Archive of Our Own ^beta

1.
Xingqiu and Chongyun are on a date. If you consider checking out a supposedly haunted building as a date. Xingqiu says that they can't keep calling everything they do together dates, but Chongyun bites back and complains that Xingqiu calls them going to eat dates, but Xiangling just uses them to test her new recipes and nothing about that is romantic in any way. Xingqiu doesn't even hold Chongyun's hand when they're eating at their table, he just feeds him spicy food then laughs at his boyfriend's pain.

Chongyun sighs. At least he holds Xingqiu's hand whenever they do exorcisms like this. He doesn't need to, but what Xingqiu doesn't know won't hurt him.

Xingqiu does know, but he won't deny the affection. It's cute to watch Chongyun struggle to find excuses for his actions.

The pair is right about to enter the building they've stopped in front of when Chongyun pauses. Xingqiu stays silent in case something is wrong, he doesn't want to interrupt Chongyun while he's focused. Chongyun ends up reaching out to lace their fingers together. Xingqiu stifles a giggle at the way Chongyun acts as if he doesn't know exactly what he's doing and doesn't comment.

"Uh. Just for protection, but you know that. It's gonna be fine," Chongyun says.

Xingqiu hums. "Right, for protection," he squeezes Chongyun's hand. "Thank you for always keeping me safe, my love."

ignoring the light blush on his face, Chongyun drags Xingqiu into the building. He's determined to find something.

In the end, there were no spirits, which was probably due to Xingqiu feeding Chongyun the wrong information again. Their adventure will still be cherished and Xingqiu always finds a way to make up for his mistakes.

2.
When they aren't hanging out with Xiangling at the Wanmin Restaurant or performing exorcisms, Chongyun and Xingqiu tend to explore the area around them. Today they've decided to stop under the shade of a tree and enjoy the scenery around them for a while. Xingqiu is reading a book while Chongyun shifts in and out of sleep beside him. Xingqiu has just finished a chapter when Chongyun stretches and sits up. Xingqiu watches with a fond look as Chongyun blinks sleepily at him.

“Oh… I just remembered I have something for you.”

Xingqiu quirks a brow. “You just remembered? After taking a nap?”

“Yeah.”

There’s a pause. The wind rustles the leaves of the tree they’re under.

“Yun? Are you going to tell me what it is?”

Chongyun blinks. “Oh. right, I have to do that. I got you this.” Chongyun holds a flower out to Xingqiu. “I picked it up on the way over. It’s kind of pretty… maybe you can press it into your book and keep it with you. It’ll get frail as it dries, but I put a spell on it, so hopefully it keeps you safe for as long as you have it. Actually, maybe don’t press it into your book, I'm not sure if that would ruin it. I probably should have thought of that…”

Xingqiu takes the flower and smiles at his boyfriend. “The moisture would probably wrinkle the pages of a book a little, but if we dry it out first I should be able to keep it inside. It’s a lovely gift and i’ll make sure to keep the book that becomes its home on me at all times. thank you for thinking of me.”

The corners of Chongyun’s mouth lift into a small smile. “Of course, Xingqiu, you are always on my mind.”

A second passes. Chongyun senses he has made a mistake.

“Yun, my dearest, I wasn’t aware you were capable of saying such cheesy things,” Xingqiu says with a light smirk.

Chongyun splutters. “I didn’t mean it like that! I just want to keep you safe! Don’t make it into something it’s not! we adventure all the time, it makes sense for me to care about you!”

“Right… and this has nothing to do with the fact that I'm your boyfriend?”

Chongyun knows he’s lost this battle. The defeated sigh he releases quickly turns into a yelp as Xingqiu begins peppering his face in kisses.

3.
Today the pair is visiting Xiangling. It’s been quite a while since they’ve seen her for an extended period of time. they usually poke their heads into the kitchen to make sure she hasn’t done anything too dangerous then leave with their meals. And they do mean meals, not Xiangling’s experiments. Missions around liyue have kept them too busy to stick around, even if they wanted to.

The patrons of Wanmin Restaurant don’t bat an eye as the door bursts open, it happens too often for any of them to be surprised.

“Xiangling!” Xingqiu sing-songs. Once again, the patrons ignore this. It would be considered disruptive anywhere else, but it’s normal here.

A few clangs and crashes come from the kitchen before Xiangling appears, slightly out of breath for some reason. She quickly brightens up at the sight of her best friends.

