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After a day's worth of patrolling, running around, training, and dealing with evil, Chongyun and Xiao were walking back to the place where they had met in the morning. By now, the sun had begun to set, painting the sky an ablazed orange. At walking pace, it would have been completely lights out by the time Chongyun made it home, so he made the last-minute choice of spending the night at Wangshu Inn.
Xiao had offered to whisk both of them there in a blink of an eye, but Chongyun assured that he could manage perfectly fine, wanting to show that he was capable of handling himself. But Xiao proceeded to insist that he would stay behind and accompany him of that was the case. After all, the adeptus spent most nights at Wangshu Inn, and today was no different. It didn't matter if he got there any sooner or later.
Chongyun eventually agreed, and Xiao almost sighed in relief. There was something on his mind that wouldn't leave him alone. However, he quickly found himself at peace as he listened to the exorcist go on about the sights he saw whenever he walked along Liyue Harbor and recall the things he and his friends often did when they hung out.
The sun had evidently lowered it's position in the sky, just above the horizon. Xiao stopped in his tracks.
"Chongyun."
The exorcist mirrored him, stopping as well.
With his eyes on the ground, Xiao suddenly realized just how fast his heart had begun to beat. Funny. He didn't get this nervous when speaking to Rex Lapis- Zhongli.
He took deep breath before meeting his eyes. "I... I haven't been completely honest with you."
Chongyun shifted, his eyebrows furrowing in concern. "What do you mean?"
"It's nothing particularly bad..." Xiao was never the one to beat around the bush, but seeing Chongyun's shoulders loosen a bit at his response put him more at ease. "Remember when I told you that your yang energy... counteracts my karmic debt?"
Chongyun nodded. "Yes."
"I was lying."
Xiao kept his eyes on the the blue-haired male, watching to see what reaction would cross his face. But Chongyun only stared and blinked back, standing as still as a statue. Xiao thought maybe the exorcist hadn't heard him.
With the quiet atmosphere that fell upon them as the sky dimmed, the world seemed to freeze in place. And all Xiao could focus on were those blue eyes and that one strand of hair that blew out of place as a breeze passed by. The soft rustle of the grass around them sounded once more before Chongyun's calm voice broke the quiet stillness, pulling Xiao out of his wandering mind. "I figured."
Xiao froze, stunned at the response he did not expect to hear. "You... knew?"
Chongyun hummed, glancing at Wangshu Inn that stood in the distance, faintly glowing. "When you told me the first time, I tried to do some research. Records of abundant yang energy stretch for as long as anyone can remember, but there was nothing about one's yang energy being powerful enough to match the wrath of past gods." He turned to meet his eyes again. "And certainly not the karmic debt of a yaksha."
"Ah." Of course. Xiao was a fool to think that Chongyun would buy such a silly lie. He was an exorcist, a diligent one at that, so of course he was going to do some digging. Especially since it concerned his yang energy.
To Xiao's dismay, he could feel a blush creeping up his face, and he mentally groaned. He just had to be facing the setting sun too, but hopefully it was dark enough that the exorcist couldn't tell. "If you knew, why didn't you say anything?"
"I wasn't going to question the Conquerer of Demons," Chongyun said, looking at the other male like he was crazy. An inexperienced individual such as himself questioning Adeptus Xiao? He couldn't imagine doing such a thing.
"I do have one question though," he continued. "My yang energy has no effect whatsoever on your karmic debt, yet you kept acting like it did. Why did you keep me around?" Because Chongyun had to admit, there have been instances in the past where he ended up slowing down the yaksha during their hunt for evil spirits. Just thinking about it made him grimace in embarrassment.
It took a moment for Xiao to find his words again. The heat from his face did not help nor did Chongyun's curious eyes, but Xiao spoke honestly.
"I like y... I like your presence. And I enjoy spending time with you."
Chongyun's eyes widened. "...You do?" he echoed. However, the way the yaksha spoke made it sound like he was just now realizing this too.
Xiao grumbled something inaudible as he glanced away, probably something about not wanting to repeat himself. Chongyun averted his eyes as well, not exactly sure what was happening right now. He suddenly found himself nervous about holding eye contact with the adeptus. Now that the temperature outside began to drop, Chongyun also realized that his body, especially face, was starting to burn up.
Xiao opened his mouth again. "I apologize for any inconvenience I caused you."
Chongyun was quick to counter. "It's been no inconvenience at all, Adeptus Xiao! I'm not upset or anything if that's what you're thinking. I've looked forward to joining you every day. It's made very great learning experiences, and I am eternally grateful."
They proceeded to walk. If they stood any longer, they would return to Wangshu Inn later than they expected. On top of that, Xiao needed to do something to distract himself from the giddy feeling that bubbled within him.
Despite Chongyun's genuine words, Xiao was just very confused. Frankly, he couldn't quite put his finger on the way he felt. He knows who he is. He was an adeptus, a skilled defender in battle, the Conquerer of Demons, the bane of all evil, yet being with the exorcist reduced him to... just standing around. To someone who fumbles over his own words. To someone whose heart gets worked up over something so silly.
Despite the exorcist's yang energy supposedly having no effect on him, his mere presence sure did. How absurd.