Chapter Text
Situated in between the Chenyu and Harbour Districts of the city of Liyue, sat the hospital known simply Bubu, the workplace of many an individual from all over Liyue, though it wasn’t the only hospital situated in the city, although those were lesser known. The Aocang Hospital, for example, though lesser known than Bubu, had many a rumour surrounding it namely that it had been blessed by the very Gods themselves, though that remained to be seen.
Bubu itself was quite large, and Jiaoqiu often found himself getting lost in the long winding halls, containing varying methods of healing, from chemical to herbal. Jiaoqiu, personally, used the latter, as he had always found it easier than figuring out what specific medicines the specific patient would need. Plus, combining different herbs together, also made him feel like some sort of cook, creating a dish of different herbs in an attempt to find something that would work for the patient. A cook had always been his second choice of job after all, and if this was a way where he could experience what cooking was like, then he really wasn’t all that unhappy about the prospect.
His coworker, Baizhu, did a sort of hybrid of the two styles. Jiaoqiu had never really sat in on a session of Baizhu’s, not that he would really need to anyways, as he had his own patients to deal with, but he was curious about how he did things, especially with that snake of his. Baizhu claimed that she was a service animal, but Jiaoqiu couldn’t honestly think of what a snake could even provide, service-wise, besides companionship, but Baizhu didn’t really seem like he needed all that much companionship, when he had the snake, especially one as vocal as Changsheng was.
Though it would only come out as a series of hisses, Changsheng always seemed like she had something to add to the conversation. Charming, in a way, Jiaoqiu thought with a smirk, but also probably wholly annoying. But, he wasn’t the one who had to deal with the snake, so he supposed that was good.
Jiaoqiu turned his gaze from the blurry entranceway of his office, to his pristinely clear phone and noticed the series of messages he’d received while he’d been dealing with a patient, a Vidyadhara, not unlike Lingsha, with a gaping wound in his head, as if he’d just survived an assassination attempt. The wound itself had already been dealt with by the trauma department, Jiaoqiu’s job had been to administer herbs that could help with pain management and promote healing. Which was nothing that a little bit of Whirlwind Asters couldn’t fix. Putting that from his mind, Jiaoqiu turned his full attention on the messages he’d received.
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Bubus who fix Boo-boos
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Shasha: I still cannot fathom why Baizhu named the chat that.
The Dragon Lady: It’s that child of his I’m sure of it. What’s her name again?
I’m pretty sure it’s Qiqi, and Bailu, aren’t you much more than a child yourself? I really don’t think you have the authority here.
The Dragon Lady: I’m quite sure you’re aware that the lifespan of Vidyadhara is different to a Foxian’s?
Not this again. Anyways, I like the name. It’s silly, and you wouldn’t expect that from a guy like Baizhu. Or, here’s a new theory… what if Changsheng named it?
Shasha: Jiaoqiu- Changsheng can’t talk.
Baizhu seems to think she can, or at least can understand her. It’s really not that far out of a possibility.
The Dragon Lady: I still think it’s Qiqi’s fault. Why else would he use the word ‘Boo-boos’? It’s juvenile
Says who?
Shasha: Anyways, that’s not why I revived this chat. I wanted to give an update on Patient 257. Another trauma victim.
Trauma is quite busy today, what in the heavens happened?
Shasha: Just those Express people getting themselves into trouble again. Spear through the shoulder, the other through the leg, miracle they’re still alive, etcetera.
Two injuries? These people clearly want these two dead, or something along those lines
Shasha: I think it’s just stupidity at this point, if I’m being perfectly honest. Surprisingly enough, one survived the horrors. Which, is a miracle. Also I got some help from
Jiaoqiu blinked as Lingsha abruptly cut herself off, and even Bailu seemed surprised as she sent a message asking why Lingsha had just disappeared. However, Jiaoqiu decided to not dwell on it all that much, as since Lingsha was a part of the trauma department, she likely had to rush off to someone in critical condition, and he wasn’t going to fault her for that at all. Putting away his phone, Jiaoqiu looked once again at the blurry doorframe, and got up, leaving his office. He wandered throughout the hospital, absent-mindedly looking around at the scattered staff. Well, the ones he could see at least, as those further away had just been subjected to being mere blobs of colour. He’d always seemingly been quite bad at seeing things further away, especially since an accident he’d had in his high school days, but it was no matter.
