Work Text:
There’s a new hire at the library café.
Xingqiu heard all about it a few days earlier from Xiangling. Apparently, one of her classmates had been looking for a job, and she let it slip that the café happened to be in need of an extra worker.
(“You only told them because you need a new guinea pig to poison with your experiments,” Xingqiu said flatly after she relayed the story to him.
“Maybe?” Xiangling didn’t even have the decency to look ashamed. In fact, she seemed more than thrilled to have a new victim—er, helper, to taste test her latest confectionery creations. Xingqiu couldn’t help but feel sorry for her poor classmate; they probably had no idea what they were getting into.
“You’re the worst.”)
Despite the curiosity beginning to take root in the back of his mind, he didn’t bother pursuing the topic any further; he knew he would find out sooner or later who this mysterious classmate might be, anyway.
The next few days came and went, and he hardly spared another thought towards the subject, having effectively put it out of his mind in favour of more pressing matters, such as dodging phone calls from his parents, and identifying the mystery in the book he’s reading before the big reveal, and not getting caught identifying the mystery in the book he’s reading before the big reveal during his shift at the library.
By the next week, he’d practically forgotten about that conversation entirely. Instead, his head was full of thoughts about his most recent reads and loose ideas for his own novel as he clocked in for his shift. Jifang, the head librarian, had tasked him with returning books from the returns cart to their rightful places on the shelves, along with a thinly-veiled threat about ‘not getting sidetracked by anything and everything that so much as catches his eye’. Xingqiu barely manages to bite back his protests. That was one time! When will she let go of that?
After reassuring Jifang that yes, I’ll have those books back on the shelves in no time and yes, I promise I’ll save my own reading for when I’m not working (a half-truth; he saves his own reading for slow hours behind the counter when nobody’s lined up and Jifang isn’t looking), he places all of the recently returned books onto the cart and sets off.
He navigates the various rows of shelves with ease, a well-practiced dance by now; after all, he’s spent enough time working here (and even more time perusing the shelves before that) that he knows the library’s layout like the back of his hand. He works efficiently, determined to complete this task as quickly as he can. The sooner he finishes, the sooner he can (hopefully) get back to reading.
His focus is disrupted when he overhears a hushed conversation taking place one row over.
“Are you going to ask for his number,” one of them whispers.
“Maybe,” the other giggles. “He seems a little shy, though.”
“You think it’s cute.”
A dreamy sigh. “I do… He’s just so adorable! The way he stumbled over his words…”
“And how red his cheeks were after? Makes you just wanna take a bite out of them.”
“I wonder if that blush spreads further down his body,” the second voice whispers conspiratorially and nope, no, Xingqiu decides that he has heard enough. Surely there are better places to have such a conversation than in the middle of the library. He pushes the cart into the next row and clears his throat, catching the attention of the two students. They startle when they see him, mumbling quick apologies before hurrying back over to their table.
It doesn’t stop there, though. As Xingqiu continues to drift from row to row, he catches fragments of other whispered conversations, all seemingly about the same person: a cute yet soft-spoken boy with a cool, aloof air about him (at least, that’s the impression Xingqiu has gathered from everything he’s overheard). He has no idea who it could be; the description doesn’t fit any of their usual visitors, nor does it sound like any of his co-workers.
He isn’t curious. He’s not.
…Okay, maybe he’s a little curious. But who could blame him? He just really wants to know what kind of person could prompt so much whispering. That’s perfectly reasonable, isn’t it?
He looks around (discreetly, of course), trying to spot the boy who seems to have captured the attention of just about everybody in the entire damn library, but doesn’t see anyone who matches the description. He thinks back to the first two people he heard gossiping, and turns his gaze in the direction he remembers them facing, frowning in confusion when he doesn’t see anything. He adjusts his glasses. Takes them off. Wipes them on his shirt and puts them back on, as if that would change anything. It doesn’t. There’s nobody there, as far as he can see. The only thing in that direction is—
The café.
The conversation from the previous week resurfaces in Xingqiu’s memory, and everything clicks into place. He realizes that he never actually asked Xiangling if she knew when the new hire was starting, meaning it’s very likely that today is their first day.
That explains the whispering, then. Xingqiu has spent enough time at the library to be familiar with all of their regular visitors, and he’s never heard this much whispering about any of the other visitors, much less any of the staff members.
He briefly contemplates trying to get a closer look, but holds himself back. He can’t afford to get distracted now, or Jifang will tear him a new one. Besides, he’s bound to run into the new hire sooner or later with the way he frequents the café, whether it’s to get his caffeine fix or just to pester Xiangling.
With that in mind, he puts all thoughts of this mysterious new hire out of his head and gets back to work.
He can afford to be patient.
---
Once all the books on the cart have been returned to their rightful place, Jifang stations Xingqiu at the front desk so she can attend to just about everything else. Xingqiu, of course, is more than happy to comply; after all, when there’s nobody there who needs his help, he can spend the rest of the time reading or, if he’s feeling particularly inspired, working on some projects of his own.
As soon as Jifang is out of sight, Xingqiu pulls a book out from his bag and immerses himself in the story.
Or, at least, he tries to. But it seems even behind the desk, he can’t escape the incessant whispering that seems to be following him no matter where he goes. Whether it’s the people sitting at the tables nearby, or the people passing by on their way back from the café, all everyone can talk about is the new guy with a pretty face who served them their drinks.
Much to Xingqiu’s chagrin, he’s unable to focus on the pages in front of him no matter how hard he tries. The whispers are too distracting, as are his own thoughts as the little seed of curiosity begins to sprout.
Seriously, what kind of guy did Xiangling manage to get her hands on? How could she not realize what kind of effect he would have on their visitors?
As soon as the time for his break rolls around, Xingqiu marches right over to the café. He’s not sure if he’s disappointed or grateful that it’s Xiangling sitting behind the counter, and not the new guy. Then again, he’s also not sure which of them he currently wants to strangle more.
“Oh, Xingqiu!” Xiangling calls out when she spots him. “Are you on your break already?”
Xingqiu hums an affirmation as he grabs a chair from one of the nearby tables and drags it over to the counter, seating himself across from Xiangling while still leaving room for any customers that might come in.
“I thought the café was hiring a new worker, not a new distraction,” he hisses once he’s settled.
Xiangling frowns, confusion evident in her expression. “Distraction? What are you on about? Did Miss Jifang catch you reading when you were supposed to be putting books back again?”
“What? No!” Xingqiu pinches the bridge of his nose in exasperation. “That was one time! Why won’t anyone let that go?”
“Because if we did, it would definitely be more than one time,” Xiangling answers matter-of-factly.
Xingqiu scowls, but doesn’t retort. As much as he’s loath to admit it, she’s right. He’s never going to tell her that, though. Her head is big enough as it is. “This isn’t even about me,” Xingqiu grumbles petulantly.
“Then who is it about?”
“The new guy!”
