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Chongyun’s hand felt like it was on fire.
Not because he was touching something hot — okay, correction — usually when his body burns up it’s because he stayed in the sun too long, or when some people think it’s funny to sneak jueyun chilis into his food. But this is different.
Xingqiu is holding his hand.
Chongyun thanked the archons that no one could see his reddening face.
He’s held Xingqiu’s hand before, just not here, on this specific day. The day when the stars shone their brightest, and when fireworks painted the sky a brilliantly romantic bright orange and red.
Has Xingqiu’s hand always been like this?
Chongyun doesn’t know when it happened, just that at some point along their many years of knowing each other, he had somehow fallen head over heels for his best friend.
He looked down at their connected hands, then back up to Xingqiu.
Xingqiu, who’s face lit up every time Chongyun would approach him. The person who gave him butterflies every time he would look at him with those glowing amber eyes. The boy who, as the fireworks came to a pause, turned to him wearing the sweetest smile he’d ever seen.
Chongyun had to rip his gaze away, he might actually pass out if he looked at him any longer. He could already feel the sweat forming on his skin.
“Chongyun, are you alright?” Xingqiu asked, gingerly touching his palm to Chongyun’s forehead. “You feel so warm…”
Chongyun startled at the contact. He could feel the pulsating heat from Xingqiu’s hand radiating onto his forehead, but he couldn’t bring himself to pull away.
Xingqiu’s eyes were staring hard into him, he knew. So after a few moments he took a deep breath, turning towards him and putting on a smile.
“I’m fine Xingqiu,” Chongyun said, gently guiding Xingqiu’s hand away from his forehead, “There’s nothing to worry about.”
The other's eyes were trying to find contact with his own. Lips tugging into a frown when Chongyun avoided him.
“Okay… I trust you. But ruining our lovely time at this festival by passing out would be most regrettable,” Xingqiu paused, “and I would be very angry with you,” he pouted, cheeks puffing up and arms crossing.
Chongyun couldn’t stop his gaze from flitting back to the boy. “Oh?” Chongyun bit back a chuckle, unable to take him seriously when he looked like that. “Guess I just won’t pass out then. Can’t have his majesty be ‘angry’ with me.”
Xingqiu let out a soft hmph! Turning back towards the fireworks. But Chongyun could see the amused smile forming on his face.
Chongyun grinned. Xingqiu knew him so well, there was nothing he would trade their friendship for.
…Except for maybe one thing.
The rest of the night was spent with a comfortably warm presence at his side and a fuzzy feeling in his chest.
————————————
Chongyun woke up with a massive headache.
“Archons, what the…?” He sat up, causing a dizzying rush of blood to spread into his head and throughout his body. He felt the world spinning and groaned as he slowly lowered back onto the bed. Head throbbing as he tried to remember what had happened the previous night.
It took him a while, but he eventually recalled that he came back from a particularly exhausting trip of exorcizing spirits, only to find that left for him was a basket of wrapped food and a note from Xingqiu.
He only faintly remembered what had been written on the note, just that the words ‘My dearest Chongyun’ and ‘A little gift specially made for you’ had been especially prominent in his mind while reading it.
Now, Chongyun would like to think he’s not a gullible person, but when he’s tired and hungry and the note had such a sweet message on it from Xingqiu, he just couldn’t resist.
That was the last thing he remembered before passing out.
Chongyun groaned again. Of course, why would Xingqiu pass up an opportunity like that?
This has happened many, many times before. Chongyun trusts his friends with food even just once, and they’re always right there with the extra spice, even after he’s sure it’s safe.
Chongyun sighed. He really cares for his friends and all, but did their stunts really have to involve him being completely immobile for the next hour?
He should probably talk to them about that. He’d always just lived with it, since it was more of a nuisance than anything — but this is getting out of hand.
Chongyun slowly turned to look out his window, the harsh brightness shining through his thin curtains indicated it was about noon.
…
Noon!?