His eyesight was deteriorating, though he hadn’t encountered any optometrist just yet that made glasses specifically for Foxians, so he was left to deal with it
Though anything was better than the Hoolay incident
Jiaoqiu paused as he passed by Baizhu’s office as he could hear the quiet voices of the people inside. Baizhu’s calm voice was comforting one of a deeper timbre. Of things he could make out, he could hear a simple, yet amused, “He’ll be fine, it’s nothing I haven’t handled before. It’s not bad enough for him to be transferred to trauma, so I’ll do what I can for him.” Curiously, Jiaoqiu, curse his eyes, looked over at the slightly open door and all he could see was the green blob of Baizhu’s hair and then multiple blobs of earth tones. So he was seeing a patient. Jiaoqiu was almost curious to scurry over to the door and watch, but he decided against it, it was none of his business anyways.
He continued walking throughout the hospital and eventually reached the staff room, where one could take a break if one needed to, seeing as sometimes, you’d have to go multiple days without sleep should the hospital need it. Jiaoqiu rarely needed to take a break as his workload was fairly light compared to most of his coworkers, and if he ever wanted to, he could take another job if it would be needed, but Jiaoqiu had decided against that in the possibility that his workload would increase. There was always that possibility.
Jiaoqiu walked over to the couch in the staff room and sat down, wrapping his tail around himself. He then got out his phone again and scrolled through all of his chats
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Mo
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If you try to set me up with someone again, I swear I will snuff your light out.
Jiaoqiu paused to chuckle a little at the message from Moze. It was the most emotive that he’d ever seen him, and the threats were never serious, they both knew this, but, teasing Moze was one of Jiaoqiu’s favourite pastimes, as evil as it was. It felt nice to see his friend loosen up a bit, even if it meant embarrassing him to bring out that side of him. Though, ‘setting him up with someone’ was still definitely one of Jiaoqiu’s main goals. Thinking about even made his tail wag a little. Jiaoqiu then scrolled a bit more deep down the list. Feixiao, she hadn’t allowed him to call her a funny name, was talking about how her martial arts classes were going, which was something that Jiaoqiu wasn’t really all that interested in, but she seemed to enjoy it, so who was he to judge?
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Fugue
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Qiu, I think Miko’s friend likes my mother, I’m not sure how I should feel about this. She’s basically my age, Qiu! My age!
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Jiaoqiu’s ears pricked a little at this message. Now that was interesting. He opened the chat with Tingyun, and read the message in full. Though, he couldn’t exactly remember why she had saved herself as ‘Fugue’ as opposed to ‘Tingyun’.
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Well, that’s certainly an interesting development. What makes you say that?
I’m getting vibes. Usually I’d be all for this, I’m usually exceedingly interested in things like this, such as that whole Ms Hina issue. Oh, hey. Did I tell you about the Ms Hina thing?
You told me that she works for your girlfriend, and that’s about it. But oh~? Did you pick up on any juicy news about that? Is that what you’re about to tell me?
It certainly is juicy, you’ll like this one~ So, I was sampling the new Ms Hina tail care product, it makes my tail gloriously shiny! You should use it too, actually, I’ll send you a picture hang on.
[Fugue sent an image]
Okay so here. Anyways, I was sampling it, and Ms Hina came up to me, well Hina’s civillian form, Gorou, and he’s like, how does he deal with this fan of his? And I ask, why, what’s wrong? He didn’t really answer me, but he started blushing? And Qiu, Qiu-
I think someone~ has a crush~
Oh~ now that is quite juicy info, I do thank you, my dear Tingyun 😏😏😏
Though, while we’re on the topic right now… have you found your special person yet? 🧐
Unfortunately no. Though I’m not really actively searching for one, right now I’m more focused on trying to set Moze up with someone before I even start thinking about me.
So you’re still on that little project, huh? Any luck with that? Though maybe I should take a page out of your book and set up Gorou with that fan. Or that poet guy with that detective… man, I just realized there are so many in Inazuma that need someone to play matchmaker it seems…
Oh right I forgot about that, how are you doing over there?