“Oh! Have you met him already?”
“No, but I feel like I already know him with how much everyone’s been talking about him.”
Xiangling tilts her head to the side. “Really? I haven’t heard anything.”
“That’s probably because you’ve been in the kitchen the whole time. It’s all everyone’s been talking about all day!”
“Huh.”
“What’s ‘huh’?”
“I’m just a little surprised, that’s all.”
Xingqiu raises an eyebrow. “Why are you surprised? Don’t you know the guy?”
“Yeah, and that’s exactly why! Like, sure, I guess he’s cute and all, but I didn’t think he’d get that much attention. He hardly stands out in class.”
“Really.” Xingqiu chews on his lip as he turns those words over in his head. “Okay, first of all, I don’t trust your judgement considering you only have eyes for your roommate.”
“Rude.”
“Second of all,” he continues as if she hadn’t said anything, “if you think about it, you could stick just about any guy in a cute little apron and he becomes instant malewife material. And who doesn’t love a good malewife?”
Xiangling hums thoughtfully. “You make a good point.”
“Of course I do!” Xingqiu pauses, glancing around the café. “Where is he, anyway?” He narrows his eyes in suspicion. “You didn’t kill him already, did you? I wouldn’t find his dead body lying on the kitchen floor, would I?”
Xiangling scoffs. “Of course not! First of all, that’s poor practice. I would dispose of his body properly.”
“Good to know.”
“Shush. Second of all, I’m not going to kill him on his first day, that’d be impolite. I save that for the second day!”
“How generous.”
“Right? Anyway, he’s on his break right now. You just missed him, actually. He ran out of here, like, a minute before you arrived.”
Xingqiu clicks his tongue. “Figures.”
“Why so disappointed?” A shit-eating grin spreads across Xiangling’s face, and Xingqiu does not like that look one bit. “Were you curious about this dashing young lad-turned-malewife too?”
Xingqiu rolls his eyes. “Don’t say it like that.”
Xiangling waggles her eyebrows. “Like what?”
“Like—” Xingqiu cuts himself off with a frustrated sigh. “Ugh, you’re the worst. Why am I still friends with you?”
“Please, you wouldn’t last a day without me.”
Xingqiu scoffs. “As if. You’re the one who—” he stops himself as Xiangling pulls out a small paper bag and sets it on the counter between them. There’s a smug look on her face, like she knows she’s already won.
“You were saying?”
“That is, what I meant to say,” Xingqiu clears his throat, not once looking away from the bag, “is that you’re the best, an absolute lifesaver, an angel from the heavens above and may I open that?” After a second, he throws in a “please?” for good measure.
Xiangling laughs as she pushes the bag a little closer to him. “Yeah, yeah, knock yourself out. It is for you, after all.”
Now that he’s been granted permission, Xingqiu pulls a muffin out of the bag. He brings it to his mouth but pauses before taking a bite, eyeing it warily. “You didn’t poison this or anything, did you?”
Xiangling rolls her eyes. “Do I really look like the kind of person who would do that?” When Xingqiu just gives her a flat look, she tacks on, “On purpose?”
Xingqiu narrows his eyes suspiciously, but takes a hesitant bite of the muffin anyway. When he doesn’t immediately die upon ingestion, he allows himself to take another bite. “I suppose not,” he admits, albeit a bit reluctantly.
“Of course not! Besides, if I wanted you dead, I would’ve done it years ago.”
“How flattering,” Xingqiu says dryly. Xiangling sticks her tongue out before swiping a piece of his muffin and popping it in her mouth. Xingqiu rolls his eyes at the childish gesture but doesn’t protest; he just holds the muffin further away from her so she can’t nab any more of it. Seriously, she has a whole display to pick from, so why does she still insist on stealing from him?
They fall into a comfortable silence as Xingqiu polishes off the rest of his muffin; it’s poor manners to talk while eating, after all. Once he’s finished, he glances over at the clock, only to realize that his break’s almost over. He stands up to throw the wrapper away, placing his chair back in its proper place.
“Back to work now?” Xingqiu nods, and Xiangling stands up, too. “Great, that means I’m off register duty. Meet me after your shift’s done?”
“Of course, of course.” Xingqiu waves her off before turning to leave.
“Don’t let Miss Jifang catch you slacking again!” Xiangling calls after him.
“Don’t burn the kitchen down again!” He fires back over his shoulder, laughing when he sees Xiangling flip him off before flouncing off into the kitchen. Once she’s out of sight, he swivels back around so he can actually watch where he’s walking…
…except in the time he hadn’t been watching where he was walking, he failed to notice the person rushing right towards him. As soon as he turns around, he bumps right into something soft and warm. He staggers back a couple steps, a little disoriented. Warm hands settle on his shoulders to steady him, and Xingqiu jumps at the contact before melting at the touch.
He looks up, an apology on the tip of his tongue but the words die on his lips the second he meets a pair of icy blue eyes that quite literally freeze him in place.
“Oh no, are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you? I’m so sorry, I was in a rush, I should’ve been paying more attention but I was running late and I just—” the boy scrambles to explain himself, except Xingqiu’s not really taking in most of what he’s saying. Instead, his attention is being held captive by the powder pink flush dusted across the boy’s cheeks (is it the chilly weather or something else?), by his light, fluffy hair (if Xingqiu were to run a hand through it, would it feel as soft as it looks?), by those piercing eyes, gaze sharpened to a point (and if eyes are windows to the soul, would Xingqiu ever be able to hold him without cutting himself on the glass?).
Belatedly, Xingqiu realizes that the boy has stopped rambling, and is now gazing at him with a look of barely-veiled concern. He knows he should probably say something, anything to reassure the boy that he’s alright, but his mouth suddenly feels like it’s full of sandpaper. He swallows once in an attempt to remedy that, then again when the feeling persists.
It’s fine. He may have been caught off guard, but Xingqiu is nothing if not smooth and eloquent and—
“Um.”
—completely and utterly incompetent, apparently. He clears his throat and tries to fight down the flush he can feel creeping up the back of his neck and into his cheeks. “I’m fine,” he quickly reassures the boy before he can start fussing again. “If anything, I should be the one to apologize. I wasn’t looking where I was walking.”
“Still…” The boy’s gaze flits away for a second to look at the clock, and his eyes widen. He takes a step back, his hands falling away from Xingqiu’s shoulders as he does so and Xingqiu immediately misses their warmth. “I’m sorry, I really need to get going, but I’ll buy you a coffee or something next time to make up for it, okay?”
It’s really not necessary, Xingqiu wants to say, but something tells him that he’s better off not arguing. “Alright,” he says instead, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. The boy offers a small, slightly crooked smile of his own in return, nodding once before hurrying off in the direction of the café.
Xingqiu feels a little like he’s floating as he crosses through the room back over to the front desk, lost in his thoughts. Absently, he thinks that whatever the café’s new hire might look like, he’s probably got nothing on that boy. Agreeing to the offer was definitely worth it, just to get to see that expression on his face, a little awkward but endearingly so.