He sat up abruptly, which he immediately regretted. His headache pulsed hot and painful at the quick motion, and he had to close his eyes to steady himself.
He was out the whole night?! He’d never passed out that long before.
Chongyun tried to slow his breathing and think. It was probably because he was so tired last night, his yang energy was all used up.
He flinched as he felt his head pulse again. This headache was worse than usual.
There were a lot of things Chongyun wanted to do right now. He could bury his face into his pillow, scream for an extended period of time, then give up and flop back down to the comfort of his bed, but instead he carefully stood up and made his way to the bathroom.
As soon as he entered the room he immediately turned on the tap. Waiting until it was ice cold before splashing it against his face.
He felt his mind slowly begin to clear as chilling droplets ran down his forehead, bringing the heat along with it.
Chongyun sighed in relief, basking in the coolness of the watery mist created by the tap.
He would make sure to give Xingqiu a piece of his mind.
————————————
It was only later that he found out he could not, in fact, give him a piece of his mind.
He tried, many times.
On his first attempt he chickened out, running away before Xingqiu even noticed him.
Once he’d built up enough courage, he tried again, this time being interrupted by Xiangling who had oh so conveniently just came up with a new recipe for them to try at that exact moment.
Chongyun then suggested they go out to their favorite spot to try the food, just him and Xingqiu of course, he had to do some elite level convincing to stop Xiangling from joining them.
And then, when they were alone in the forest surrounded by nothing but bamboo, he thought that would finally be his chance, so he opened his mouth to speak.
Right as he did that, in some sheer, absolutely absurd stroke of bad luck, a previously unseen boar charged at him for no reason, hitting him square in the gut before running off.
That was when he decided the world just hated him today. The archons must’ve cursed him… or maybe it was a warning.
At least he was able to convince Xingqiu that he was alright, so they continued onward. They picked their favorite spot to settle down and Chongyun quickly began unwrapping the food. He was positively starving after everything that happened and was grateful to finally be able to relax for a bit.
Xingqiu had gone looking for fresh bamboo shoots — said something about Xiangling asking him to fetch some for her next dish. Xingqiu of course accepted, using this as an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.
Chongyun smiled to himself. The way Xingqiu got excited over the simplest of things was so cute. His eyes sparkled as he’d turn to Chongyun, rambling on about how he’d integrate every adventure into one of his books.
But enough about that, Chongyun had some eating to do.
After briefly inspecting one of the four parcels Xiangling prepared for him, he concluded that it was safe to eat and dug in. His eyes widened when he bit down, feeling a soft crunch and tasting a sweet liquid on his tongue.
He paused, then after a moment, took another bite.
Crunch.
Chongyun raised it up to eye level and reinspected it.
This…this has carrots in it.
A lot of them.
Chongyun checked the container again, looking for the nametag Xiangling usually slaps onto it for good measure. He froze when he found that this was not in fact his.
Oops.
He looked around, searching the area for any sign of Xingqiu.
Nothing.
Chongyun turned back to look at the container he had assumed was Xingqiu’s.
He opened it up, revealing four delicate jade parcels soaking in a light broth. They looked so innocent, so delicious.
Chongyun carefully picked one up, making sure not to spill, he brought it close to his face and smelled it.
There, he could sense it, the faintest hint of spice, so obscure that most people wouldn’t even be able to tell it was there. But he could; at this point his nose was trained to recognize when his food had… added ingredients.
Chongyun’s face scrunched up, he hadn’t expected them to pull this so soon after the last one.
Wait a minute.
Xingqiu had carrots in his. If he doesn’t know about this, then…
Chongyun thought for a minute.
Usually, he wouldn’t dare. But right now…
…
Chongyun caught himself smirking.
What’s one little practical joke, after all he’s been through?
————————————
Xingqiu came back a few minutes later, proclaiming that he found ‘the best bamboo shoots in all the land’. Chongyun chuckled, Xingqiu could be so childish when he didn’t have to act all formal in front of everyone.
