Xingyun Oneshots

117 - Constellations (Happy Birthday Chongyun!)

Fluff and Cuddles for Chongyun's b-day

Chongyun follows after Xingqiu in the dead of night, silent footsteps disturbed only by the crunch of fall leaves underfoot and the stars bearing the only witness to their escapades while they trek across the wilderness of Liyue, away from the bright and glittering city miles away.

Tonight, while many of Liyue's citizens slept in their bed, peaceful slumber plaguing their minds while only the whistle of the wind or the soft hum of musicians' final chords before drawing their instruments back from another successful day, Xingqiu and Chongyun set off as part of the reason why they sleep so peacefully.

Of course, there's the Mililith to thank, and the Adepti, and many others who keep a watchful eye even while Liyue sleeps, but Xingqiu and Chongyun are off for Xingqiu's own form of peace bringing to the city and to himself, and that's by taking care of evil doers in the chill of the night, when treasure hoarders and swindlers alike can't tell that the one sending them into fear is in fact the youngest son of the Feiyun Commerce Guild.

Normally, Xingqiu treks out to do these missions alone - and he doesn't mind it, either. It's easier to be subtle when traveling with no companions, and while doing so can feel alive for once, to be out and be under the night sky as not a wealthy heir but himself, as a carrier of wisdom and justice with a poetic tongue and a keen sense of vigilance for anything related to injustices  - or good literature.

It's a good way to satisfy his need for an adrenaline rush, to finally feel accomplished on a day full of fake, smiling faces, holding back his true feelings, and sitting through boring meetings and studying a profession he doesn't even want to pursue - to feel like he's finally doing what he's always wanted to, to feel just as important and chivalric as the heroes in the stories he reads about.

Chongyun came along because he was feeling irritable lately, like he just couldn't sleep. He found himself tossing and turning, wishing he could say it's just because of the weather - but the warm, sweltering season was trickling out like the last drops of a dying river, and the chill of autumn was quick to settle in and flush his cheeks the usual rosy pink they always don.

He feels like his skin is aching, for some reason, like as the older he gets, the more he comes to the conclusion that while his training is paying off, and he can handle more heat little by little and build a bigger tolerance, his sealed away emotions and the hunger just to be able to be close to other people and not to have to shy away from touch is unbearable - which is especially upsetting when his birthday is just in a couple of hours.

So Xingqiu invited him along in his midnight escapade, and Chongyun said yes, and off they went to confront a hoard of treasure hoards who had been bothering a merchant, and not just any merchant, either - one bringing books to Liyue Harbor, no less. The second son was not too happy with that development.

Through the night and the dew ridden grass, Xingqiu has Chongyun's hand tucked in his - not a hand around his wrist, not his hand wrapped around his - their fingers intertwined and Xingqiu's sleeves brushing Chongyun's sun-burnt fingers as they trudge through taller grass into the forest Xingqiu heard the camp was set up in.

Chongyun still feels achy. Even just from Xingqiu holding his hand, it's like a kind of stalling comfort in the never-ending sea of uncomfortableness and exhaustion he feels in his own skin so often just from dealing with his condition on a daily basis.

Even if Xingqiu's hand is warm, he's grown to appreciate that kind of warmth just from Xingqiu's hands, or his leg brushing against his, or his head on his shoulder. It's a kind of warmth that doesn't feel overwhelming or dangerous, that doesn't pose as a threat to his being, but a kind that asks him to sit down and rest and drink some tea while some books are reads to him. That kind of warmth.