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Xingqiu awoke to an unfamiliar room in unfamiliar pain. He couldn’t make sense of a single thing, all of his senses completely at a loss. His vision was blurred, hearing muffled, nose devoid of smell and tactile senses fuzzy at best. The only thing that remained was his acute awareness of pain near his abdomen, which radiated a sensation he’d never experienced before. Breathing evenly proved to be quite the challenge. All signs and signals pointed toward unconsciousness being the solution, but Xingqiu forced himself to stay awake. His eyes were gradually focusing on the environment around him, though still blurring in and out at random intervals.
He was laying on some sort of cushioned surface, a couch, perhaps? The room he was in was exceedingly brown, with accents of gold and the occasional red or orange. There was a desk, a few overflowing bookshelves, and a window that provided enough light to fill the entire room. Based on that, it had to be either mid-morning, or some time in the afternoon. Xingqiu couldn’t deduce anything from his circadian rhythm.
Slowly, methodically, the Hydro Allogene attempted to sit up, but his pain fought for control. It pulsated with intense heat, flushing Xingqiu’s face and causing his entire body to break out in a strained sweat. One minute, it would feel like he was burning up from the inside, the next like he were plunged into a frigid lake. Even so, he did not stop.
He was about halfway through his process, body propped up on his elbows, when a head suddenly appeared from over the edge of the couch. Icy blue eyes widened and the rest of the person’s body scrambled upright.
“Xingqiu! You’re awake!” Chongyun gasped excitedly. The exorcist’s eyes darted over Xingqiu’s body and he quickly placed a hand under the Hydro user’s back as support. Thanks to Chongyun’s support, Xingqiu was able to sit up fully, much to the discomfort of his wound. He let a mask of composure slip over his features and faced Chongyun with a small smile.
“Hello,” he said simply.
“Archons, I’ve been so worried. How are you feeling?” Chongyun asked.
“I’m fine,” he replied on instinct. Clearly, Xingqiu was very not fine, but Chongyun was exceedingly gullible.
The exorcist’s face scrunched up. “You don’t look fine. Does it hurt that bad? I can go find Mr. Zhongli or Dr. Baizhu if you’d like.”
Xingqiu recoiled a little at the mention of those names. “Mr. Zhongli? Dr. Baizhu? Where are we?”
“Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. I brought you here after you were injured in that fight against the Abyssal monsters.”
Xingqiu couldn’t help but laugh. “You brought me to Wangsheng instead of Bubu Pharmacy? Did you need Hu Tao to bring me back from the dead?”
“No! I just…wasn’t thinking clearly. I brought you to Mr. Zhongli because I didn’t know what kind of injury you had…” Chongyun looked away, embarrassment and anger fighting for control of his expression. Guilt bloomed in Xingqiu’s chest. He decided to switch tactics, even though getting Chongyun flustered was always fun.
“Okay. But Dr. Baizhu did arrive eventually?”
“Yes. Hu Tao went and got him.”
“That’s something you don’t see every day. I’m assuming that interaction didn’t go so well.”
“I wouldn’t know,” Chongyun confessed, leaning on the arm of the couch, “I passed out pretty much right after they were done with your initial treatment.”
Now it was Xingqiu’s turn to be worried for his friend. “You did? Are you feeling alright?”
Chongyun smiled. “Just tired. Are you sure you don’t want me to go get Mr. Zhongli or Dr. Baizhu? They should probably know that you’re awake.”
“Maybe in a few minutes,” he acquiesced, “I still have some more questions for you.” Xingqiu fought against the assaulting waves of hot and cold as best he could, and Chongyun seemed to be buying it. If Dr. Baizhu were to enter the room, however, Xingqiu was sure he would call out the Hydro user’s acting immediately. He didn’t want to worry Chongyun any more than he already had.
“I’ll do my best to answer them…” said Chongyun.
“Did Mr. Zhongli figure out what this is?” He gestured to his abdomen, which he only just realized was wrapped in snaking white bandages. His usual outfit was nowhere to be found, and he was instead sporting a pair of loosely fitting pants, and a cropped t-shirt that allowed for easy access to his midsection.
The exorcist stared at the wound. “He said it was a Geo infection. I’m not really sure what that means.”
“Me neither. I’ve never even heard of a Geo infection before…” He hadn’t even been fighting any Geo-aligned monsters before acquiring this wound, if he remembered correctly. How on Teyvat had he procured such a rare infection?
“Mr. Zhongli was able to keep it from spreading. Apparently, someone from Inazuma had written to Dr. Baizhu about dealing with the after effects of a Pyro infection, so he knew how to heal you. I think he said that the person in Inazuma had even been wounded in the same exact spot as you.”
“What a strange coincidence…”
“That’s what I thought, too,” Chongyun laughed lightly. “That was a few hours ago. They allowed me to stay here in case you woke up, but they shouldn’t come back on their own accord for a while.”
“That’s good,” Xingqiu sighed. His friend must have been worried sick, it’s unlike him to talk for this long, even when prompted. He placed a hand on his bandages and fought back a wave of nausea.
Chongyun eyed him suspiciously. “Xingqiu, you really don’t look that good. I’m going to go get Dr. Baizhu.”
“Honestly, I’m fine,” he lied, “There’s no need for any of that.”
“I can tell that you’re lying.”
Xingqiu glared at his friend through his eyelashes. He thought he’d been doing a pretty good job of hiding it… Was Chongyun finally able to see through his schemes?
“If you don’t want Dr. Baizhu to look at it, can I?”
“But, you’re not a healer,” Xingqiu protested.
“That’s true. Dr. Baizhu did tell me that hot flashes are a common symptom of all types of elemental infections, though. He said to try and cool you down if you looked uncomfortable.”
Xingqiu stared at his friend in awe. Where did this sudden maturity come from? “Who are you, and what have you done with Chongyun?”
“I’m just doing what Dr. Baizhu said to do… What’s so strange about that?” Chongyun avoided meeting Xingqiu’s eyes as he knelt next to the Hydro user’s wound. His hands brought a pleasant chill when he placed them over Xingqiu’s bandages, forcing him to relax against his will. Chongyun copied Xingqiu’s signature sly smile. “I knew it.”
Xingqiu scoffed in exasperation. “It looks like I’m finally rubbing off on you.”
Chongyun’s only reply was a dry laugh. After a few moments, he stood, leaving Xingqiu missing his personal ice-pack as soon as their contact was severed. “I’m going to go get Dr. Baizhu. I’ll be right back, okay?”
“Okay,” Xingqiu nodded. As his friend exited the room in a trail of barely noticeable frost, Xingqiu wondered just how badly he’d scared the exorcist, especially if it made him act like that…
In his momentary solitude, Xingqiu made a vow to never cause Chongyun to act like that ever again.