I wonder when I’ll see him again…
Only once he’s seated at the front desk does he realize that he never got the boy’s name.
---
As it turns out, Xingqiu ends up seeing the boy again much sooner than he’d expected.
He’d arrived early for his shift the next day, hoping he might actually be able to convince Xiangling to give him his drink for free this time, except Xiangling isn’t the one seated at the counter.
Instead, in a surprising turn of events, the person manning the register happens to be the same boy that Xingqiu had bumped into the day before. He’s wearing a near-identical pale blue hoodie except this time, he’s also wearing the apron all café workers need to wear over it.
Oh.
Oh wow.
Maybe Xingqiu really had been onto something with his little apron comment yesterday, because the boy was cute before, but it’s a whole different story now that he’s wearing the apron.
The boy looks up then, eyes lighting up in recognition when he spots Xingqiu still gaping at him a few feet away from the counter. He opens his mouth, presumably to greet him, but before his mind can formulate anything polite, Xingqiu blurts out, “You’re the new distraction?”
Great. That hadn’t been what he wanted to say. And he’s supposed to be good with words!
The boy’s face scrunches up adorably in confusion, and Xingqiu’s chest tightens a little at the sight. “I’m the what?”
Archons above, Xingqiu really needs to get it together, especially if he’s going to be seeing this guy on a regular basis. He clears his throat, takes a deep breath, and prays that the next words that come out of his mouth won’t be a complete and utter embarrassment. He’s not sure he’ll be able to look this boy in the eye ever again if he keeps fumbling their interactions like this. “My apologies, that was a slip of the tongue.” He walks up to the counter so they don’t have to converse across the room. “What I meant to say was that I didn’t realize you were the classmate Xiangling mentioned that would be working here.”
The boy blinks once. Twice. His face remains blank. “Ah.” He doesn’t question how ‘distraction’ translates to ‘classmate’, which Xingqiu is thankful for. A second later, the boy straightens up suddenly, tugging at the collar of his hoodie. “Sorry, um. Can I… get you anything?”
“Oh!” This boy really is quite the distraction; Xingqiu had almost forgotten why he’d come here in the first place. He rattles off his usual order, but when he reaches into his bag to pull out his card, the boy shakes his head.
“It’s on the house. To make up for yesterday,” he explains.
“There’s really no need for that,” Xingqiu sighs, then adds before the boy can protest, “but thank you…” he subtly glances down at the nametag pinned to the front of his apron, “Chongyun.”
Chongyun’s eyes widen slightly in surprise. “How did you know my name?”
Xingqiu casts another, more deliberate glance down. Chongyun follows his gaze and flushes when he realizes what Xingqiu is looking at. “Oh… right, the nametag.” He hurriedly turns around and grabs a cup off the counter. “I keep forgetting that’s there,” he mutters to himself.
Xingqiu chuckles. He thinks he understands why everybody else is so enamoured with this boy. He’s a little awkward, but in a way that Xingqiu can’t help but be endeared by. It makes him want to tease Chongyun, to see that flush darken as his carefully-maintained composure cracks and he stumbles over his words.
“Um…” Chongyun’s voice pulls Xingqiu out of his thoughts. He tilts his head in question, and Chongyun glances off to the side, cheeks reddening slightly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name.”
Right. He totally forgot about that. “Oh dear, where are my manners? I should have introduced myself properly at the beginning.” Xingqiu holds out a hand, offering Chongyun his most charming grin. “Xingqiu, at your service. I work at the library as well.”
Chongyun tentatively clasps Xingqiu’s hand, an awkward little grin quirking his lips upward. Just like yesterday, his hand is so warm, especially in contrast to Xingqiu’s hands, which are always cold. He lets go after a couple seconds, lingering slightly before drawing back completely.
“Xingqiu…” Chongyun picks up a marker from the counter and scribbles something down on the cup, tongue sticking out ever so slightly as he concentrates. Xingqiu debates asking if Chongyun needs help spelling his name, but decides it’ll be more fun to see Chongyun’s interpretation of it. “Alright. I’ll have this ready in a moment,” he says before getting to work on Xingqiu’s drink.
Xingqiu smiles, leaning against the counter as he watches Chongyun work, diligent and focused. It looks like Xiangling was right to suggest this job to him, even if she had her own reasons for telling him about it.
“Are you sure it’s only your second day here?” Xingqiu remarks, nodding in the direction of the coffee machine when Chongyun tilts his head in question. “It’s just that you already seem so familiar with the equipment,” he explains.
“Ah.” Chongyun turns back to the machine. “One of my friends is a bit of a caffeine addict, so I guess I ended up picking up a few things here and there.”
Xingqiu thinks of Yanfei, with her seemingly bottomless thermos of coffee and huffs a laugh. “Makes sense. I know a few people like that, too.”
“I don’t know how they survive like that,” Chongyun muses as he puts a lid on the drink. “I think I’d vibrate right out of my body if I were them.”
“You’re not much of a coffee drinker, then?”
Chongyun shakes his head. “Can’t. It makes me too jittery.”
“Ah, that’s too bad. But you have to admit, it’s kind of funny.”
“How so?”
“You work at a café, but you can’t drink coffee. It’s a little ironic, don’t you think?”
Chongyun lets out a quiet huff that might be a laugh. “I guess so.” He brings the cup to the counter and slides it over to Xingqiu. “Here.”
Xingqiu murmurs a quiet thank you, pulling the tab of the lid open and lifting the cup to his lips. He takes a small sip, humming appreciatively.
Chongyun eyes him attentively. “It’s good?”
“It’s great,” Xingqiu confirms, and Chongyun lets out a relieved sigh. Xingqiu takes another sip before turning the cup in his hands to see what Chongyun had written on it earlier. A surprised noise escapes him when he spots a cute little doodle of cat snoozing contentedly below his name.
His name, written in a neat script, spelled correctly.
“Is something wrong?”
Xingqiu moves his gaze from the cup to Chongyun, who is nervously tugging the sleeves of his hoodie down.
“Nothing’s wrong,” he reassures him. “I’m just surprised, that’s all. You actually spelled my name right.”
“Does that… not happen often?”
“Let’s just say a lot of people have some creative interpretations when it comes to spelling my name,” Xingqiu explains with a crooked grin.
“I see…”
“I actually find it quite amusing. It’s fun to see what some of them come up with.” Xingqiu looks down at the cup again. “This little kitty is adorable, by the way. How am I supposed to throw this away now?”
Chongyun brings a hand up to rub at the back of his neck, his cheeks taking on a rosy tinge once more. “I can always draw you another one next time.”
“Would you really?”
“If you want me to, then of course. I’m, ah, glad you like it.”
Xingqiu has to fight the urge to reach over and pinch Chongyun’s cheeks. “Well, isn’t that sweet of you?”