Oh? I’m doing fine, oh you should see the sakuras when they’re in bloom here, they’re gorgeous! They’re a lighter shade than Miko’s hair, but they suit her so well, and not to mention their scent! Their scent is so pretty, I really need to see if they have any perfumes in stock around here that smell like sakuras ‘cause I’d wear that in a heartbeat. Anyways though, I honestly would’ve thought you had met your someone at this point. I like women, but you’re quite the catch, Qiu.
It seems that the universe simply decided that I’d meet my person in the most random of ways, I guess.
Maybe you already have but are too blind to notice?
Nah, I doubt that. My eyesight might be in the gutter, but I’m sure that when I meet him I’ll know immediately.
I’m sure that you will, but I’m really curious to know.
It almost seems like you’re more impatient than me, Ting.
That might very well be true, sorry Qiu 😅
Anyways, I should get back to work, I can’t let myself be too distracted. Not that this conversation has been distracting, but if anything I’m just shirking work at this point, and I really don’t want Bailu breathing down my neck anyways. She’s already kinda pissed at me, so I really don’t want to piss her off anymore.
Oh right, I forgot you’re still at work, I’ll get out of your hair now, but do talk to me if anything changes. Especially regarding anyone special you meet 😏
I highly doubt that I would find them at work, but yeah I’ll definitely update you when that day would just so happen to arrive. I’ll be taking my leave now.
-
Tearing his gaze away from his phone, Jiaoqiu turned his gaze back on the silent Hospital. The quietness was strange, but not unwelcome, and Jiaoqiu could still hear the water dispenser every so often, so it wasn’t that he’d gone deaf. Then, he noticed the blob of colour entering the staff room, and he watched as the blob’s form became more clear and Lingsha revealed herself in her full glory. She looked exceptionally tired, and the scales on her arms were peeling as if she’d washed her hands multiple times on that day alone. Her tired gaze found itself resting on Jiaoqiu, and she almost seemed annoyed. “Might I ask what you’re doing here?” She asked, though her usual snappy tone had been dulled by her tiredness.
“Taking a break,” Jiaoqiu responded simply, smiling at her. “That is what this room is for, isn’t it?” Lingsha groaned and then took the seat beside him, leaning against the back of the chair. “Was trauma really that bad? We’ve barely been here for half a day, and you already look like you want end this life and start a new one.”
“It wasn’t that it was bad, I’m just sick and tired of dealing with stupid people. Usually it’s as simple as idiots shoving things up their rectums and then having to operate to even remove it.” Jiaoqiu flicked an ear.
“Isn’t that the surgeons job? Why go to trauma for that?” Lingsha sat up and gazed at him.
“Tell me Jiaoqiu, where would you go if you happened to shove something made of glass up in there and then it shattered? That’s why you go there, we’d have to patch you up as much as you can. Luckily, nothing today has been quite that ‘exciting’, today was just wounds, they should consider themselves lucky. Luckily, Kokomi decided to help me-“ Lingsha cut herself off and Jiaoqiu twitched an ear.
“Kokomi? The transfer from Inazuma? She’s with the surgeons right? Hm, imagine that, the former warhead turned healer who also seems to be part-fish being with the surgeons… interesting concept.” Lingsha raised an eyebrow.
“She surprised me,” Lingsha admitted after a while. “The way she stitches is sort of elegant, and delicate. With being a former warhead, I really hadn’t expected that. She hums as she works, touching each patient as if their life is hanging by a string, though I don’t doubt being involved in war would do that to a person. Her voice is soft and sweet, and soul-soothing in a way.” Jiaoqiu felt the smirk form without him giving much thought to it, and his eyes grew sly.
“Hm, seems like to me you like her, in a way. If nothing else, you seem to think highly of her,” he said simply, bringing out the fan he hid in his scrubs, to cool him down if his office got too hot. Lingsha blinked at him, but he could see that she’d gone red, despite Vidyadhara generally being coldblooded. Lingsha then pushed him off of the chair and onto the floor.
“I forgot to say, Bailu put you on meeting the deliveries downstairs as we are running low on herbs. I suggest you hop to it, as she is already quite angry at you. Now get out of my sight, it’s my turn to be on break.”
