My Idol (Xingyun)

Chapter 7: Concert Tickets

Hey besties! If you've made it this far, I love you *kith kith*

Also, the pic shows what Xingqiu's style is like, if that makes sense ;-;

Song: Dimple by BTS
Art: @SpacePenguin10

-

Hu Tao and Xiangling were planning something. Chongyun didn't know what, but they were.

Their side glances and quiet snickers told him everything.

It was the day after Chongyun had snuck out and he had been getting constant calls from his mom and even some from his dad.

Hu Tao said not to answer them and he understood why. His mom would go into banshee mode and scream at him like there was no tomorrow. Chongyun shivered at the thought.

Right now, the boy was just sitting on the porch of Hu Tao's house, watching cars go by. He didn't really know what to do today. Again, he didn't have any classes, but the girls did.

They had left not long ago, snickering and glancing at each other.

It unsettled Chongyun.

Hu Tao's dad was nice about him staying over for a few days, Xiangling had informed him about his situation and was glad to house him for a while.

Suddenly, Chongyun's phone pinged.

He picked it up and walked inside, not wanting to stay outside any longer.

Looking at the screen, he saw a notification from Facebook.

Opening the app, he saw Xingqiu had posted something. He went to his page and saw a new photo.

It was of him smiling and holding up a peace sign with a girl behind him.

She was wearing red and her hair was in ponytails.

The description said "Making a new song! Better be ready for this one with Xinyan! Love all of you ❤️"

Chongyun didn't know who Xinyan was, feeling slightly jealous.

Hold on. Wait wait... why was Chongyun feeling this way? He shouldn't be. Xingqiu had his own love life.

But then was the reading he read about him being gay fake? Chongyun was super confused so decided to look this Xinyan girl up.

Turns out she was another idol from somewhere north of Liyue Harbor who was also around the same age.

Xiangling and Hu Tao would be back soon. Chongyun had spent a little over an hour scrolling through this phone looking at Xingqiu's page. To say he was excited for the new song was an understatement.

He really did like Xingqiu didn't he? Chongyun couldn't really comprehend it yet, but it kind of made sense.

There was a knock at the door, so Chongyun went to open it.

"Hey bestieeeee!" Hu Tao said. Bestie? That was new.

"Uh hi." Chongyun said plainly, accepting the hug from the shorter girl.

"Heyo! Imma go cook some dinner for us, I'm hungry!" Xiangling said, hugging Chongyun briefly and then brushing past to prepare for the meal she was going to make.

"Okay! Let's watch a movie after dinner and make popcorn and get a lot of snacks." Hu Tao said, slinging at arm around the tall boy.

"Didn't we do that yesterday?" He asked. "Mhm! And we're gonna do it AGAIN. So suck it up buttercup, cause we're going to have another movie night!" She walked over to the couch. "And help me build a fort too, you big, strong man."

"I'm not that tall." Xingqiu is taller... He was about to say but stopped quickly himself. He really needed to stop thinking about him. It was getting a bit overwhelming.

His face was probably super flushed because Hu Tao smirked at him, probably reading his mind somehow. That only made his blush more.

"What are you looking at?" He asked, trying to play it off as if nothing happened.

"I heard that-"

"NO YOU DID NOT!" Chongyun said a little bit to loudly.

"Mhm... okay simp."

"What even is that, Hu Tao?" He asked, slightly confused. She had said that to Xiangling when she started gushing about some guy she had met on campus.

"Oh, nothing..." she dragged out the 'ing'.

They started to build their fort, bickering about nonsense. They made sure to leave enough room for the three of them including snacks and bowls of popcorn.

"NO! Leave the blanket there and take that pillow and- NO, CHONGYUN YOU DUMBASS!"

He winced at the cuss word, Hu Tao whispering a quiet apology, going up to the boy and hugging him.

"Sorry..." she said again. She knew how he was about swearing.

His father had been an alcoholic before he quit about 2 years ago after his mother threatened to divorce him. He would swear and be violent when he was drunk. Some nights his mother wouldn't be home to protect him, so he'd get hit.

He had never told his mother or father about it, worrying it would trigger something and they'd start fighting again.

"It's fine... Don't worry, I'm over it." He said, hugging her back. The truth was, he wasn't. Sometimes he'd get nightmares, but not as often now.

"No, you're not." And Chongyun sighed. "Sometimes I wonder how you know me better than I know myself."

Hu Tao squeezed him and apologized again. "Let's get back to building. Dinner should be ready anytime soon." She said.

"Guys! Dinner's ready!" Xiangling called from the kitchen.

"Speak of the devil." Hu Tao and Chongyun said it unison, laughing soon after.

As the chef was putting the plates on the table, Chongyun and Hu Tao raced.

"Geez, calm down. I know my cooking is superb, but chill. There's enough for everyone." Xiangling said, putting her hands on her hips.

It was silent for a moment, but laughter broke out a second later.

As dinner started, they all laughed and chatted about random things, Chongyun dodging questions about Xingqiu at all costs. He didn't want to be as red as a tomato by the end of the night.

Dinner finished quickly, Chongyun and Hu Tao were profusely thanking their best friend for cooking so they didn't have to. But they all knew that they could not cook to save their lives. At most Chongyun could make cereal. Hu Tao was a different story.

They finally plopped down in the fort and picked a movie, after much arguing.

-

It was around twelve o'clock by the time the movie was over. Snacks and popcorn all eaten and bits and pieces scattered the floor.

"Oh yeah! We forgot to tell him!" Hu Tao said excitedly to the girl beside her.

"Right! Okay." She looked over to a sleeping Chongyun. They shook him awake, very violently I might add.

"Hm? What?" Chongyun said, sleep heavily laced his voice.

"We have something to tell you!" Hu Tao said, looking over at her friend.

"We... might've bought tickets to Xingqiu's next concert!" Xiangling said excitedly.

He looked at them tiredly, not registering what they had said before freaking out.

"You WHAT!?"

-

Ehe... cliffhanger. I still can't believe all of the reads this book has gotten! I thought this would just be a short story I would eventually take down, but apparently not. Thank you everyone for all the love and support you've given! I appreciate the reads, votes, and comments! They really make my day. Love you all! <3