“How lovely of you two to drop by! I was wondering when I'd see you again! It’s been a little lonely here without you two having dates here every day,” Xiangling pouts. “You two did need to find a better date spot though, so I'm not mad!”

“Those aren’t dates, Xingqiu just likes calling them that.”

“Don’t be so bitter, Yun, we shouldn’t fight here.”

Xiangling cuts Chongyun off when he goes to retort. “Well! I will be the medium of your opinions and say they are dates, but they’re kinda shitty because you guys just use me for free food.”

Xingqiu lets out a scandalized gasp. “I can’t believe you would accuse us of such a thing! Is the idea of us coming back here because we genuinely enjoy your presence that bothering to you?”

Xiangling shrugs. Xingqiu looks at her like she’s just torn up all of his books. Chongyun sighs and heads towards their usual table, assuming the other two will follow. They do, bantering back and forth until they reach the table.

“So! What can I get you two today?”

Chongyun rubs the back of his neck. “Ah… actually we kinda were planning on using you for free food today.”

Xiangling fixes them both with a pointed stare. “Well, you two are in luck because I just perfected a new recipe and need someone to try it out,” she huffs.

“Please don’t poison us,” Xingqiu says with a smile.

“One day I really might put effort into it, but today is not that day. You’ll probably be fine.”

Xiangling leaves them after that, Chongyun swears he starts sweating as he watches her disappear into the kitchen.

“When did she get so scary? Like, I'm literally an exorcist, I should not be this affected by her,” Chongyun says.

Xingqiu shivers. “No idea, she’s been hanging out with Hu Tao way too much.”

Xiangling returns with two covered plates before the boys can fully prepare themselves for what’s about to happen. Chongyun mutters a spell over their chopsticks then hands a pair to Xingqiu, who can’t even make fun of him for it. Xianglings dishes are hit or miss, usually landing in the miss category. The two might not make it out alive today.

When the dish ends up being gross, Xiangling can only sigh as she watches her best friends suffer. “I was so sure this one would be good, too!” she says.

“Archons, I don’t even want to know what was in that,” Chongyun wheezes out, holding up a hand when Xiangling goes to tell him anyways. “Please, I'm begging you, don’t tell me.”

Xiangling sighs again. “I guess this serves you two right. Stop using me for free food all the time.” she turns to Xingqiu, narrowing her eyes. “Don’t start the argument again. As fun as it would be to watch you struggle more, I actually care for you two.”

Xingqiu makes a noise that could be considered cooing if it wasn’t so strangled. Xiangling feels a bit bad, her trial recipe really did a number on them. She heads off to the kitchen again, but brings their regular orders this time. The two have seemed to have recovered and thank her before she leaves them again. And when she catches them very obviously holding hands under the table, she decides not to comment. Their date today will be a memorable one.

4.
There isn’t time for a date today, as Xingqiu will be stuck inside entertaining clients of the guild. Of course, Xingqiu spends as much time as he can with Chongyun before he is needed. They both know they can't go far and end up taking a walk around the city, talking about anything and everything while passing the time. Chongyun wishes he could whisk them away from here, somewhere where Xingqiu could be himself and not the second son of the Feiyun Commerce Guild. Somewhere they wouldn’t have to hide as much either. They’ll get there some day, but for now Chongyun links his pinky with Xingqiu’s, which seems to relax him a little. The smile Xingqiu sends him is still a bit strained, though. Meetings and big dinners for the guild always stress him out. It pains Chongyun that he has to live with not being able to do much to help Xingqiu through them. If he had his way he would never leave Xingqiu’s side and he’s sure Xingqiu would never leave him in return.

Xingqiu gets more tense with every step the two take towards the guild. Chongyun knows Xingqiu hates being there, no matter how hard he tries to hide his feelings. Xingqiu didn’t tell him who the client is or how important they are, but judging by the way his boyfriend has been more reserved throughout the day, Chongyun is sure that the meeting needs to go well. He looks over at Xingqiu, studying his expression for a minute. Chongyun then pulls him into a narrow alley between the buildings. Normally, Xingqiu would make a joke about this. Today, though, he seems filled with nervous energy.

“Chongyun, what are you doing? We don’t have a lot of time before I have to go in.”

“We still have some, it’s okay. Just listen to me for a bit, then you can go, I promise. I won’t take long.”

Xingqiu hesitates for a few seconds, then nods. Chongyun smiles at him, this is good. He takes a breath, steadying himself.

