Xingyun Oneshots

106 - Strawberry Perfume

Chongyun has found throughout his long friendship with Xingqiu that he likes to pick up random things every so often and see if they'll stick.

For example, there was a book series Xingqiu hadn't been very enthused with after the first chapter (which of course was rare for him), but through a fit of dedication and seeking a new experience, he read the series of 6 books anyways in a week before he dropped it and never mentioned it again.

Another time he'd taken to journaling about anything that caught his eye that day, but he found that he seldom had time to write every day, so he stopped doing that too.

Chongyun watched him go through these little fits of trying something different with wavering interest depending on what it was that Xingqiu was getting into that time around.

The book and journaling stuff wasn't his wheelhouse, so he'd paid little attention, but when Xingqiu started his next thing it was hard to ignore, because he'd walked in the room with his heels clacking against the floor and the scent of strawberries following after him.

'That's new.' Chongyun had thought to himself, and he knew Xingqiu usually brought up his new hobbies or things frequently early in the conversation, so he let him introduce it himself.

"I went to the marketplace fairly early this weekend so I don't have to deal with so many onlookers around me while I'm shopping, and I had wanted to buy some nail polish." He muses, sitting beside Chongyun and opening a book, where his hands were completely void of said nail polish and the strawberry scent was even stronger.

"I realized I couldn't wear it as often as I'd like to, because hiding nail polish on my fingernails would be near impossible and my Father would find out in a heartbeat-" at this he rolls his eyes in annoyance, "-So I searched about some more and came across some perfumes."

"Did you buy one?" Chongyun asks, not wanting to admit he already noticed. Was it weird that he already noticed? I mean, he could smell strawberries, but was it odd that he noticed anything different about Xingqiu so quickly?

"I did. I got this one." Xingqiu says, reaching into the bag he'd had his book in without tearing his eyes off of the pages and handing Chongyun a small bottle of perfume.

Chongyun carefully holds the glass bottle up, tilting it a little back and forth and seeing the pink liquid splash around and fall against the gold lettering on the label.

"It's strawberry scented, and I thought it looked nice anyways, so I bought it. Not sure if you can tell I'm even wearing it though." He laughs, and Chongyun's cheeks light up at the sound and his hands tense around the bottle.

"I-I noticed. I mean - I can tell." He sputters, reaching over to push the bottle back into his bag.

Xingqiu catches him halfway though as he's leaning over and turns to him with a playful smirk, and Chongyun's not sure of his intentions with it.

"Do you like it?"

He flushed harder and moves the tiniest bit away because they're nearly nose to nose and he's not sure if he'll be able to form a cohesive sentence if he doesn't.

Up close he can see a bunch of brown and yellow specks in his eyes, swimming in the pool of orange that's framed by his eyelashes and just slightly dimmed by the shadow of his crooked bangs.

He wonders how he's going to give Xingqiu an answer that clear and concise now that 'archons, he's pretty' is running on repeat in his brain.

"I-it doesn't matter what I think about it, as long as you like it, you should wear it." He manages a safe response when he feels the side of Xingqiu's palm slide against his and send a jolt to his heart.