They sat down, conversing about random topics such as Xingqiu’s current writer's block, and whether Chongyun had seen any ghosts recently.
He thought about bringing up his most recent blackout, but he waited until Xingqiu started eating, he was too giddy to talk about it yet.
When it finally happened, Chongyun watched with anticipation. Xingqiu lifted his chopsticks, clanging them together before scooping up a jace parcel and bringing it up to his face.
Chongyun tried not to stare, but it was hard not to take his eyes off him. He needed to see his reaction.
The parcel hung lazily close to Xingqiu’s mouth, glistening in the sunlight. He opened his lips, gracefully edging it past his teeth and onto his tongue, before biting down, splitting it in half and letting the juices gush into his mouth
Xingqiu was fine for the first few seconds, chewing his food, blissfully ignorant of what was in store for him.
Chongyun heard the moment that changed, the subtle crunch. The mood very suddenly shifted, there was an eerie stillness.
Then he chewed again, and again, there was another crunch and another. Chongyun glanced at him, holding in his bubbling glee as Xingqiu’s face went dark.
Despite himself, Xingqiu continued chewing the parcel until he finished, swallowing with a great effort.
The pained expression it left on Xingqiu was enough to push Chongyun over the edge; he burst out laughing, snorting as Xingqiu turned to him with a deadly look on his face.
“W-wait—!” Chongyun managed to get out through his uncontrollable giggling, “I can explain—!”
There was a loud thud and Chongyun suddenly found he had been tackled to the ground, heaviness weighing down on him. Chongyun felt Xingqiu’s body heat lapping at his skin as the boy stared down at him with an almost fiery look.
“Did you do this?” He demanded. “I can’t believe you…! You—“
“—Now wait a second!” Chongyun quickly interrupted, “Xiangling was the one who did it! I just… helped it along—”
Xingqiu growled, pressing Chongyun slightly further into the ground, exposing him to more of his body heat.
“…And—and I was just getting back at you for what you did!”
Xingqiu suddenly stopped, he actually looked confused.
Chongyun blinked. “The gift you sent me, remember? You left it at my house.”
He could see the recollection spark in Xingqiu’s eyes. “Oh! Yes I do remember that, I had prepared it in haste, as I was terribly busy that evening, but I wanted to give you a…” Xingqiu trailed off when Chongyun stared at him with an accusing gaze.
“I hope you know that gift knocked me out for about twelve hours, and then I woke up with a massive headache,” he said, frowning disapprovingly.
Xingqiu looked shocked, “Oh no, Did I harm you? I didn’t mean to…I knew I shouldn’t have added so many peppers…”
His eyes were apologetic, and Chongyun was just a little surprised he cared this much.
“No no, I’m fine now,” Chongyun assured, “It was mostly because I was really tired anyway… I just wanted to let you know so you don’t make it as potent next time.”
Xingqiu nodded. “I promise I will not make that mistake again, I did not wish to cause you that much suffering.”
“…Y’know, not adding any spice to my food ever again would also save me a lot of suffering—“
“Not a chance.”
“…Figured…” Chongyun pouted.
Xingqiu chuckled lightly before falling silent.
Neither of them knew what to do after the conversation ended, so they just sat in awkward silence, Chongyun still being pinned to the ground.
For some reason, Xingqiu didn’t move. He stayed on top of him, silently gazing into his eyes.
As the silence grew, so did the tension; their positions didn’t help either. Chongyun could see a dusting of light pink begin to form around Xingqiu’s cheeks, and he could feel his own temperature growing as his heart rate sped up.
At this point he was probably an embarrassingly deep shade of red, but he ignored it, right now he couldn’t focus on anything other than the beautiful golden color lining Xingqiu’s face. The sun was setting, it was getting late and they had to go soon. But they couldn’t move, it was like they were stuck in time, in this one, fleeting moment where everything in the world was perfect.
Chongyun breathed in cool air. He lifted his hand up, slowly, as if moving too fast would scare him away somehow.