Chongyun just mutters something unintelligible in response, glancing down at the counter like it’s the most interesting thing he’s ever seen.
Xingqiu decides to take pity on Chongyun and stop teasing him for now; if he’s not careful, he’s going to be late for his own shift, and he really doesn’t need to get chewed out by Jifang first thing in the morning. He grabs his cup and takes a step back from the counter, giving Chongyun an apologetic smile. “I’d love to stay and chat, but duty calls, so I must be on my way.”
“Of course, don’t let me keep you.” Chongyun’s gaze flickers up to meet Xingqiu’s once more. “I’ll see you around?” There’s a tinge to his tone that sounds almost hopeful, and Xingqiu dares to think that maybe he didn’t make such a terrible first impression after all. He dares to think that Chongyun enjoyed their conversation just as much as Xingqiu had, that he might want to see Xingqiu again, too. The thought sets something alight in his chest, a flickering flame that warms him from the inside.
“That you will,” Xingqiu confirms, giving a small wave before sweeping out of the café.
The warmth in his chest lingers long after he’s finished his tea.
---
In the following days, Xingqiu makes a habit of arriving early for his shifts so he has time to drop by the café. If asked why he’s started showing up early when he used to barely make it on time some days, he’d simply say that he’s discovered he works much more efficiently with a nice warm beverage in his system. It’s partly true, but Xingqiu knows that’s not the only reason, either.
No, the main reason he’s started showing up early is because he simply can’t pass up the opportunity to chat up a certain barista. In the days following their first proper meeting, Xingqiu learns that he quite enjoys Chongyun’s company; it’s easy to talk to him, and even easier to tease him. It doesn’t take Xingqiu long to notice the tight rein Chongyun keeps over his emotions, which only makes him more determined to see how many reactions he can drag out of him.
He learns that even if Chongyun doesn’t talk as much, he’s a great listener, and doesn’t seem to mind that Xingqiu can talk enough for the both of them.
He also learns that Chongyun chooses the strangest times to be surprisingly perceptive. The first time it happens, Xingqiu is completely caught off guard; he’d stayed up the whole night trying to finish a paper that had been giving him trouble for weeks, and despite his best attempts to conceal (figuratively and literally) the evidence of his all-nighter, Chongyun picks up on it almost immediately, cutting off Xingqiu’s attempt to pay for his drink with a shake of his head.
“You look like you need it,” is all he says when Xingqiu demands an explanation.
Xingqiu blinks, unable to hide his surprise. “What gave it away?” He asks, feeling a little too exposed for his liking.
“The giant bags under your eyes,” Chongyun says bluntly, without missing a beat. Xingqiu makes an offended noise and reaches over the counter to swat at Chongyun’s shoulder.
“A little tact would not be lost on you, dear Chongyun,” Xingqiu reprimands him before pulling out his phone and checking his appearance in the front camera. They aren’t really that noticeable, are they?
“They’re not that bad,” Chongyun says, as though reading his mind. “You just look a bit more tired than usual, that’s all.”
That’s not the end of it, though. Whenever Chongyun picks up on the fact that Xingqiu isn’t quite himself, whether it’s because of another late night spent reading or studying, or a phone call from his parents that leaves a bad taste in his mouth, he lets him have his drink for free. Sometimes he even throws in an extra pastry, waving off Xingqiu’s protests every single time.
Secretly, Xingqiu enjoys this treatment, though he refuses to tell Chongyun that. He doesn’t want it to seem like he’s taking advantage of Chongyun’s kindness, after all.
And that’s all it is, right? Chongyun is a good person. He probably does this for everyone who appears to be in low spirits. It doesn’t mean anything.
Xingqiu can’t help but wonder how Chongyun hasn’t gotten himself fired yet. Surely that has to be poor business practice, or something.
So, the next day, after Chongyun declines his attempts to pay for his drink yet again (there isn’t even anything wrong this time!), he decides to ask about it…
“How haven’t you gotten fired yet?”
…in the worst way possible. So much for being tactful. Why does his brain-to-mouth filter always seem to malfunction around Chongyun?
Chongyun nearly drops the cup he’s holding. “What?”
Xingqiu holds his hands up in a placating gesture, scrambling to correct himself. “Wait, that’s not what I meant! You’re doing a great job, I promise!”
“So what did you mean, then?”
“I was referring to—” Xingqiu gestures vaguely at the cup in Chongyun’s hands, “you know, the free drinks! Isn’t it a problem if you’re just giving things away for free all the time?”
Chongyun frowns in confusion. “I don’t do it all the time, though.”
“Okay, maybe not all the time, but isn’t it poor business practice to give everyone their orders for free every time they have a bad day?”
“Wait, wait.” Chongyun puts the cup down so he can focus all of his attention on Xingqiu. “You think I give everyone free drinks?”
Now it’s Xingqiu’s turn to frown. “Don’t you?”
“Um. No.” Chongyun’s face is now turning a concerning shade of red. How fascinating. “It’s, uh, just you.”
Xingqiu’s eyes widen in surprise, but he recovers quickly, leaning over the counter into Chongyun’s space and batting his eyelashes. “Just me?” He smirks, appreciating the way Chongyun seems to fluster at their proximity. “My my, are you trying to win my affections through free beverages?”
Chongyun sputters, his blush somehow even more angry. “What? What are you talking— of course not, don’t be ridiculous!”
“Sure, sure,” Xingqiu replies breezily, smirk widening as he closes in for the kill. “A word of advice, though. It’s going to take a little more than a free cup of tea to sweep me off my feet. I expect you to court me properly, darling.”
Chongyun bats weakly at Xingqiu’s shoulder in an attempt to put some space between them. “You’re terrible. See if I ever give you a free drink again.”
Xingqiu just smiles. He knows Chongyun won’t follow through with that threat.
(He’s right.)
---
It’s another slow day at the front desk. Other than a few people asking about book holds, returns, and locations (with the exception of one person who asked about ‘the blue-haired cutie at the café; Xingqiu had waved them off with a muttered you’ll have to ask him yourself, jaw clenched), they more or less leave him alone, which means an opportunity for him to finish the novel he’d started the night before.
When he reaches the end, he sets the book aside and stretches his arms over his head until he feels a satisfying pop in his shoulders. He does a quick scan of the library to see if anyone might be coming towards the front desk, only to spot Chongyun approaching him. Quite hurriedly, in fact; Xingqiu notes the way Chongyun is speed walking with purpose, a hint of something in his expression that’s equal parts determination and desperation. He opens his mouth to ask why he’s in such a rush, but before any words can come out, Chongyun takes a quick look around before vaulting himself over the front desk.
Xingqiu just gapes at him for a moment, stunned into silence at the very unexpected and very impressive display of physical prowess. What on earth is he hiding under that hoodie, is the first coherent thought that pops into his brain after it finishes rebooting. He quickly discards that thought; he is not going to fall down that rabbit hole when Chongyun is right there.
