Xingyun Oneshots

123 - Insomnia

Chongyun stands at the message board in Liyue Harbor, looking over all the different notes and flyers hung up in search of any leads recently posted for him to check out.

Lately, Liyue Harbor has been free of any supernatural rumors (aside from those given to him by Xingqiu, which are nearly always fake), but it doesn't hurt to check just in case - he'd hate to neglect a case due to his own negligence and leave anyone in peril.

His eyebrows raise as he finds a particular flyer about a spirit sighting by Luhua Pool, and he decides he'll put all his attention into the case for the day before a weight hits his back and he yelps.

Looking over his shoulder, he's immediately hit with the scent of warm silk and the bookstore, immediately telling him it's Xingqiu before he catches an eye full of the navy hair cascading in front of him.

Xingqiu's cheek is squished against his shoulder, his arms neatly wrapped around Chongyun from behind while he looks down at the paper in Chongyun's hands without missing a beat. "Whatcha doin'?"

Chongyun blushes, trying not to stare down at Xingqiu's hands wrapped around his middle. "I-I'm finding leads to look into today. I haven't seen any in Liyue Harbor for a while, so I wanted to make sure I didn't accidentally skip over some..."

"And this lead's for Luhua Pool?" Xingqiu asks calmly, almost too calmly as he settles in more comfortably against Chongyun's shoulder. "A spirit caught making shrill noises at all hours of the day - well, it certainly sounds intriguing, even if it turns out to not be true. When are you leaving?"

"I was gonna go now actually, to try to beat the sun." Chongyun blinks, looking back over his shoulder at him, trying not to blush any harder at the sight of Xingqiu being cute and calm and asking him exorcism-related questions. "Are you coming with me?"

"I shall, since you've extended the invitation - I could do without being dragged into additional hours of study time, too. Not my cup of tea!" He sticks out his tongue, slowly peeling away from Chongyun and straightening himself out. "After you."

Chongyun leads the way, keeping watch over Xingqiu while he explains the recent exorcisms he's performed and how his latest trip with his clan went, Xingqiu continuing to politely nod along with varying levels of attentiveness.

At some point in their journey while Chongyun looks at the flyer again to make sure he has the exact whereabouts right and any other details that might aid him in seeking out this spirit, he notices Xingqiu staring at him.

Not his eyes exactly, but the hands holding the flyer.

"Can I...help you?" Chongyun raises an eyebrow, making Xingqiu jump much more than he normally would at being caught doing something out of the ordinary and waves a hand.

"No no, I'm perfectly content! Though if you're asking..." Xingqiu trails off, patting his legs absentmindedly with a whistle. "...Um, do you need both of your hands right now?"

Chongyun furrows his brow more, stopping to stare at him incredulously. Why is he acting so odd? "What do you need them for? I mean, I need at least one to hold the paper."

"It's nothing terribly serious or exciting, just...well..." Xingqiu gives a nervous smile, bopping his head a little bit back and forth while he tries to think of a good lie. "I learned in a book recently that holding hands is an action that brings good luck and even favor from the gods! I thought maybe, y'know, since we're going ghost hunting today, it'd be nice to-"

Chongyun takes Xingqiu's hand closest to his, intertwining their fingers and looking back to his paper while he pulls him along again. Normally Xingqiu asking him to hold hands for any reason would make his heart pound and his face turn into a blushing mess, but at this point the fact they're holding hands is the least of his concerns.