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Chongyun shivers, the chill of Dragonspine slowly making its way through his entire body. Whenever he walked through the serene paths of dragonspine his mind was at its clearest. The cool fresh air of Dragonspine did not contain the loud bustling sounds that Liyue Harbour did. He enjoyed the tranquil and quiet walks, void of stimulants that could overwhelm him. He did not mind having to fight the occasional hilichurl.
Today he was particularly overstimulated after a certain situation he was forced into by his blue-haired friend. He had drowned all the sounds around him, making his way to the frosty waters. He knew that soaking himself in the cold waters was not a good thing for his body after the numerous fevers he has had to suffer. He didn't care much for it though. The waters of the frost-filled mountain always had a way of cooling him down from overstimulation, clearing his head of the memories of bygones.
His breath hitched, the coldness of the water enveloping his body, his mind immediately clearing itself. He closes his eyes to savour the moment, not thinking of anything in particular. He slowly lets the sounds of nature fill his ears again, the falling snow calming him even more. With all the calmness he feels, he nearly slips into his world of dreams. He knows it's not good to stay in the water for a prolonged time, remembering to time himself.
Amongst the soft sounds of snow rabbits Chongyun can make out the sound of footsteps that sound too heavy to be that of a passive animal, yet too light and planned out to be that of a monster. He slowly opens his eyes again, looking at the ground in front of him. He sees a pair of shoes not normally seen in Liyue and guesses it to be someone from Inazuma. He does not look up, the sense of a gaze on his body makes him feel uneasy.
"You seem to be aware of the dangers of the mountain, yet you still find pleasures in the unforgiving waters of Dragonspine. I watched as you hiked up this mountain with no care for the cold that surrounded you. If you don't mind my inquisitiveness, may I be so bold as to ask why you do this?" The stranger comes to a stop in front of him, interest filling his voice.
Chongyun doesn't look up at the stranger and instead moves towards the end of the lake, keeping a moderate distance between the two. The stranger seems to acknowledge this and moves away from the other's belongings, Chongyun muttering a near-silent thanks. He puts the clothes that are now soaking and frigid on the ground next to him, leaving him in his undergarments. Chongyun could hear the footsteps moving, presumably to a more comfortable spot that did not leave them vulnerable to the unforgiving temperatures.
The stranger who had approached him did not seem to mind the silence he was greeted with, making it appear as if patience was a skill he had mastered. Chongyun thinks for a while, his thoughts and sensations steadily returning. He groans as he feels the way his temperature drops, his vision no longer at his side to keep him regulated. He could hear the rustling of the boy who had approached him, unsure of what he was doing. He looked over and saw that he had lit one of the small fireplaces that had been scattered around Dragonspine. The boy made a motion with his hand, signalling Chongyun to come over to warm himself up.
Wary of his inert positivity, he moved closer to a distance that would not affect him too much, but still keep him moderately warm. He notices a slight shift in the boy's aura when he does not fully approach. "My name is Kaedahara Kazuha, but Kazuha is fine as well. May I ask for your name as well?" Chongyun hums, playing with his fingers to distract him from the chills coursing their way through his body. "Chongyun" he replies softly, that word alone seeming to take all the energy out of him. He looks up for a brief moment and sees Kazuha give him a small smile before he lowers his head again.
"If the temperature is a bother to you we can seek refuge in the nearby caves." Kazuha gets up and Chongyun can hear the boy move closer towards him. He flinches, not expecting the other's sudden approach. Kazuha notices this and moves back to the place he had been seated moments before. Chongyun nodded his head in reply to what Kazuha had said, making a move to pick up his clothes and discard claymore. "If my presence is a bother to you, I would not want you to put up with it and would rather leave you to your own. Yet I'm afraid that you might collapse the moment I leave."