Meanwhile Chongyun, completely oblivious to Xingqiu’s internal struggle, has settled under the desk next to Xingqiu’s legs and is now curling into himself, as though he might be able to disappear if he makes himself small enough. The sight allows Xingqiu to finally scrape enough brain cells together to get his priorities in order and find out what that was all about.
“What are you doing,” he hisses. “You’re lucky Miss Jifang isn’t here right now, or she’d have your head!”
Chongyun lifts his head up to meet Xingqiu’s eyes, hugging his knees a little tighter to his chest. He at least has the decency to look somewhat abashed. “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking—”
“Clearly.”
“—but could you please let me hide here?”
Xingqiu raises an eyebrow. He already has a vague idea of what’s going on, but he wants to make sure. “Hide? From what?” After a thoughtful pause, he adds, “Or from whom?”
Chongyun grimaces, as though he’s just remembered something highly unpleasant. He probably has. “Xiangling,” is all he says, but that’s all he needs to say for Xingqiu to fully grasp the situation. A wry grin tugs at his lips.
“So she’s finally started using you as her guinea pig?”
Chongyun blinks up at him in surprise. “How did you know?”
“I know her,” Xingqiu explains. “Xiangling’s got a bit of a tendency to get… creative when it comes to cooking. And she’s always trying to get people to try her latest experiments.”
“‘Trying?’”
“People usually run off after the first time. Like you.”
Chongyun’s nose scrunches up. “Look, getting creative in the kitchen isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but why does she have to be so fond of spices?”
Xingqiu snorts. That certainly sounds about right. “I take it you aren’t?”
“That’s… one way to put it.” Chongyun doesn’t seem too keen on elaborating, but Xingqiu just stays quiet, waiting for him to say more. As Xingqiu continues to stare him down, Chongyun starts to squirm under the attention, cheeks reddening until he finally caves. “Ugh, I just don’t handle heat very well. I usually try to avoid hot or spicy foods whenever I can. Unfortunately, it seems ‘hot and spicy’ are two of Xiangling’s specialties.”
Figures Xiangling would pick the worst possible candidate to be her next unfortunate victim. Xingqiu’s not sure whether to laugh at the sheer stupidity of the whole situation or feel sorry for Chongyun.
Both, probably.
“So what happened the first time, then?”
Chongyun’s face is practically glowing with how deeply flushed it is. “The smell alone was almost enough to make me pass out, and the taste… well. The taste was more than enough to make me pass out.”
“You passed out?”
Chongyun averts his gaze, staring somewhere off to the side as he squishes his cheek against his knees. He doesn’t say anything else, but his silence is just as much of an answer.
Before Xingqiu can press Chongyun for more blackmail material, though, he catches sight of someone else approaching the desk.
Someone who just so happens to be the very person Chongyun is trying to avoid.
“Look alive, we’ve got company,” Xingqiu mutters, nudging Chongyun slightly with his foot. “Actually, maybe you should be doing the opposite,” he muses.
“What—”
“Xiangling!” Xingqiu greets her, perhaps a tad too loud, but Chongyun seems to get the message then. A little squeak escapes him as he ducks his head once more, tugging his hood up and curling into himself as tightly as he can manage. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Xiangling narrows her eyes at him, scrutinizing. Xingqiu schools his expression into the picture of innocence, tilting his head slightly as though he doesn’t know exactly why she’s there.
“I’m looking for Chongyun. Have you seen him?”
Xingqiu feels Chongyun tense up next to him. His face is still hidden, but the way the tips of his ears have turned bright red doesn’t escape Xingqiu’s notice, and it takes everything in his power not to let out what would probably be a very unflattering (and incriminating) snort. Instead, his lips quirk up in a crooked grin. “Chongyun? As a matter of fact…” He trails off, tapping his lip as he pretends to think, and out of the corner of his eye he can see Chongyun’s head shoot up. He casts a quick glance down to find Chongyun wearing a look that’s equal parts absolute horror and utter betrayal. Xingqiu’s grin widens. “Nope! I haven’t seen him.”
Chongyun visibly deflates, giving Xingqiu a half-hearted glare that he pretends not to notice. Xiangling, meanwhile, seems genuinely surprised by his response.
“Really? You two seemed to be getting along really well, I thought you’d know for sure.” She places a really strange emphasis on those two words. Xingqiu’s not sure if he’s imagining the way Chongyun’s eyes seem to widen for a split second before he hides his face again. Strange. He doesn’t really know what to do with that, so he pays it no mind.
“Sorry to disappoint,” Xingqiu answers breezily. “Did you need him for something?”
He knows the answer already, of course, but he has an act that he needs to keep up for Chongyun’s sake.
“I was going to get him to try something for me, but he ran off as soon as his shift ended,” Xiangling pouts.
“Maybe you scared him off.”
Xiangling flicks his forehead, which, in Xingqiu’s humble opinion, was totally unwarranted. “Not helpful!” She takes a step back, placing her hands on her hips and sighing. “So you really don’t know where he is?”
Xingqiu shakes his head and offers Xiangling an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I really don’t. Maybe he’s gone back to the dorms already.”
“Probably,” Xiangling agrees. “I guess I’ll see if I can get one of the other bakers to help me out.”
Xingqiu snorts. “Good luck with that. You’d probably have to pay them…” He smirks. “If you can catch them, that is.”
“You’re the worst! Why do I still put up with you?”
“Aw, don’t be like that. I know you love me.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Xiangling waves him off and starts heading back to the café, but Xingqiu catches a glimpse of a grin on her face before she turns away. When she’s finally out of sight, Xingqiu turns his full attention back to Chongyun, only to find Chongyun already looking at him. “Something the matter?”
“I agree with Xiangling. You are the worst.”
Xingqiu feigns offense, gasping and bringing a hand to his chest in mock-hurt. “How could you say that? And after I saved you from Xiangling’s clutches, no less.”
“You nearly gave me a heart attack.”
“Nearly. And that’s not important, is it? What matters is that Xiangling is gone and you don’t have to pass out in the kitchen again. I’d call that a win, wouldn’t you?”
Chongyun gives him a flat look, but doesn’t argue. He rests his chin on his knees and lets out a breath. “What am I supposed to do now, though?”
“Now?”
“I can’t leave yet. She’ll probably catch me and then all of this—” he gestures vaguely at Xingqiu, “—will have been for nothing.”
“That’s true…” Xingqiu gives Chongyun a thoughtful look. “Okay, how about this? My shift ends in an hour. You can stay here with me, hope that Miss Jifang doesn’t come back until then, and once my shift is done I can help you escape.”
“That… could work, actually.”
Xingqiu grins lazily, leaning back in his seat. “Make yourself comfortable then.” He turns his focus to the computer in front of him, deciding that he should at least make an effort to look like he’s doing his job in front of Chongyun. He goes over the library’s records, taking note of overdue books for Jifang to hunt down. Several minutes pass like this before Chongyun is the one to break the silence once more.
