An Inconsequential Encounter

A moment of solitude

There's a reason. There's always a reason.

The sun has set already, and the darkness of the night is slowly engulfing the city. Even amidst the dark, the stars are sparkling in the sky, as bright as ever.

They lay on the grass, the two of them. There's a gentle breeze blowing, but in this land set in stone and of contracts, mortal souls seldom muse on the blessings of the Anemo Archon.

There IS a reason why in this rather unique 'moment of solitude' and tranquil Chongyun is feeling a myriad of emotions. Indeed, he isn't alone, which is why the question arises whether this moment can be called one of 'solitude'. But it is one of those moments during which Xingqiu decided to disappear, out in the wild. Which is how they ended up lying on a patch of grassy land, atop Mt. Tianheng, not far from the harbor.

They did not plan on meeting up, it just happened, coincidentally. Chongyun's face lit up the moment he saw Xingqiu, his dear friend. They had a talk, and they talked about various things. While Xingqiu mostly did the talking, Chongyun listened keenly, taking with him every word and every bizarre tale and trick of martial arts that Xingqiu narrated.

How long they'd been talking, neither of them had kept track. And now it's all dark around.

And so they lay, on the grass, Chongyun's shoulder grazing Xingqiu's. Each lost in thought, almost as if daydreaming.

But neither were. Okay, that might be partially erroneous to say. Okay, not just partially, maybe a lot. Okay okay, maybe altogether. Okay, maybe they, indeed, were daydreaming.

Lying there, next to Xingqiu, Chongyun finds himself unable to form coherent thoughts, and all he can feel are intense emotions, which he can't make heads or tails of. Intensity –in and of itself– is something Chongyun has feared for years and avoided like the plague. He's rather... inexperienced in a lot of ways. But intense, wild and feral emotions aren't a stranger to him, either. Everyone at the harbor, especially Xiangling, knows what even a single Jueyun chili can do to him.

But the thing baffling him so much right now is the presence of similar emotions under current circumstances. He's been keeping his yang energy well under check, and he really can't recall eating any Jueyun chilis in the last couple months.

What... is happening then?
Chongyun fails to put a name to the feeling. He just hasn't experienced anything of this sort before, not in a calm and tranquil environment like this.

Xingqiu, on the other hand, is gazing at the stars calmly, not shifting or fidgeting from time to time like Chongyun. His mind, on the contrary, is full of racing but coherent thoughts. He isn't the type to think about unlikely scenarios for hours or completely zone out, but he feels himself doing so, at this very moment.

Deep in his heart, he knows very well how much he loves Chongyun. He is also aware of Chongyun's immense love for him. He finds himself wishing that maybe, one day, Chongyun will finally let go. No, he doesn't want Chongyun to let go of his dreams but... he wants him to truly experience life. The joy of living. Of loving.

Xingqiu has never had a love affair in his life, none that he is aware of (he may have secret admirers). But he has read books, tons and tons of them. And that way, he's learnt a lot about love. He has gotten more and more curious, curious in his grief, curious in his joy. He wants to feel it all– for emotions are but a miracle to him. He is everseeking, everfeeling. He just wishes Chongyun would feel it too, with him.

Love, he knows, is a difficult word to define. Even in the countless philosophy books he's read, he has never for once come across a prose that could seamlessly define love. However, when it comes to poems he's read, a lot of them are about love–of all kinds. But none of them contain a definition for it.

And that's how he concluded, you can never define love. You can only ever feel it.

And while he knows that life's events are all very uncertain,–and moments like this are like snowflakes, transient as ever–there is one thing he can tell for certain.

He loves Chongyun. There has never been a single moment in time where he would have felt that he didn't love him. He loves him totally. Friendship-love and love-love. Philia and eros. And lying under the vast sky–which feels like a never-ending novel– Xingqiu feels an almost galactic, high flying sensation of love for Chongyun. You know, butterflies and all. This moment, with each passing second it becoming the past, feels more than perfect to him. The right person, the right place, the right time. As though their love was written in the stars. And he knows that this love is reciprocated. Albeit internally.

Xingqiu feels an immense sense of joy, a kind of euphoria he's rarely ever felt. He's smiling now, although unaware of it.

He thinks to himself, "This is love. No doubt about that. I've fallen head over heels for Chongyun!"

He, then, proceeds to imagine something he has never done before in his entire life. The day of their marriage. Where would it take place? Would he want a traditional marriage, or just a little get-away, to another nation, and have a vacation (or honeymoon) over there? Would Chongyun really ever agree to marry him? It's not like he doesn't love him... Xingqiu could always feel a spark everytime Chongyun was around, and he's seen how Chongyun's expression and behaviour change completely when he's with him. There's no way of questioning Chongyun's love, Xingqiu knew, even if he's never explicitly said so or made any conscious attempt to reveal so.
It's just that... Aren't they too young? This could just be teenage infatuation.
But that thought couldn't hold ground, because deep in the cell of his heart, Xingqiu knows his love for Chongyun will never die out. This much is as certain as death is for mortals. He finds himself wishing, for a second, to run away with Chongyun, and start a life with him. To build a home, together.

By now Chongyun has started sweating, his heart racing. He's turning from pink to red, and the fidgeting has increased significantly.
Suddenly snapping back to reality, Xingqiu props himself up on his elbow and looks at Chongyun, and their eyes meet for a couple seconds. Which, to both, feels like an eternity.

To Xingqiu, Chongyun's ice blue eyes feel like a pool full of his love, in which he desperately wishes to dissolve.

To Chongyun, Xingqiu's eyes look like pools of honey– sweet and captivating. He feels entranced by his gaze, secretly wishing to inch closer to him, suddenly craving his touch. At this moment, a smiliar thought appears to Chongyun. Maybe his ultimate goal in life is to not banish all evil, but to spend the rest of his days with this man by his side...

For a split second, Chongyun feels as though he's ready to face the flames of his positive energy, fearing nothing anymore.

None of them say their thoughts out loud, of course, and neither can imagine whether they ever will.

It is Xingqiu who ultimately breaks the silence, seeing as Chongyun has gotten all worked up. Fortunately, he had some popsicles with him today (which too, was a coincidence. It's as if all the stars had aligned and planned their encounter), and even the kind that Chongyun generally eats, pretty watery and bland. Xingqiu just happened to have fancied something icy today, and he picked the flavorless ones too, as he's quite used to a bland diet at home.

"Hey, Chongyun! Wanna share some ice-cream?"
Chongyun looks confused.
"Uh– what?"
"Ice-cream. I mean, popsicles. I even got the ones you prefer! You don't look very well, I think a popsicle might help."
"Oh, ah, yes, that. You never– I-I mean I never use the term 'ice-cream'. But, ah, yeah, thanks! You're... probably right. I guess I really need one right now. And how strange! I didn't bring any with me today. I usually always keep these with me."
"Hahaha, it's okay! I got you!" Xingqiu says with an amiable smile.

And then, they start to eat their ice cream–I mean, popsicles! Xingqiu casually opens a book–one hand holding the popsicle and the other grabbing the book– and starts reading from where he left off. Chongyun, on the other hand, tries his best not to think at all as he bites into the popsicle, afraid that if he started thinking, he'd think of Xingqiu, and if he thought of Xingqiu, he'd get excited again.
After they're done eating, Chongyun starts to doze off and finally falls asleep. Xingqiu takes a long, affectionate look at him, and continues reading his book, all the while keeping watch. He doesn't intend to sleep tonight.