Unable to stop himself from bursting out laughing at the embarrassed look on Lingsha’s face, Jiaoqiu picked himself up off of the floor and left the staff room. Wasn’t that fun? The surgeon and trauma department staff member. It made Jiaoqiu feel a thrill of excitement at the fact he could maybe possibly tease Lingsha as well as Moze when it came to their love lives.
Oh, if only he could experience that too.
Jiaoqiu made his way to the elevators, making sure to avoid every blob of colour along the way, well at least until they came into the cone of his vision that was visible, and clearer so he didn’t bump into them as he walked.
If he could invest in glasses he would
And he’d heard multiple horror stories of Foxians versus contacts.
Glasses were easy, glasses were less of a hassle
The only issue was the structure of Foxians’ ears, namely them being on top of their head, rather than to the side
When Jiaoqiu eventually reached the elevators, he pushed the key for the basement floor, also known as the underground parking lot, and waited for it to arrive. The deliveries came to a different part of the hospital, but it was on the the same level as the underground parking, and so on he went. Eventually, Jiaoqiu reached the basement floor, and he stepped out of the elevator.
The underground was lit only by dying orange lights, basking the floor in a low quality yellowy-orange sheen, in the darkest parts of the underground. It was still light outside, which meant the underground wasn’t as dark as it could be, but it still gave off that abandoned, creepy vibe, especially with how empty it was. The light flickered like an uneven heartbeat, and the echoing noise of delivery vehicles and large boxes made Jiaoqiu jump every so often as he traversed the winding halls, especially with how bad his eyesight was. His myopia was making every step more and more anxiety inducing, as although he knew it was only him and the deliveries, it still kind of made him terrified of being jumped.
It was almost like Hoolay, but also not.
Shaking his head to get rid of the unsettling thought, Jiaoqiu raced toward the literal light of the outside of the underground parking and then hid behind a smaller vehicle, trying to calm his racing heart. He’d only rarely ventured into the underground parking lot, and it certainly wasn’t surprising that this had been the reaction every time. He really shouldn’t feel this way when completing a simple delivery, but his brain had other ideas. It wasn’t his fault, but sometimes it felt like it.
“Can…I help you… doctor..?” A young, feminine voice sounded above him and Jiaoqiu looked up. He hadn’t realized he’d sat down behind the car he found himself at. The young girl looked a little confused and her name tag read ‘Collei’, her shirt reading ‘Gandharva Herbs & Flowers’. “Do I need to call someone?” Collei asked again and Jiaoqiu scrambled to his feet, brushing the dust off of his scrubs, and Collei took a step back, eyeing him with a concerned look on her face.
“Oh, no, no,” Jiaoqiu responded. “I’m just… a little afraid of the dark. I’m fine now.” He looked back at Collei and read the logo on her shirt. “Gandharva Herbs and Flowers, eh? You must be one of the deliveries I’m meant to be taking back with me into the hospital.”
“It’s not even that dark-“
“Never mind that! I have a task that I have to complete. So, I ask again. Are you one of the deliveries I’m meant to be taking? We are in need of herbs and flowers.” Collei gazed at him curiously.
“Well, yes, but Mr. Tighnari usually deals with the nitty-“
“Collei, I’ve told you a hundred times, it’s just Tighnari.”
A voice.
Jiaoqiu’s ears pricked suddenly, swiveling around as he tried to find the source of the voice. The voice was exasperated, and little annoyed. It sounded… nice, and it caused Jiaoqiu’s heart to leap a little in his chest. The voice had that specific parental exaggerated tone to it, as if the owner saw Collei as his daughter. Jiaoqiu couldn’t really see anyone despite Collei, except for a growing blob of black and blue, the same colour was the uniform Collei was wearing. Then… the Foxian entered Jiaoqiu’s clear vision.
Jiaoqiu let out an involuntary gasp
Collei shot him a look before turning her own gaze on the Foxian.
His fur was black, save for the dyed bits of green hugging the edges, and his skin was tanned. He was wearing the same uniform as Collei with all the same bells and whistles, though his ears were folded against his head under the hat that adorned his head. His tail was quite thin, and less fluffy than Jiaoqiu’s own, and it sported a green tail tip. His eyes… oh, his eyes
The palest brown with the lightest speckles of teal, bringing to mind a river cave or even a rocky shorefront.
The Foxian was nothing short of beautiful, and Jiaoqiu suddenly felt shy.