“You and Xiangling seem really close,” he remarks, seemingly offhand.
Despite himself, Xingqiu can’t tamp down the fond smile that tugs at his lips. “Yeah, well… We’ve known each other for ages. She can be a huge pain when she wants to be, and I’m pretty sure she thrives off making me suffer, but she’s always there for me when I need her, and I’m really grateful for that.”
Chongyun smiles, and there seems to be an almost wistful quality to it, though Xingqiu can’t figure out why. “That sounds… really nice. You two make a good couple.”
Xingqiu can’t help the surprised laugh that escapes him. He quickly brings a hand to his mouth in an attempt to stifle it, but a few giggles still manage to escape. Chongyun looks up at him then, an adorable little pout on his face, and Xingqiu tries his best to get actual words out before Chongyun thinks he’s laughing at him.
“I’m sorry for laughing it’s just,” he takes a breath to compose himself, “Xiangling and I aren’t a couple.”
Chongyun’s brow furrows in confusion. “You’re not?”
“Archons, no! I could never date Xiangling. Even if I had any interest in girls, I don’t think I’d ever be able to see her that way. She’s like a little sister to me.”
“Is that so…” Chongyun’s expression turns thoughtful, and Xingqiu can practically see the gears turning in his head.
“What about you?”
Xingqiu’s not sure what prompts him to ask. Curiosity, perhaps? It’s natural to be curious, he thinks, with the number of people that have been fawning over Chongyun since he started working here.
Chongyun seems perplexed by the question. He tilts his head to the side, and the gesture reminds Xingqiu of a curious puppy. “What about me?”
“Are you dating anybody?”
Chongyun flushes an impressive shade of scarlet, from his cheeks to the tips of his ears and down his neck. “W-what? No, of course not!”
“Really?” Xingqiu can’t help but be surprised by the response; surely with so many people interested in him, Chongyun would have found at least one person who caught his eye.
“I’m serious! Why would I be dating anybody?”
Xingqiu frowns. “Even with all those people asking you out?”
“What are you talking about? Nobody’s asked me out.”
“You can’t be serious.”
Chongyun bristles. “I am, though!”
“But—” Xingqiu fumbles for words. “I heard so many people talking about asking for your number! Heck, I had someone come up to me today asking about you! You mean to tell me that none of them actually had the guts to follow through?”
Chongyun’s eyes light up in realization. “Oh, I did have a few people asking for my number. I don’t get what wanting my student ID has to do with asking me out, though.”
“You—” Xingqiu tries not to laugh, he really does, but he just can’t help it. “Oh, goodness, you really are adorable.”
Chongyun’s expression doesn’t change, but the redness creeping back into his cheeks betrays his embarrassment. “What are you on about?”
“They were asking for your phone number, Chongyun.”
“Oh. Oh.” Chongyun’s cheeks darken even more as he processes the words. “Oh no, that’s so embarrassing. No wonder they all looked so disappointed.”
Xingqiu laughs again, reaching a hand down to pinch Chongyun’s cheek. “Don’t worry, at least now you’ll know for next time.”
“If there even is a next time,” Chongyun grumbles.
“Oh, there will be, I’m sure of it.” Xingqiu pauses as a question rises to the forefront of his mind. “Would you have considered going out with any of them?”
Chongyun looks down, turning the question over in his head. “Probably not,” he answers eventually. “I don’t really know any of them, anyway. And they don’t know me. Why would they want to go out with me?”
“Because you’re cute,” Xingqiu answers matter-of-factly, snorting at how Chongyun looks seconds away from combusting.
“I still don’t get it. Why would you ask someone out if you don’t know them at all?”
“Well, the point of going out is to see if you work well together. You try to get to know each other, then decide if you want to pursue the relationship any further.”
“I guess,” Chongyun acquiesces, “but if they knew me, they’d probably change their minds. I’m not a very interesting person.”
Xingqiu frowns. He thinks of the light, fluttery feeling in his chest whenever they’re together, thinks of the way his heart always soars when their hands brush as Chongyun passes his drink over, the faintest hint of a smile ghosting his lips, thinks of how the time they spend together always leaves him feeling warm all over, and wonders how anybody could possibly say that about Chongyun. The fact that Chongyun doesn’t see just how much he has to offer as a companion makes Xingqiu’s chest tighten, and he nudges Chongyun in the side with his foot. “Now that’s just not true.”
“You’re just saying that to be nice,” Chongyun mumbles.
“I’m not,” Xingqiu insists, because he needs Chongyun to understand this, to realize exactly how much Xingqiu means it. “I think you’re very interesting. Don’t sell yourself short, you’re a wonderful person and anyone would be lucky to have you as their boyfriend! And if anyone tries to tell you otherwise, they’ll have to answer to me.”
Chongyun turns away, but Xingqiu doesn’t miss the small smile playing at his lips. “Thanks,” he murmurs. He lowers his voice even more, and Xingqiu would have missed his next words had his attention not already been focused solely on Chongyun. “I, um, think you’re pretty great, too.”
Xingqiu smiles softly to himself, face warming at the compliment. The little flame that’s long since made its home in his chest burns a little brighter, and he finds comfort in the warmth that spreads throughout him. He nudges Chongyun again, lighter this time, to show that he heard him.
Even as he turns back to his work, the smile doesn’t leave his face.
---
The rest of Xingqiu’s shift passes without incident.
He and Chongyun sit in a comfortable silence for the most part; Chongyun is content to pass the time scrolling through his phone as Xingqiu works. A few more people approach Xingqiu with questions throughout the hour, though thankfully nobody else asks him if he knows whether Chongyun is ‘available’ or not. He’s not sure he’d be able to handle the mortification of answering that particular question with Chongyun right next to him. Jifang is, thankfully, still off attending to other business as well, which means Xingqiu doesn’t have to explain why he suddenly has company behind the desk, or why said company is seated beneath the desk as opposed to on a chair.
When the hour is up, Xingqiu rises from his seat, gathering his belongings before extending a hand to Chongyun. “Ready to go? Yanfei will probably be here to take over for me any minute.”
Chongyun nods, tucking his phone away and reaching up to grab Xingqiu’s hand.
(It’s so warm.)
Xingqiu clasps his other hand around Chongyun’s and tugs him to his feet, except he pulls a little too hard, causing Chongyun to stumble forward. He catches himself before he can fall into Xingqiu and bring both of them back down to the ground, his free arm wrapping around Xingqiu’s shoulders to steady them both.
“I feel like we’ve been here before,” Xingqiu remarks with a grin. “We really need to stop bumping into each other like this.”
Chongyun offers a small smile of his own in response, cheeks rosy. “Will you let me buy you a drink to make it up to you?”
Xingqiu’s grin widens. “You’d do it even if I said ‘no’.”
“I will neither confirm nor deny that statement.”
