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Xingqiu closed his eyes, listening to the birds chirping and the soothing crash of waterfalls. He took a breath of fresh air, savoring this moment of peace.
“ It was a good idea to take the long route. I needed this. ” Xingqiu thought. Although Liyue Harbor was a lovely place to live, like any town or bustling area, it can get suffocating.
So when Xingqiu’s father asked him to transport goods from Yilong Wharf back to Liyue Harbor, he didn’t hesitate.
Due to the distance, he didn’t get a lot of time to explore the northern part of Liyue as much as the southern part. He’s only visited a few times, yet every time, the view always astounds him. “ It’s as if every perspective is a painting; a masterpiece of art that you can’t tear your gaze away from, ” Xingqiu had said to Chongyun one day.
Speaking of the exorcist; he too played a factor in Xingqiu accepting his father’s offer so hastily.
“Chongyun, look at this note that was left on the Yilong Wharf message board! One of the guild’s travel officers gave it to me when he returned from Chenyu Vale. You should check it out.” Xingqiu said, holding out a note explaining a demon sighting, barely able to keep a straight face as he saw Chongyun’s eyes sparkle with excitement. Chongyun took the note, reading over it. “Woah, thanks Xingqiu!” Chongyun exclaims, before taking a deep breath. Getting too excited will only lead to trouble or disappointment. “I need to investigate this matter immediately.” Xingqiu stepped closer, raising his eyebrow. “You know, my father assigned a task for me that requires me to go to Chenyu Vale. Maybe I could escort you?” Xingqiu half-asked, half-told. “Oh? When are you due to leave?” Chongyun asked inquisitively, a hopeful shine in his eyes. “The preparations are said to be finalized tomorrow afternoon,” Xingqiu said, to which Chongyun sighed. “I’m sorry, Xingqiu. I have to go to Chenyu Vale as soon as possible to make sure this demon doesn’t hurt anybody.”
Xingqiu was a bit caught off guard, not expecting to be rejected like this. He rubs the back of his head, smiling sheepishly. “Right, of course. I wouldn’t want to waste your time.” Xingqiu says, almost wanting to laugh bitterly at himself at the irony in his words. If only he had waited to tell Chongyun about the “demon sighting” right before he was due to leave. He’ll make a note of that in the future.
“Ah, but maybe I can walk back to Liyue Harbor with you.” Chongyun chimes in, unable to hide the hint of guilt he feels for rejecting Xingqiu. “After the, hopefully, fruitful investigation, I can explore Yilong Wharf until you’re due to return. Then I can join you.”
Xingqiu thought about this for a moment, his tension slowly easing. Of course, besides the extra time he could spend with Chongyun, there was another bonus. “That’s a great idea. Besides, we could use another person to help guard the goods we’re importing from Chenyu Vale.”
Chongyun nods, a smile on his face. “Of course, I’d be happy to help.”
Now, here Xingqiu is. He’s traveling Mt. Mingyuan at a leisurely pace, enjoying the sights as the other deliverers from the guild take the shorter way to Yilong Wharf. Xingqiu insisted that he’d meet them there, and be there in time to help negotiate the exportation fee.
The business and work in general can wait. Right now, he wants to spend as much time as possible procrastina- relaxing.
However, that wish is short-lived as he hears a familiar voice in the distance, bouncing off the rocks.
“Chongyun?” Xingqiu murmurs aloud, making his way towards the sound.
He found himself at a ledge, looking down. Sure enough, he spotted the familiar white clothing and light blue hair a few terrains down.
However, Chongyun wasn’t the only thing he noticed.
Someone was walking beside him.
Curious to know what was going on, Xingqiu took a few big steps back, before running forward and jumping, triggering his wind glider as he did. As he slowly approached, it seemed the two were too engorged in conversation to even notice his presence.
That’s another strange thing; Chongyun is never like that with people he doesn’t know.
Even people he does know.
So how is this allegedly stranger able to get Chongyun to engage with him so easily? What’s going on?