The Foxian turned his gaze on Jiaoqiu, and Jiaoqiu couldn’t deny the spike of anxiety he felt as he gazed at him. “Uh-“ Jiaoqiu cursed himself, before clearing his throat. “I apologize. You see… you see, uh, I’m just here to take the deliveries of yours back into the hospital with me so we can have more herbs and such, that you need, for the Uh- herbal remedy things.” The Foxian’s ear twitched before he chuckled lightly.
“Well, these herbs can certainly help with the ‘herbal remedy things’, as you so eloquently put it,” he joked, and it could almost rival Jiaoqiu’s own jokes. “Do you need anything specific?”
“No I don’t really need any specific, but we do need herbs, so anything will do.” The Foxian nodded and then turned to one of the boxes on the floor. “I’m Jiaoqiu, by the way. Doctor.. Jiaoqiu, if you’d prefer.” The Foxian’s ear twitched, and he looked upward.
“I’m Tighnari, though, you probably heard that from Collei, my apprentice,” he said with a smile, and Jiaoqiu finally felt himself calm down.
“Yeah, I did. She mentioned that you do the nitty gritty of the delivery exchange or whatever. And well, since you’re here now, I suppose we can get ahead with that. I probably have patients waiting for me anyways, and I don’t really want to keep them waiting, you know?”
“I get that, totally,” Tighnari agreed, getting out a clipboard. He seemingly checked it over for a bit, before handing it to Jiaoqiu. “I just need you to sign this, that way I can hand this over to you and be on my way.”
Their fingers brushed, and Jiaoqiu felt heat rush into his cheeks.
Aeons above, he’d just met this guy!
Ignoring that, Jiaoqiu signed his name on the clipboard before pausing. “Hm, you probably don’t know what those characters are, let me just write it in Common as well…” he said this mostly to himself, and then gave Tighnari the clipboard back. Tighnari gazed at the clipboard for a bit.
“Jiao…qiu. Jiaoqiu,” Tighnari murmured. “Good to know I’ve still got it, I guess.” He smiled at Jiaoqiu, and Jiaoqiu blinked.
“You know Liyuean?” Tighnari looked up at him, and nodded.
“A bit. I can’t write it, but I can read it and even speak it a bit, I guess? Though, I’m not all that good at it.” He shrugged. ‘Much better in Sumeran. But can speak Liyuean. A bit, not good though.’ Tighnari looked at him. “How did I do?”
“Let’s just say that you certainly sound like Liyuean is your second language,” Jiaoqiu teased, and Tighnari deadpanned. “What possessed you to learn Liyuean though? I’m a native speaker and even I know it’s difficult to learn.”
“At the Akademiya they force you to learn a second language, I chose Liyuean because we border each other. It seemed the most convenient.” Jiaoqiu let out a little laugh.
“Well, even if you’re not very good, you could still hold a conversation in Liyuean if need be.” Jiaoqiu smiled, ‘Take it from me, it may end up disjointed, but I understood you well enough, so I’m sure being around here might help you with that.’ Jiaoqiu said this all in Liyuean, just to see if Tighnari could understand it at all.
‘Thank you, Jiao. Sorry, don’t know second half just yet,’ Tighnari responded after some deliberation, or maybe simply just trying to figure out what he said. Jiaoqiu, however, smiled at the unintentional nickname, feeling a warm sensation to spread throughout him.
“You can call me Jiao if you want,” he said with a smile. “But if you are curious…” Jiaoqiu smiled at him. ‘The second half is Qiu. Jiao. Qiu. Jiaoqiu.’
‘Jiaoqiu.’ Tighnari smiled. “Okay I think I’ve got it now.” He then seemingly got an idea. “This is against protocol, but, may I have your number? You could help me pronounce things correctly.” Jiaoqiu felt himself blush, but it wasn’t from embarrassment, more so shyness at the prospect, but the idea filled him with a burst of excitement he couldn’t hide.
“Of course, that seems like a great idea.”
And so the two exchanged numbers, Jiaoqiu going home at the end of the work day all smiles and freaking the fuck out of Moze as he stumbled into their shared apartment, smiling at the new contact in his phone…
Nari
~
Fugue
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Tingyun, forgive the pun, but I’m cooked.