Xingqiu chuckles, squeezing Chongyun’s hand once. “You’re silly,” he teases before releasing Chongyun’s hand momentarily to grab his bag. Once he’s slung it over his shoulder, he reaches out to take Chongyun’s hand once more, tugging him along as he manoeuvres them around the desk.
Of course, Yanfei chooses this exact moment to make her appearance, taking a swig from a thermos as tall as her forearm. She looks at Xingqiu and Chongyun, glances down at their joined hands, then lifts her gaze to meet Xingqiu’s eyes, raising an eyebrow at him. There’s an amused twinkle in her eyes that Xingqiu does not like; she’s probably getting all the wrong ideas as to why both of them were behind the desk, but Xingqiu doesn’t have time to explain himself right now, so he just plasters on a smile and waves with his free hand, pretending not to notice the way she’s scrutinizing the two of them.
“I’ll explain everything later,” he mutters as he brushes past her, “so not a word about this to Miss Jifang, alright?”
Yanfei just gives him a lazy salute before continuing over to the desk, and while Xingqiu trusts her to keep her mouth shut for now, he has a feeling he’s going to be picking up a few extra hours in the near future to make sure it stays that way.
Xingqiu continues to drag Chongyun through the library towards the exit, pointedly ignoring the looks they’re probably getting from everybody else. They have to pass by the café on their way out, and Xingqiu prays to The Sevens that Xiangling will be in the kitchen and not behind the counter.
The universe apparently decided things were going a little too smoothly, though, because just a few steps away from the door, Xingqiu hears a very scandalized “Xingqiu, what the fuck?” come from the direction of the counter.
He turns around to face Xiangling, whose expression is a mix of surprise and complete and utter betrayal. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see the way Chongyun has paled, and he feels the way Chongyun’s grip on his hand has tightened.
“I thought you said you didn’t know where he was?”
Xingqiu laughs nervously, inching towards the door. “Haha, funny story, I’d love to tell you but, uh, we’ve gotta go now so maybe another time okay bye!”
Before Xiangling can say anything else, they burst through the door and take off sprinting, hand in hand, uncaring of where they’re going or who might be coming towards them. There’s a light, giddy feeling swelling in his chest, too much to contain, and Xingqiu can’t help the laughter that comes spilling out of him as they run. He looks back to see Chongyun laughing freely as well, the most unrestrained Xingqiu has ever seen him and Archons, happiness is a good look on Chongyun. Xingqiu wishes he could sear this moment into his memory forever. The wide grin on his face, cheeks flushed with both exertion and joy, the way his eyes are almost squeezed shut with the force of his laughter, Xingqiu wants to remember every detail.
And the sound, oh, it must be the most beautiful thing Xingqiu’s ever heard. He wants to make Chongyun laugh like this all the time, wants to hear that wonderful sound again, and again, and again.
They’re still huffing out laughs as they come to a stop next to a convenience store, leaning against the brick exterior as they try to catch their breaths.
“What… are we doing?” Xingqiu manages to gasp out.
Chongyun just shakes his head, still incapable of forming words.
Once Xingqiu has managed to regain some semblance of composure, he glances over at Chongyun, who at the very least doesn’t look like he’s dying anymore.
“We’re both idiots,” Chongyun says bluntly, and Xingqiu lets out a surprised laugh at that.
“Maybe,” he agrees, “But at least we can be idiots together. Strength in numbers and all that, right?”
Chongyun snorts, but he’s smiling too, a little too soft and a little too sweet given the nature of their situation. Xingqiu’s stomach does a flip at the sight.
“Right.”
---
Xingqiu’s phone starts ringing not long after he makes it back to his apartment.
He groans when he sees the caller ID, contemplating ignoring the call for all of two seconds before deciding that ignoring it would probably accomplish the exact opposite of making the problem go away. Resigning himself to his fate, he accepts the call and holds the phone a few inches away from his ear as a precautionary measure for—
“You traitor!”
—that.
Xingqiu winces, tentatively bringing the phone to his ear and hoping she’s at least done yelling at him. He picks up on the faint sound of cars driving by in the distance and the not-so-faint sound of the wind blowing into the receiver; she must be heading back to the dorms now. “Xiangling, how nice of you to call,” he greets in the sweetest tone he can muster. “Did you just get off work?”
“Don’t play dumb, you jerk!”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Xiangling huffs. “You knew where Chongyun was all along and you didn’t tell me! No, not only did you not tell me, but you were hiding him from me!”
“In my defense, the poor guy looked like he was about to pass out. And apparently he actually passed out the last time you got your hands on him.”
“He just needs more training! If you really think about it, I’m doing him a favour by helping him improve his spice tolerance.”
Xingqiu tries not to snort at her logic. He’s only kind of successful. “I don’t think that’s how it works.”
“That’s not important!” Xingqiu can picture the way Xiangling is probably waving her free arm around to dismiss his comment. “Anyway, nobody in the kitchen wanted to help me out—”
“I wonder why,” Xingqiu mutters.
“—so I’ve decided that you’re going to be my helper this time!” Xiangling declares, completely ignoring Xingqiu’s little interjection.
“Thank you, Xiangling, for your very generous offer, but I’m afraid I’ll have to decline.”
“Nope! No worming your way out of this one! It’s either you or your boyfriend.”
Xingqiu sputters, thankful Xiangling isn’t there to see the way heat rushes to his face at her (factually incorrect) comment. “He’s not my—”
“Yeah, yeah, and I’m not failing Miss Ningguang’s class,” she brushes him off. Brushes him off! When he’s being truthful, no less. And she calls him the rude one? “So what’s it gonna be?”
She’s making it sound like he actually has a choice in the matter, but Xingqiu has been friends with Xiangling long enough to know better. “Ugh, fine.”
Xiangling’s tone brightens immediately. “Fine?”
“Yes, fine. I’ll do it.” After a moment, Xingqiu adds on, “For him, not for you.” He can’t have Xiangling getting the wrong idea, after all.
“I know, I know. Now open up, I’m at the door.”
Xingqiu nearly drops his phone. “You’re what.”
“Honestly, you should be grateful my hands are full, or I would’ve just busted the door down.”
There was nothing stopping you from kicking the door open, Xingqiu doesn’t say. He’s not about to give Xiangling any ideas for the next time she decides to show up at his place uninvited. “Why can’t you just use the key,” he complains, dragging a hand down his face but trudging over to the door anyway.
“Because that’s boring,” Xiangling says, as if it’s obvious. “Sometimes you just need to spice things up, y’know?”
Spice things up. That’s definitely Xiangling’s life motto, given her track record in the kitchen. Personally, Xingqiu thinks she could probably stand to tone down the spice from time to time. He pulls the door open to see Xiangling holding her phone to her ear with one hand, a bag of whatever monstrosity she’s cooked up today in the other. He lowers his phone from his ear and gives her the most unimpressed look he can muster. “You’re unbelievable.”