His hand reached Xingqiu’s hair, and he began stroking it, gently, smoothing it out in places where it got tangled.
Xingqiu ever so slightly leaned into it, not taking his gaze off him.
He caressed the back of his neck, almost massaging it, causing Xingqiu to snap his eyes shut as he let out an involuntary sound of contentment.
Xingqiu’s cheeks were now stained with a dark pink, the color splashing all the way to his ears. And although his heat increased, Chongyun felt the burning sensation turn into a pleasant sort of warmth, the kind one could only find when they truly, deeply loved something with all their heart.
Xingqiu’s body slowly lowered until he was fully resting on Chongyun’s chest. He was overly sensitive to the boy’s movement now; every shift sent a hot shiver down his spine.
Chongyun swallowed, this moment would definitely be burned into his memory for the rest of his life, the scene was so intense, so…intimate.
They stayed like that for a long time.
————————————
Chongyun had been the first to awaken, the first to realize that they had slept the whole night in the middle of a forest, and the first to discover that they were cuddling, with Xingqiu having sprawled out on top of him.
His breathing was so delicate, so soft, his face was completely relaxed against Chongyun’s body. It was such a beautiful sight that Chongyun wished they could stay like this forever. But he knew they needed to hurry back, especially Xingqiu. Who knows what his family might’ve done due to his absence.
He’d probably get punished for this.
Chongyun felt a small twinge of guilt, knowing Xingqiu could be punished because of him was an unpleasant thought. He stared down at the boy, hesitating. He really did not want to disturb this peaceful moment.
After a few seconds of contemplating, he decided that staying here a little longer wouldn’t hurt and promptly slumped back down under his weight.
It was funny, this is like one of those cliche forbidden romance tropes in the books Xingqiu loves to read. The couple runs away from home into the forest, where they fall asleep together in each other’s arms, away from all their family and financial troubles.
He always wondered whether Xingqiu’s family would even let him date Chongyun, after all, it’s not like he’s some rich, important figure. He’s just a guy trying to make a steady living off of exorcism.
But after today, Chongyun felt that he would do anything to be with Xingqiu, even defy his parents, no matter how scary that sounded.
…If Xingqiu wanted to, of course.
Actually, he didn’t really get confirmation on this…idea. This idea that they could be together, that they could work as more than friends. And that… that scares him.
Chongyun is afraid. Afraid of getting burned.
…
Chongyun was so caught up in his worrying he didn’t realize that Xingqiu had already awoken until he felt a subtle shift in movement followed by a sleepy hum.
“…Chong…yun…?”
Chongyun swallowed when he heard that. Xingqiu’s voice was low and raspy, the fog of sleep still weighing him down as he looked up at Chongyun, half lidded eyes dark.
“Where…”
Xingqiu’s eyes suddenly stretched wide, he looked down where their bodies met, at his hand that wove around Chongyun’s figure. Xingqiu looked back up, meeting Chongyun’s eyes as if asking for confirmation this was real.
“Ahah… Guess we got a little carried away there,” Chongyun chuckled nervously. “We uh… we better get going now, sleeping the night in a forest was probably not the best—“
Chongyun tried to wiggle out from under Xingqiu’s weight, but was interrupted by a hand clasping at his cheek.
He went rigid, the sudden heat pulsing onto his face stunting any thoughts he had. Xingqiu’s gaze softened to an impossible degree, and Chongyun knew he could melt under it.
“Stay.”
That was all it took for him to lose all self control.
It was like his body moved on its own, leaning forward to catch the others lips in his in one gentle motion. Xingqiu swallowed down a surprised yelp before immediately returning it.
Xingqiu’s lips are soft like velvet, was Chongyun’s immediate thought. He reached a hand up to Xingqiu’s hair, threading his fingers through it and listening to all the little sounds Xingqiu made.
It was such a soft kiss. It was all that a first kiss should be — soft and loving and slow and yet despite that, Chongyun felt sparks at the contact, liquid fire shooting up his veins. It was almost too much.