Xingqiu makes sure to keep his distance, not wanting to startle them. His feet gently hit the dirt, barely making a sound.
However, the moment his feet touched the ground, the person Chongyun was speaking with swung around, wielding a claymore and… a mechanical duck? Some kind of bird. Either way, it seems Xingqiu was wrong to presume that they didn’t notice him. Well, Chongyun didn’t at least.
“Huh?” Chongyun turns around. “Xingqiu?” “PERS!” The stranger exclaimed, about to throw the chicken at Xingqiu, but Chongyun stopped him, getting in his way and putting his hands up defensively.
“WAIT! It’s just my friend, Xingqiu!”
Xingqiu finds himself flinching, the close call making him shiver. This stranger was trained and ready to fight, to which Xingqiu had let his guard down. The person next to – now in front of – Chongyun pauses, hesitating before retracting his peacock.
Chongyun turns around, a confused, startled expression on his face. “Xingqiu, how’d you get here? Aren’t you supposed to be at Yilong Wharf by now?” Chongyun asks as Xingqiu hesitantly approaches them, eyeing the stranger as he does. “Kind of. I took a more scenic route. Uhm, who’s this?” Xingqiu asks, referring to the stranger. Chongyun turned back to the stranger, and to Xingqiu’s surprise, the hardcore, well-trained, ready-to-fight man was blushing, looking almost embarrassed. Xingqiu was starting to see why he and Chongyun had hit it off.
“Ahem, of course.” Chongyun clears his throat, trying to regain his composure. “Xingqiu, this is Freminet. Freminet, this is Xingqiu.” Chongyun says, taking a step back so they could have a clear view of one another.
Xingqiu scanned this ‘Freminet.’ “Greetings, Freminet. I’m sorry to have startled you. I meant no harm.” Xingqiu bowed in a greeting, as well as an apology. “You don’t have to do that,” Freminet murmured, averting his gaze awkwardly. “It’s nice to meet you, Xingqiu.”
“Right,” Xingqiu said with a smile, though he had to admit it was partially forced. Something seemed off about this guy and his ostrich.
“Me and Freminet met at Yilong Wharf. I asked him if he had seen any paranormal activity, and he did, so he led me to Jademouth, but I guess I frightened away whatever was there. Despite that, we bonded. We were just on our way to train together. Considering we’re both cryo-vision claymore wielders, we can both learn from each other.” Chongyun said with a smile, almost giddy. Freminet nodded along as Chongyun explained, still refusing to make eye contact with Xingqiu.
“I see. Of course, what else would you be doing other than training?” Xingqiu chuckles sarcastically.
“What were you doing sneaking up on us?” Freminet asked in a quiet voice. He didn’t sound scared; he seemed more cautious.
“Oh, well, I saw you from the trail up the mountain. I didn’t want to scare you, but I guess I failed miserably.” Xingqiu rubs the back of his head sheepishly. “Anyways, I-I guess I shouldn’t distur-” Xingqiu started before his eyes locked onto something on Freminet’s outfit.
“Xing-” “Chongyun, stay back!” Chongyun barely got the first syllable out before Xingqiu jumped into action. In one swift movement, he dashed forward, grabbing Chongyun’s wrist and yanking him behind him, simultaneously unsheathing his sword, and pointing it at Freminet. As soon as Freminet sensed the movement, Freminet himself went into attack mode; or more accurately, sub-nautical mode. He put on his diving helmet, pulling out his claymore, which was afflicted with frost.
“X-Xingqiu, what’s going-?!” Xingqiu held out his hand to silence Chongyun, as well as a gesture of defense.
“Fatui,” Xingqiu said, eyeing Freminet’s Fatui Insignia that was sticking out of his pocket. “What was your plan with my dear Chongyun?! I do not take threats against him lightly.” Xingqiu exclaimed, unable to hide the protectiveness bursting out of him. The thought of this manipulative Fatui agent leading his dear, sweet Chongyun into a trap to do Archons know what with him making him seethe with coldness. “I’ll have you know, I have easily taken down hordes of treasure hoarders and Fatui alike.”