Chongyun frowns, he knows he may not be in prime condition, but he is not so weak that a fever that has not yet raged would cause him to fall. He still shakes his head as if to say that the company of the other is not entirely unwelcome. "Ah, I did not mean that as an insult, my apologies. Would you like me to carry your luggage for you?" Chongyun looks down at the clothes in his hand, the claymore having long since returned to the subspace where it always rested. For a reason he did not want to admit, the clothes in his hands had started weighing down on his strength.
He nods his head, the shallow steps of the boy approaching him. His body, now more sensitive to touch than before due to the intensifying fever, flinched when Kazuha had taken the clothes from him. Kazuha muttered a soft apology, not meaning to startle Chongyun.
"Do you mind if I hold your hand?" Kazuha had noticed the boy was extremely sensitive to touch and did not seem to enjoy it either. Chongyun bit his lip, convincing himself that his condition was only going to worsen from now and that it would not matter if he had a small bit of contact for a short while. He nodded his head, allowing Kazuha to whisk him away, swiftly avoiding any dangers they would have come to face. When he stole another glance at Kazuha's face he noticed a slight frown, maybe the heat radiating from his hand was bothering him. Chongyun decided to not think about it, mind going into a haze from the bland scenery moving past him.
By the time he had regained his train of thought and his vision cleared, he was laid on his side on something soft. A small fire burned close to him, and although this would cause his excess of positive energy to reign uncontrolled on a normal day, he did not feel like doing anything out of the ordinary like he usually would in that situation. His body was already much too occupied with the fever that had unleashed its wrath.
He let out a shaky breath as his body ached with every move. He could hear the light sound of footsteps approaching him as he sat up to assess everything around him. "How are you feeling?" He had nearly forgotten that Kazuha had been the one to bring him to this temporary haven. He shook his head, not being able to muster up the energy to finally talk to Kazuha.
With his eyes fixed on the fire in front of him, he let out the coughs that had been trying to push their way out of his body for the past few minutes. Kazuha moved closer, worried for his new companion. Noticing that Chongyun was no longer as wary of him, he moved to sit close to the boy, still respecting his boundaries and keeping a modest distance between the two.
Kazuha observed Chongyun as he moved, taking note of the way the boy moved in a way that indicated the pain he was in, the way the haze in his eyes would periodically clear before returning and the way he would reach to close his ears from time to time, the sounds of the snow outside become too heavy, overwhelming him. Kazuha took in all these little details. His interest was piqued the moment he laid eyes on the boy for the first time in that lake.
Chongyun was slowly losing his ability to sit up straight, the pain in his muscles not only from the fever, but his intense training earlier in the day, became intolerable. Kazuha moved closer and at that moment guided Chongyun to rest his head in his lap, not knowing what had suddenly gotten over him. Chongyun did not protest, the touch of the other more comforting than he had expected. He had not felt this peaceful in a long time. When he was with Kazuha it felt as if most of the things that bothered him would disappear for that short time.
He did not despise the contact like he did with others, he enjoyed it. This feeling was foreign to him, almost overwhelming to a point. Kazuha noticed the slight agitation of the boy and shifted his position to a more comfortable one. He let his hand brush through the boy's hair, coercing him into a slumber to get some much-needed rest.
Fighting the strong temptation to close his eyes and accept the embrace of sleep, he opened his eyes to look at Kazuha's face for the first time since they had met. His breath was taken away, he had never met someone so charming and bewitching before. In that moment he had felt truly content, all his worries and burdens washed away. He closed his eyes, the image of Kazuha smiling down at him still fresh in his mind. Without thinking it over he muttered out a praise to the beauty he had witnessed.
"You're the most beautiful and charming person I've ever met."
Kazuha smiled sweetly and the boy resting below him, reaching down to give him a smell peck on the cheek.
Chongyun hoped with all his heart that when he awoke the boy would still be by his side and that he would not forget the events of what had gone down. He did not want to forget that peaceful smile and eyes that beamed with happiness staring down at him. Chongyun had finally let the embrace of sleep welcome him with its open arms, a small almost unnoticeable smile gracing his face for the first time that day.