quick rest and cool down… I must have fallen asleep. Such bad luck!"
"I see, Chongyun. Don't worry, there's always a next time! I happened to come across you while on a stroll so I was here to keep you safe."
It's evident on Chongyun' s face that a mild blush was beginning to form. A mix of embarrassment and I-am-subconsciously-in-love-with-my-best-friend-and-used-his-shoulder-as-a-headrest-plus-he-is-telling-me-heartwarming-things.
Before Chongyun knew it, Xingqiu leaned in close and reached his arm out to his… shoulder… He started brushing off his shoulder… While keeping eye contact… Was that really necessary, Xingqiu!!
"Sorry, there was a leaf." He said with his usual smile.
By that point, Xingqiu has pulled away and went back to their original positions. Chongyun could only reply with "Mn." to that, because his rising temperature and panicked inner thoughts are extremely distracting! He then summoned his popsicle to assist in quelling the heat.
"Hey, Chongyun!"
Chongyun inevitably whipped his head towards the source of the voice. Xingqiu nearing him and he felt soft lips touch his cheek. That was the last thing he saw and felt before blacking out. His signature popsicle is not enough to alleviate this, that's for sure. And he fell with a light thud.
'Uh… oh… I suppose intimacy overheating has a different reaction to eating spicy food.'
Xingqiu witnessed the shift in Chongyun's features before he passed out. His wide eyes and the blush that spread all throughout his face. One could practically see smoke coming out of his ears. His temperature was that high.
Since he was the cause of this, Xingqiu gently placed Chongyun's head on his thighs and positioning him comfortably. He then started to fan his face using the novel he brought. You know, to speed up the cooling off process a bit. After about a few minutes of fanning him, he indulged back into reading and played around with Chongyun's hair at the same time.
Chongyun awoke for the second time and it seems to be during the evening hours already. He looked up and saw his Xingqiu reading. He seemed to not have noticed he's awake. That book must be really interesting since he stopped playing with Chongyun's fluffy hair. Wait, pause… his head is on Xingqiu's thighs…! What is up with today and using his "best friend" as pillow!
Ugh, he couldn't handle it anymore and just rolled off Xingqiu's thighs pressing his face on the refreshing grass below. Xingqiu finally ripped his eyes off his novel to focus on the weight not pressuring his thighs anymore.
"Chongyun? Are you okay? Does your head hurt at all?"
"No… Urg, stop teasing me like that."
"Why? Do you want me to kiss you on the lips next time?"
There it is again, the fumes coming from his ears. Hopefully, he won’t pass out this time! Chongyun peeked up and gave his companion a glare. Truthfully, he wouldn't complain, but the heat was a little overwhelming right now so his emotions are a bit unstable.
"Haha, Chongyun… Don't glare at me like that… How about this, let's go get you cold noodles and your favorite sweets! My treat. What do you think?"
"…Okay, fine."
On their way back to Liyue Harbor, Chongyun was licking his ice-cold popsicle. However, he was quite dazed. Like he's in his own little world.
Xingqiu made a new discovery. Chongyun doesn't act like his usual self compared to when he overheats due to spicy food. Turns out he can pass out and be a little tamer than his typical drunken-state when he experiences intimacy or affection. The only thing that remains the same is his erratic emotions.