Chongyun began to feel almost intoxicated by it; how their mouths swayed and brushed against each other. His body seemed to be soaking up every last drop of heat it could obtain from Xingqiu’s figure, causing him to burn up in a strangely pleasurable way. He could barely think straight.
Perhaps it was instinct that guided him to pull the other closer, deeper.
It was not enough.
Chongyun caught Xingqiu’s moan between his lips as he jerked his hips up into him. The boy pulled away, gasping for air.
“—Chongyun!” Xingqiu exclaimed, lightly slapping him across the chest.
Chongyun — too dazed to feel embarrassed — held in a giggle. “S-Sorry Xingqiu, I just—“
“You’re so undignified!” Xingqiu’s face scrunched up in an angry pout, his face so red it rivaled the jueyun chillies he’s so familiar with.
Chongyun smiled, lazily pulling the boy closer despite his feeble protests. He pressed their foreheads together, reveling in the addicting warmth radiating off the others skin.
“You’re so warm Xingqiu,” he sighed, feeling his breath bounce off the others face and back onto his own. A shiver ran through him as Xingqiu connected their lips once again.
“You’re such an idiot,” Xingqiu whispered against his mouth. Chongyun chuckled breathily.
Xingqiu placed a final peck on Chongyun’s lower lip before slowly pulling away, Chongyun letting out a disappointed huff at the loss of contact.
The boy clicked his tongue as he completely pulled off of him. “One must learn the art of patience before one can reap the rewards,” he said, still entirely red; even so, he harbored a slightly smug look that was not completely lost to Chongyun even through his almost drunken state.
This time it was Chongyun’s turn to pout, “So unfair…”
Xingqiu’s grin only grew. “Don’t fret my dear Chongyun. We’ll have plenty of time to continue this later. Right now though, we should probably get going,” he looked up at the sky, the sun already almost at its highest point.
“…Yeah… guess you’re right…” he relented, begrudgingly getting up.
Later, His mind churned. They’d continue this later—
A boiling waterfall of heat suddenly seemed to crash down onto Chongyun as he tried to stand up. Shock stunned him for a second, followed by pain. His eyesight had blurred slightly, his muscles went limp, and the sunlight felt like it was pelting his body, sweat trickling down his skin like a colony of fire ants.
Oh. Realization finally dawned on him.
…That’s what I get for ignoring my body temperature.
Chongyun sucked in a burning breath. “…Xingqiu…” he strained, his throat going dry.
Painfully hot tears were already pricking at his eyes. It hurt, it hurt—his body was on fire. He fell to his knees, molten blood rushed to his head. He could barely make out the blurred outline of someone rushing towards him. He flinched as they brushed up against his side, each touch feeling like sandpaper on skin.
“…Ch… on… yu…!”
White ringing in his ears.
“Ar… o..ka… how… d… elp…”
Chongyun mustered up all the energy he had, lifting his arm and pointing to his special pouch.
“Pop…sicle…” he forced out, vision beginning to darken as he felt himself slip farther out of consciousness.
He closed his eyes, too exhausted to keep them open any longer. There was a distant shuffling — a quiet click — an agonizing silence that felt like it lasted hours.
Ice cold mercy was pressed against his lips just as he thought he’d fallen unconscious. Chongyun’s eyes blew wide open, he hastily opened his mouth, relief washing over him in cool waves as he gratefully sucked down the popsicle.
He breathed in the cool air radiating from the stick, his mind slowly clearing as he took in all he could. The melted liquid slid ever so slowly down his throat, coating it in the chilled substance. He swallowed it down and felt a groan of gratification rumble throughout him.
Chongyun was so caught up in his own relief he forgot Xingqiu was even there, at least until the source of said relief began erratically shaking.
He opened his eyes to see Xingqiu’s face buried in his free hand, the tips of his ears a deep scarlet red — perhaps even redder than before. The hand holding the popsicle seemed to be shaking uncontrollably and Chongyun reached up to grab the other’s wrist, steadying it with his own hand.