Freminet said nothing, still holding a defensive posture.
“Xingqiu, stop!” Chongyun exclaims. However, Xingqiu didn’t listen. All he could think about was how he could have lost Chongyun. “Let me weave you a verse!” Xingqiu shouts, sending rain blades towards Freminet, who managed to dodge a few, but earned him a few marks. In retaliation, Freminet charged forward. Xingqiu pushed Chongyun further behind him, sending rain blades towards Freminet and attempting to dodge him, however, in his haste, he had forgotten that he had hydro application on himself, rendering him defenseless from being frozen.
Freminet uses his claymore like a bat, throwing his toucan square at Xingqiu’s chest. Xingqiu buckles backward, shielding himself as best as he can from the cryo attack. He’s waiting to freeze, but it never comes. He looks up, noticing Chongyun blocking the attack with his claymore.
“Freminet, wait! It’s just a misunderstanding!”
Xingqiu is about to stand up and aid Chongyun when Chongyun gets knocked down by the force of his defense. Hard. Chongyun’s claymore flings out of his hand, and Chongyun hits the ground.
“You bastar-!” Xingqiu starts but freezes in his tracks.
No, not because of a cryo attack; because Freminet had immediately taken off his diver’s helmet, looking extremely remorseful as he helped Chongyun up. “I’m sorry, Chongyun. I didn’t mean to get so defensive.” Freminet murmurs as he wraps Chongyun’s arms around his shoulder, holding him up by his waist.
Chongyun shook his head, brushing it off and trying to regain his balance. “No, it’s okay. I understand.”
Now, Xingqiu was just confused.
“Hey, get your hands off-!”
“Xingqiu! Stop and listen!” Chongyun exclaims, almost panting. “Freminet is part of the Fatui, but he doesn’t mean me any harm!”
“How can you be so sure?!” Xingqiu asks, looking back and forth between the two, narrowing his eyes at Freminet.
“I… I just know, okay? He doesn’t mean me harm.” Chongyun reiterates. “I was the one who suggested we should train together out here. Now put the sword down.” Chongyun gestures to Xingqiu’s sword.
After a moment of hesitation, Xingqiu finally sheathes his sword, in which Freminet rescinds his macaw.
Xingqiu finally utters: “Give him here. Let’s get him checked out.” Xingqiu said, almost forcefully taking Chongyun’s other arm over his shoulder and holding him by his other side.
Back at Yilong Wharf, Chongyun explained everything he knew to the two about why they were so paranoid and weary of one another while he was being examined.
However, even after everything cleared up, Xingqiu always looked at Freminet with a suspicious look.
It just didn’t sit right with him that he was a Fatui agent.
He noticed Freminet looked at him too with a bit of suspicion, but he knew well enough that their concerns were valid.
Finally, it was time for Xingqiu and Chongyun to depart. Chongyun waves goodbye cheerily to Freminet, to which Freminet gives a soft, but genuine smile and wave back. Chongyun promised he’d return and that they would continue their training.
Before they turned the corner, they noticed Freminet talking to someone.
“Is that…?”
“Gaming?”
Xingqiu and Chongyun said in unison. Gaming looked concerned, holding Freminet’s cheeks in his hands. Freminet seemingly reassured Gaming, to which Gaming smiled brightly, taking his hand and leading him back into Yilong Wharf, talking about some kind of tea.
Xingqiu and Chongyun were at a midway point back to Liyue Harbor when suddenly, Chongyun spoke up.
“Hey, Xingqiu,” Chongyun started. “I know you were pretty presumptuous back there, however…” Chongyun blushes, looking away. “Thank you for… Ah, worrying about me. I’m… I’m glad to know you have my back if anything were to go south.” Xingqiu chuckles, smiling. “Of course. I’m always going to be there for you.” Xingqiu then smirked. He had an idea.
He kissed Chongyun on the cheek, then skipped ahead giddily as they continued their journey, leaving Chongyun bright red and frozen for a whole minute before he finally came realized what had happened.