𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿, 𝘅𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗾𝗶𝘂

anger [2/5]

A few days after Xingqiu's death, Chongyun hadn't left his bedroom since his return back home. He clenched his jaw numbly. His body was exhausted, he hadn't even spoken to his mom when she walked in to check on him, silently leaving him some dinner on his table. He stared at the floor with tear stained cheeks and unfocused eyes.

Besides, everyone had known about the two being "best friends." They were stuck like glue- attached at the hip. Everywhere Xingqiu went, Chongyun followed. Wherever Chongyun wondered off too, Xingqiu was merely a few steps behind. Chongyun sourly wished they knew Xingqiu was Chongyun's, and Chongyun was Xingqiu's.

But,

He was confused. Why would anyone take Xingqiu away from the world? Rob him of his own breathe and target someone so perfect? Chongyun heard the rumors in sickening details, so sickening he had thrown up after hearing them from his open window. He had closed them, and promptly sobbed on the floor all over again, gripping the floor with no solitude and remorse clouding every thought. Thoughts that were barely coherent anymore.

Apparently they had taken all the mora Xingqiu had on him and sliced his throat with a sword blade from the side. It was a robbery turned murder, they say. What made him wrench even more was the news that it took Xingqiu a long hour to finally bleed to death. He had suffered alone, with nobody to help and nobody to reassure him everything would be okay.

He felt so mad anyone could harm another person for any amount of mora. But he knows why, Xingqiu would defend his honor. He would have fought back without hesitation, and maybe they knew that. Maybe they were just mentally unstable. Or maybe- the world wasn't as docile as Chongyun had thought.

He clenched his fists lightly, a frown tightening on his lips.

Chongyun was never an angry person.

---

"Xingqiu, wait for me!" Chongyun fretted, eyes wide as he ran down the very unstable hill with worry. The abandoned peices of cor lapis and amber protruded out of the earth in either large or small quantities. Chongyun would do his best to avoid falling flat on his face as Xingqiu bounded down the hill with bravery and tranquility. Chongyun felt like baby deer with wobbly legs compared to him. At least his way of wobbling avoided a sharp fate against the rocks, he supposed.

Xingqiu stopped at the bottom, turning around with open arms. "Here!" He called, and Chongyun wondered if he meant to wave Chongyun down- who was just fifteen feet away, or if he wanted to embrace the two. Well, it didn't need much thought anyways because Chongyun had practically flung into Xingqiu's arms. He could've probably imagined how ungraceful that landed, no pun intended. Both of them fell onto the green grass siding the amber path. Xingqiu let out a husk laugh and held the taller in his arms, looking up at him with intelligent, yellow eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Qiu, I didn't-" Chongyun went to sit up, cheeks red with embarrassment. He felt mortified he nearly crushed his boyfriend, but Xingqiu pouts unhappily and grabs his face. "No need to apologize, A-Yun. Lay with me."

Chongyun feels appreciative. Xingqiu always said the right things, even if it was something small to ease the relentless anxiety Chongyun had. Xingqiu softly presses a kiss to Chongyun's forehead. The act of affection is reciprocated with a soft hug.

They spent the rest of that day talking about seemingly everything and nothing at the same time- the clouds passing them as they shares the day comfortably. No work, just valuable time he would cherish forever.

---

A small wrap of knuckles on the door misted away Chongyun's slumber. For a second- his brain was fog. He sat up slightly before the memory of Xingqiu's passing hit him with a hammer. His room was freezing, making him feel even more exhausted. His vision laid haphazardly on the pile of clothes strung across his floor, offering the notion the gift the gods gave him. Was the other "gift" promised to him agony?