chrysanthemums - xingyun

burning lanterns

Chongyun fidgeted with his vision while glancing at his watch. 8:00 PM. He sighed and leaned against the railing behind him. Around him, there were dozens of street vendors setting up booths and performers having last minute rehearsals. The sun had already set, and hundreds of lanterns kept the harbor glowing. Giggling children rushing past Chongyun tripped him and almost made him tumble to the ground.

With every minute that passed, Chongyun's anxiety only grew. He was planning meeting Xingqiu for a date at the festival. That is, if Xingqiu even showed up like he was supposed to quite a bit ago.

Chongyun has been growing more concerned about Xingqiu throughout the last few weeks. His ebullient and mischievous nature had faded over time into a vapid and blank one. Whenever Chongyun asked him if everything was alright, Xingqiu face turned pallid and dodged the question. Eventually, Chongyun quit persisting and no longer brought up the topic. Though, he was still bothered by Xingqiu's abnormal behavior. Chongyun couldn't help but feel a small spark of indignation at that thought of someone slowly tearing apart his lover. But what made him feel the most hopeless, was the thought that there was nothing he could do.

Speak of the devil, Chongyun heard loud footsteps rushing towards him. The air around him was invaded with a faint scent of chrysanthemums. He looked up and was greeted with a familiar smile. "Hello, my liege. I apologize for being so late." Chongyun grinned and gave Xingqiu a quick peck on the cheek. "It's alright. I was starting to get a bit worried that something happened to you." Xingqiu couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for worrying about his boyfriend. "I'm terribly sorry for scaring you. I'll be sure to be as quick as a fox next time." Chongyun kissed Xingqiu to shush him."Stop apologizing. You're here now. Now come on, let's go to the book booth since you're obsessed with them." Xingqiu smacked Chongyun playfully on the arm.

So maybe he did have obsession. Xingqiu had bought twelve poetry collections. He and Chongyun had a disagreement about who was going to pay for them. In the end, Chongyun shoved his money towards the cashier despite Xingqiu's protests. Afterwards, they both bought strawberry tanghulu and other foods.

"My Liege" Xingqiu said. "There is a place where I like to spend Lantern Rite. It's serene and has an impressive view. Would you like me to take you there?" Chongyun didn't have any other plans. "That sounds cool. Sure, why not?" Xingqiu grabbed Chongyun's hand and began leading him out of the harbor.

———

Xingiu had lead them to the side of a cliff, which was close to his family's house. The cliff overlooked both the sea and the harbor. Just as Xingqiu said, there was almost no one around. The only sound that could be heard was the wind rushing past them. Xingqiu looked up then smiled. "The stars are even more majestic here then the harbor." Chongyun couldn't help but stare at the beaming boy besides him. To him, Xingqiu was prettier then any star in the night sky. No star could compare to his amber eyes. His smile brightens his day more then the sun ever could.

Xingqiu seemed to notice Chongyun's staring. "What? Did the Exorcist fall for the swordsman? He giggled. "Indeed. And unfortunately, he fell a bit too far down." Xingqiu became flustered hearing that. He quickly kissed Chongyun before hearing a gasp from behind him. Xingqiu's heart might as well done a 360.

"Xingqiu... You're gay?!" Xingqiu's breath hitched and quickened. Chongyun looked stunned besides him. Xingqiu quickly grabbed his brother by the arm to prevent him from running back to the house to snitch on him. "Shh! Be quiet. Father might hear you!" Xingqiu's brother roughly shoved Xingqiu off of him. Xingqiu would have fallen if it weren't for Chongyun grabbing him protectively. "Don't push him around like that. And so what if he's gay? I don't see a problem here." Chongyun stared daggers at Xingqiu's brother. "Calm down, I wasn't going to tell father. It's not like you would survive the beating he would give you anyways."

Beating..?

"What do you mean by that?" Chongyun's tone sounded more concerned than he wanted it to be. He could hear Xingqiu breathing heavily behind him. His brother looked genuinely confused. "Hm? Xingqiu hasn't told you?" Chongyun wasn't even sure he wanted to know. "Told me what?" He turned to face Xingqiu, who looked petrified. "Xingqiu, what's going on..?" Xingqiu didn't respond, and instead stared at his shoes blankly. "Don't you know why Xingqiu is always covered in Bandages? Didn't you know how badly Father hits him?" Chongyun slowly turned to face Xingqiu. "Is that true..?" Hesitantly, he nodded his head. "It's a-alright though, my liege! It's just a slap on the w-wrist...that's all!" Xingqiu voice trembled, contrast to his usual confidence. "I-" Chongyun tried to argue, but was quickly interrupted. "-Anyways," Xingqiu's brother's voice sounded as fake as plastic. "It's almost dinner time. We should head back home before we get more then a slap of the wrist." He gave Xingqiu a warning look while he said that last part. Before he could even get the chance to respond, Xingqiu was already being dragged away. All he could do now was accept it. "Bye, Chongyun. Thank you for today." Xingqiu yelled to Chongyun before getting shoved inside that hell he calls home by his brother.

Chongyun couldn't sleep that night. How could he, knowing that his lover was being hurt by someone who shared their blood.

And now that Chongyun knew the truth, he wasn't going to let it slide by anymore.