Xingqiu immediately froze, going so still Chongyun could barely even see his breathing. The boy was refusing to look at him, Chongyun frowned around the popsicle. He tried to speak the other’s name, but all that came out was a muffled mess of wet noise.
“…Th’ingmphhh—!” Xingqiu shoved the pop deeper into his mouth, almost hitting the back of his throat and silencing him immediately.
Chongyun stared, his blurred world started clearing; he could sense his surroundings again, his mind’s fog had almost completely dissipated. Chongyun rapidly blinked the last of his drunken stupor away, dilated pupils slowly returning to normal and—
Mortification.
That’s the only word that could begin to describe what his mind was going through. He felt his cooled sweat stick to his body under his clothes. Saliva at the corners of his mouth dripped down his chin, and he could only imagine what this must look like to Xingqiu.
“C-Chongyun, are you… okay now…?” The boy — still holding the popsicle to his mouth — said, voice wavering with flustered uncertainty. Xingqiu was peering at Chongyun through his fingers, eyes glinting with an emotion Chongyun couldn’t read.
Chongyun nodded dumbly, unable to do anything more.
“Good… that’s…” Xingqiu sighed with clear relief, face relaxing. “I’m glad you’re okay,” he said with a slight smile. “Now I can give you proper punishment.”
“Wha—“
In one gracefully swift motion, Xingqiu let go of the popsicle, stood up, and — carefully — hit Chongyun’s head with the flat of his fist.
“Mmpth…!” Chongyun let out a surprised grunt, and pulled the popsicle out of his mouth. “What was that for??”
Xingqiu shook his head disapprovingly. “You’ve been very bad, Chongyun. You shouldn’t scare me like that!”
Chongyun looked at him, exasperated. He opened his mouth, about to retort with how he wasn’t the only one to blame. But he saw the way Xingqiu’s lips subtly quirked upwards, and decided against it.
Instead, he sighed, attempting to force his wobbling legs up. A hand reached out to him and he looked up.
“Do you need assistance?” Xingqiu offered. Chongyun nodded and gratefully took his delicate hand.
Xingqiu’s hand was warm, so, so warm. Despite himself, Chongyun couldn’t help but lean closer. He couldn’t believe this hand had almost burned him before; now, all this hand radiated was the comfort and care of the boy he loves, fuzzy like a soothing blanket made to keep him safe.
With their fingers interlocked, Chongyun felt his heart skip a beat.
“I’m sorry,” Xingqiu suddenly said, his amber eyes downcast. Chongyun looked at him with surprise as he leaned away, threatening to break their grip.
“For what?” Chongyun’s hold tightened, not letting Xingqiu slip away.
“For…” Xingqiu looked up at him. “For bringing you so much pain.”
Chongyun’s eyes immediately softened. “Xingqiu, that’s not…”
“Was it not I who caused you this pain?” Xingqiu questioned, frowning. “Not just that, the many times where your suffering was purposeful as well.” His grip tightened, before slackening again. “If I really hurt you this much… then why…”
Chongyun closed the distance between them, pulling the other into a tight embrace. Xingqiu squeaked, trying to wiggle out, but Chongyun wouldn’t let him.
“Xingqiu. I’m fine, really. If enduring a bit of headache is what it takes to be with you, then it’s a price I’ll gladly pay.” Chongyun pulled his head back, smiling. “And it’s not just your fault, I’m the one who wasn’t paying attention to my own body.”
Xingqiu opened his mouth to speak, but Chongyun spoke first. “—Oh also, about you ‘causing me suffering on purpose.’ I’ve told you many times, it’s usually pretty tolerable and honestly, it’s not that big a deal. So you shouldn’t worry too much about it.”
Xingqiu huffed out a sigh, a small smile forming on his face. “You always know what to say to me, huh Chongyun?”
Chongyun chuckled. “Well, I at least try my best.”