“I obviously don’t know what’s going to happen when you enter that building, but I do know that you’re going to charm whoever the client is and everything will end up being okay. I won’t say that it’ll go smoothly, because things are always unpredictable, but the best thing you can do is be confident. I know you can do that, too. You can roll with punches and make the most of any situation, you’re incredible! Whenever I watch you, no matter what it is that you’re doing, I always think of how amazing you are. You’re so talented and you excel at everything, it’s mesmerizing to look at. the clients are lucky they even get to meet you, don’t worry too much!”

“You… really think of me that way?”

“Of course I do, I meant every word I said and I'll continue to say them until you believe them yourself.”

Xingqiu frowns and Chongyun swears his heart stops for a second. Chongyun hurriedly pulls him in and holds him tight, Xingqiu burying his face in Chongyun’s neck. Chongyun says something about the hug being for protection into Xingqiu’s hair, hoping it will cheer his boyfriend up a little. Xingqiu gives a laugh that’s a little watery and suddenly everything is okay. He doesn’t cry, which Chongyun is grateful for. even if Xingqiu had, Chongyun would have been there to wipe his tears and give him more reassurances. Chongyun smiles as Xingqiu mumbles ‘I love you,’ his face still buried in Chongyun’s neck. Chongyun returns the statement as he releases Xingqiu and sends him off. Both boys are sure everything will be fine.

5.
In the end, there was nothing to worry about during the meeting. Chongyun still wants to do something for Xingqiu after the stressful day he had. Chongyun puts together a flexible date plan then leaves his house to wake up his boyfriend. He stops by Wanmin on the way over to tell Xiangling part of his plan, receiving an enthusiastic response and a promise that she will do her part. With that now sorted, Chongyun continues on. No one stops him on the way to Xingqiu’s room, everyone seems to be recovering from yesterday’s meeting or dealing with matters elsewhere. Xingqiu doesn’t stir when Chongyun enters the room. Chongyun’s sure Xingqiu would sleep through the day if he was allowed to. Giving his boyfriend a few more minutes of sleep, Chongyun sits at the foot of Xingqiu’s bed to observe how peaceful he looks before waking him up. If it was anyone else, Xingqiu would be upset, but because it’s Chongyun, the annoyed expression Xingqiu wears smooths out in a second. Xingqiu reminds him of this, and Chongyun laughs softly to not disturb the atmosphere further.

“What are you doing here, though,” Xingqiu mumbles, still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Chongyun leans over and smooths down a few strands of Xingqiu’s hair as he answers. “Do you not like me waking you up?”

Xingqiu pouts. “You know that isn’t what I meant- wait where are you going? Chongyun?”

“Get dressed!”

Xingqiu finds Chongyun waiting in the hallway outside his room when he’s finished changing. He makes sure to glare at him for a few seconds to show his boyfriend that he’s still a little upset about waking up, but Chongyun only smiles. Xingqiu squints at him and Chongyun just smiles wider.

“You’re being weird today,” Xingqiu says.

“You’ve been awake with me for about five minutes, how have I already been acting weird?”

Xingqiu hums. “I’m not sure,” he narrows his eyes again, pointing at Chongyun, “but I’m onto you.”

Chongyun just shrugs and starts walking towards the door, not waiting for Xingqiu to catch up. He eventually does anyway and Chongyun continues walking, this time in the direction of Wanwen Bookhouse. The beginning of the walk is mostly spent in comfortable silence, as Xingqiu is still waking up a bit. Neither of them mind, though. Silence has never been uncomfortable for them, even before they officially started dating. They’ve always simply let it be, breaking it when the moment was right, basking in the other’s presence when it wasn’t.

Xingqiu notices the familiar route as they get closer to Wanwen, becoming more energetic with every step he takes. He practically skips up the steps to get there, Chongyun being the one lagging behind this time. Chongyun swears there are stars in Xingqiu’s eyes when he turns to face him.

“Is there a reason you took me here?”

“This is a date. An actual one, we’re here so you can check out every book that interests you and bring a few along for the rest of the date. Take as long as you want, we aren’t really on a schedule.”

Xingqiu doesn’t hesitate to go search the shelves after hearing those words. Chongyun follows wherever he goes, attentively listening as Xingqiu points out old favorites and recalls fond memories along with his thoughts while reading them. This isn’t any different from the way their visits to Wanwen Bookhouse usually go, but knowing that it’s an official date makes it feel more significant to both of them. They spend the majority of the morning there, neither noticing how quickly time passed. Xingqiu has picked out some new novels, grabbing one for Chongyun to read as well.

