When Rose's Thorns Attack my Sides (But my Eyes Stay Trained on You) (Xingyun)

Ch. 15

The rain starts to die down to a lighter drizzle by the time they approache the entrance to the grand city, covering the streets and buildings in a glistening cover of rain.

"Hey Chongyun?" Xingqiu asks quietly as if he were scared to disturb any of the sleeping citizens.

"Yeah?"

"Would you mind if I stayed over at your house tonight? I won't be able to take a shower this late at night without my parents finding out I snuck out..."

"You snuck out to see me?" Chongyun asks in alarm. "You could have just told me it didn't work out!"

"Now why would I do that? I couldn't leave my poor exorcist all alone in the rain, could I?" Xingqiu questions, placing a hand to his chest.

Chongyun blushes crazily and stops walking, his hand squeezing Xingqiu's from embarrassment and his lower lip tightening a bit.

Xingqiu knew that look all too well from him, since it usually followed after he asked him to read him any kind of romance novel.

"Y-your...exorcist?" He says in a high voice.

Xingqiu had just meant it as a joke, but he just couldn't resist. "Why yes. Just the same as I am your reader or swordsman?"

Chongyun backs up and waves his hands to cover his embarrassment, his lip tightening more. "I don't think I understand..."

"Just think of it as an endearing title for me to call you. The closer we grow to each other, the more highly I must speak of you. How else will you know how much I l-"

He catches his tongue and bites on it hard, not expecting that word to come out of his mouth. He didn't feel that strongly about him! Even if he did sort of maybe, have a tiny, little...

"Nonononono! Get your mind back on track!"

"-Care about you? Care. About you." He smiles to recover, but it's lopsided and awkward.

"Oh. I guess that makes more sense. It's still a little embarrassment though..." he sighs, the heat draining from his face before he snaps to attention. "Wait a minute, why can't I call you Qiu then? That's an endearing title, right?"

"B-because my parents need me to be presentable at all times in public. Xiangling doesn't call me anything like that either if it makes you feel better."

"That's because Xiangling doesn't have any nicknames for you."

"S-still, if she did I would tell her the same thing."

Chongyun looks at him skeptically before taking his hand again and pulling him off in the direction of his house.

"Let's just get going to my house, my swordsman."

-

When they finally made it to Chongyun's house and Xingqiu was standing on the wet tiles of the bathroom in his friend's room, he finally realized something.

He was showering in his shower.

With his shampoo and conditioner.

And then getting changed into a spare of his clothes.

Xingqiu himself felt like he was going to overheat just from all the realizations at once.

He starts the water and after pouring shampoo in his hand and massaging it into his hair, the scent hits him hard.

Because it smells exactly like Chongyun.

He blushes and bites the inside of his cheek while he rinses it out and tries to ignore how flustered he already is, quickly stepping out of the shower after he's done and drying his hair.