Xingqiu stepped away from the embrace, still keeping their hands tightly locked. “I am still sorry for the numerous times I’ve inconvenienced you in such a way.” His smile widened. “I suppose this means I’ll have to lessen the amount of chilis in your next dish,” he said casually as if there was nothing wrong with that.
A half sigh half groan escaped Chongyun’s lips, causing Xingqiu to let out a quiet laugh. “There are some things that just can’t be helped. Besides, you said I shouldn’t worry too much about it, no?” He mused, a cheeky grin plastered on his face.
“Oh yeah? Well the next time I put carrots into your food, I’m not gonna be sorry!” Chongyun playfully swiped at him, Xingqiu ducked out of the way and let out a burst of laughter. Warmth swam in Chongyun’s chest at the sight.
“Hey, Chongyun?” Xingqiu said after he calmed down.
“Yeah?”
The smiling Xingqiu suddenly looked very shy, his cheeks turning slightly pink as he looked up at Chongyun. “I um…” he trailed off, clearly struggling with what to say.
It was very rare to see Xingqiu so lost for words, which made Chongyun’s body tense up slightly — with nervousness or anticipation, he couldn’t tell…
“I lo…”
…But no matter what happened to them, he knew Xingqiu would always be there for him. His warm eyes could light up Chongyun’s darkest moments, and everything would be okay.
Xingqiu took in a deep breath, a moment of respite before finally confessing, “I deeply treasure our time together. I wish to spend every day like this, having fun with the one person I…” Xingqiu’s cheeks were now a deep red. “W-What I mean to say is… I really, truly love you, Chongyun.”
Chongyun felt his chest swell a million times over. Hearing Xingqiu himself say that out loud… it lit something inside of him, it was as if lava was pouring out of his heart, threatening to spill out his eyes in the form of tears. It didn’t burn, quite the opposite actually. It felt too nice, and Chongyun had to steady his breathing; slow his melting heart.
A strong, sudden urge to kiss the other had taken over. He caved, pulling in close once again to connect them. This time it lasted for just a moment, a small, seemingly insignificant moment, but it was enough. It was the only way he could truly convey his feelings because despite what Xingqiu said, he didn’t always know what to say. He was left speechless, and this was the only thing he could do.
Then the moment ended, the ghost of the other lingering as each pulled away. It was perfect; he said everything he needed to, and yet…
Embarrassment caught up to Chongyun, blood rushed to color his face pink as he contemplated what he’d done.
“Oh archons, I’m sorry, I should’ve asked…!”
Xingqiu was wearing a wide smile, face still tinted pink and eyes sparkling. “It’s alright,” he huffed a laugh, “I take that as…your answer?”
Chongyun nodded frantically, partially to try to hide his embarrassment.
Xingqiu’s smile grew even wider. “It’s alright dear Chongyun, no need to be shy~” his tone teasing. “After all, we’ve already done this once before!”
Chongyun’s eyes widened, his face turning an even darker shade of pink as he recalled earlier events. “B-But that didn’t count, I… I wasn’t thinking straight at that time and—”
Xingqiu’s devilish little grin held nothing short of mischievous glee. Chongyun hid his face in his hands and he felt his face grow warmer. “You’re not helping,” he groaned.
“I know.” The boy’s laugh was pure, and despite his embarrassment, Chongyun couldn’t help but relax a bit at the sound.
“Alright, alright. We should probably actually get going now, otherwise we might end up spending another night out here,” Xingqiu jokingly said, going over to collect their discarded meal boxes before returning to intertwine their fingers once again.
Chongyun stared into the other’s eyes, and as his warmth spread into his hand, it sparked a certain familiarity that Chongyun has grown fond of. “Yeah,” he said in a simple exhale.
Xingqiu smiled that sweet smile Chongyun loves so much; the one that makes his usually chilled heart find its beat. A smile that could melt even the coldest of souls.
And Chongyun thinks that… perhaps the heat isn’t so bad after all.