The conversation is lively as they make their way back down the steps. Chongyun hasn’t told Xingqiu what any of the other events planned on their date are, but he has complete faith that he will end up loving anything and everything his boyfriend has planned out. He does feel slightly confused when Wanmin Restaurant comes into view.

“Are we eating here? Not that I’m opposed to that, of course,” Xingqiu says as they approach the building.

“We aren’t, don’t worry. I just have to pick something up.”

Chongyun’s words pique Xingqiu’s interest, Chongyun isn’t usually so secretive. He’s sure the mystery item would never be anything bad, though, Chongyun’s way too sweet to poison him. On second thought, the wink Xiangling has directed towards them as she hands Chongyun whatever it is he came here to pick up is very suspicious. Chongyun fondly rolls his eyes back at her, dodging the punch she aims for his arm. Xingqiu looks curiously between them as Chongyun thanks Xiangling and bids her goodbye. Xiangling notices this and her smile only grows larger. Very suspicious… Xingqiu vows that he will get to the bottom of this mystery.

He continues to act casually as they continue to walk through the harbor and definitely doesn’t become so lost in thought that he jumps when he feels Chongyun’s hand brush against his. It wasn’t amusing at all and he refuses to look at Chongyun to give him any satisfaction whatsoever. Chongyun doesn’t try again until they cross the bridge that takes them out of the city. This time Xingqiu is more prepared.

“I’m sure you know by now, but I’m doing this for protection. You probably need it with how jumpy you were earlier,” Chongyun says.

Xingqiu turns to glare at him, attempting to mask the shock he feels. He can’t believe Chongyun would just casually tease him like that. And with a light smirk? Now Xingqiu is sure something’s going on. Chongyun doesn’t seem bothered and pulls Xingqiu along, lacing their fingers together. They follow the path for most of the journey, only straying from it at the end.

It turns out that there was nothing fishy going on, Xingqiu has just been reading too many mystery novels lately. Chongyun had actually brought them to a clearing with a breathtaking view where they had a picnic after placing a blanket over the grass. The mysterious item was their lunch and Xiangling had winked at them because she wanted to make Chongyun flustered. Xingqiu is quite shocked to realize he didn’t notice any of this. Now that he’s aware of it, the flush on Chongyun’s cheeks is rather dark. He would’ve thought it was Chongyun’s abundance of yang energy acting up if the idea of a scheme occurring hadn’t distracted him. Chongyun laughs when he learns of this, but the chaste kiss he plants onto the pout Xingqiu is wearing makes everything worth it.

+1
The two find themselves in front of another haunted building again. Xingqiu waits to see what action Chongyun will excuse as protection today, but nothing comes. Chongyun is still checking to make sure that they have everything they need before going in, but he would usually be about ready to place his spells. Almost as if he could sense that Xingqiu was brooding, Chongyun turns. Chongyun smiles fondly at Xingqiu’s expectant expression and lifts a hand to cup his cheek.

“For protection,” Chongyun says. He leans in and places a kiss on Xingqiu’s cheek.

Xingqiu almost lets him move completely back to take in his blush, but ends up pulling him in for a kiss on the lips. Chongyun makes a small noise of surprise, but kisses back. The kiss they share is sweet and both boys are blushing when they break apart.

“Now you’re protected too.”

Chongyun almost pulls him back in. Unfortunately, they can’t turn back and spend the rest of the day kissing, no matter how tempting it is. A sound coming from inside the building reminds them what they’re here for, effectively shattering the atmosphere.

Xingqiu blinks. “Well. I definitely wasn’t expecting this place to actually be haunted.”

“Well I guess it’s a good thing we’re both protected now,” Chongyun replies, shrugging.

“Yun, darling, I love you with my entire heart, but we both know that the things we did then said they were for protection weren’t actually for protection. They were cute, but if I die in here I’ll haunt you forever.”

“I don’t think you can haunt me if we’re both dead, but I wouldn’t mind spending forever with you,” Chongyun says, walking into the building.

Xingqiu freezes up for a few seconds then runs in, following his boyfriend. “Chongyun! You can't just say that before walking into a haunted building!”

Chongyun’s laughter combined with Xingqiu’s yelling is probably what scared away any ghosts or demons that were present. Of course, Chongyun and Xingqiu never actually see anything inside the buildings they’re told are haunted. Unlike previous trips to haunted buildings, neither boy feels disappointed. Instead, they feel a buzz of excitement while thinking about conversations of the future Chongyun hinted at earlier.