Xiangling completely ignores him, brushing past him into the apartment. “Thanks for having me!” She says, far too cheerfully, as she removes her shoes.
“Not like I had much of a choice,” Xingqiu mutters as he shuts the door behind him.
“Aw, don’t be like that. I know you love me,” she parrots his words from earlier. Xingqiu grimaces.
“Yeah, yeah, can we please just get this over with?”
“Don’t sound so excited,” Xiangling teases as she places the bag on the counter. Xingqiu eyes it warily, more than a little worried for his well-being.
Then again, he’s been eating Xiangling’s cooking for years and he hasn’t died yet. That has to count for something, right?
---
Xingqiu was wrong.
He was horribly, horribly wrong.
“What the hell did you put in these?” He chokes out, reaching for the glass of water he thankfully had the foresight to prepare and chugging it all in one go. Such undignified displays are unbecoming of him, but dignity is hard to come by when Xiangling’s experimental dishes are involved.
“Nothing special, just oregano and the cayenne peppers I pickled last week,” she says cheerfully, as if that’s not the worst thing Xingqiu has ever heard.
Archons help him. For once he’s the tiniest bit grateful that he’s eaten so many of Xiangling’s failed experiments over the years; a lesser man would be dead after a single bite.
Well, a lesser man or Chongyun.
“Xiangling, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, what were you thinking? Who in their right mind would make profiteroles spicy?”
“Who wouldn’t?”
“Literally anyone else!”
Xiangling frowns at the half-eaten profiterole on the plate in front of her. “So it’s no good then?”
Xingqiu wheezes. “I almost died less than a minute ago, what do you think?”
“I think that sounds like a you problem.”
“Fuck you.”
“No thanks,” Xiangling fires back without missing a beat. “Consider this payback for picking your boyfriend over me.”
Xingqiu is very seriously contemplating throwing the sad remains of his profiterole at her. “Xiangling, for the last time, he’s not my boyfriend!”
Xiangling snorts. “Please, like I’m actually going to believe that. You two are so obvious, it’s—” she cuts herself off, eyes widening as she appears to make some sort of realization. “Oh, Archons, you’re serious, aren’t you?”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!”
The look Xiangling is giving him is probably the most disappointed look he’s ever had anyone direct at him. “Xingqiu, I love you, but you’re a fucking idiot.”
“So you admit you love me!” Then, as he registers the rest of the sentence, “Wait, what the fuck? I did nothing to deserve this slander.”
“The fact that you don’t even know just further proves my point.”
Xingqiu is not pouting. He’s not. “Are you going to elaborate, or did you just bring this up so you could insult me to my face?”
Xiangling pinches the bridge of her nose in exasperation, looking extremely put out, which is entirely unfair in Xingqiu’s opinion. If anyone should be put out by whatever’s going on right now, it should be him. “Sorry,” she starts, not sounding apologetic at all, “it’s just that you’re even more oblivious than I thought.”
“Do keep going,” Xingqiu mumbles sarcastically.
“Look, I get that he might not be your type, but surely you’re aware that the both of you act like a married couple?”
“What are you talking about? He’s absolutely my type—and honestly I’m a little upset you didn’t introduce him to me sooner—but we’re not like that.”
“Don’t give me that bullshit, I’m not buying it one bit— wait, Chongyun is your type?”
“Why do you sound so surprised by this?”
“Because in all the years I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you take interest in a person that wasn’t fictional.”
Xingqiu ignores the way he can feel his cheeks turning red. “Well, there’s a first time for everything,” he huffs, only feeling mildly offended.
“Clearly. So are you going to ask him out?”
“Probably not. I don’t think he’s interested in me like that.”
Xiangling gawks at him like he’s grown a second head. “You’re kidding.”
“I’m not.” Frankly, Xingqiu’s getting a little tired of Xiangling not taking him seriously.
“You—” Xiangling stops herself from unleashing what was probably going to be a very colourful string of insults and takes a deep breath. “Alright. Why do you think he’s not interested?”
“He thought you and I were dating.”
Xiangling snorts. “Great, so you’re both idiots.” She reaches over to place her hands on Xingqiu’s shoulders. “I need you to listen to me.”
“I’ve been listening. You’ve been insulting me.”
“If you can’t see that Chongyun is positively whipped for you, then you deserve it.”
“You sound awfully sure of yourself.”
“Please,” Xiangling scoffs, “that emotionally repressed nerd wouldn’t know subtlety if it walked up to him and slapped him across the face. He gives you free drinks, like, all the time.”
“He’s just being nice?” Xingqiu offers.
Xiangling gives him a flat look. “Do I ever give you free drinks?”
“You tricked me into paying double the price for my tea for like, three weeks.”
“Exactly!”
“That doesn’t prove anything though. You just like to bully me.”
Xiangling looks like she’s one small push away from strangling him. “Oh, for fuck’s sake. You two spend half an hour flirting at the counter every morning. It’s disgusting. Just ask him out already! ”
Xingqiu wants to argue more, but he gets the feeling that he won’t make it out alive at the rate he’s going, so he just sighs and begrudgingly throws in the towel. “If it’ll keep you from throttling me, then fine. I’ll ask him out. But if you’re wrong, you owe me free drinks until I get over the heartbreak.”
“Deal,” Xiangling agrees, sounding far too smug. She looks down at the leftover profiteroles sitting innocently on the table, then back at Xingqiu. “Are you going to eat those?”
Xingqiu’s not sure what face he’s making, but he imagines it’s one of pure revulsion. He pushes the plate towards her, wondering not for the first time what her stomach is made of, to be able to handle all the weird things she eats on a regular basis. He’s fairly certain her taste buds are broken.
She’s not harassing him anymore though, at least for the time being.
He thanks The Sevens for small mercies.
---
The next morning when Xingqiu arrives at the café, he drapes himself over the counter and looks up at Chongyun with the most pitiful look he can manage. He still hasn’t figured out how he’s supposed to sweep Chongyun off his feet before Xiangling’s taken in for manslaughter, but he supposes he’ll just have to make things up as he goes.
“Chongyun,” he whines, dragging out the last syllable, “I take back what I said yesterday. Xiangling is the worst!”
Chongyun stares down at Xingqiu with what he likes to think is an expression of fond exasperation, emphasis on the fond part rather than the exasperation. It’s probably the other way around. “Please get off the counter.”
Xingqiu pouts but does as he’s told. “You’re no fun, Yunyun.”
Chongyun’s cheeks redden at the nickname. “So I’ve been told,” he mutters. “Why the change of heart?”
“She barged into my apartment and force-fed me her profiteroles from hell.”
“And you couldn’t have just said no?”
“Look, it was either me or you. And because I’m such a nice person—” Xingqiu’s pretty sure he hears someone snort, but pointedly ignores it, “—I thought I’d do you a favour and eat them in your stead. I couldn’t have my efforts in hiding you go to waste, could I?”
“My hero. How will I ever repay you?” Chongyun’s eyes widen as he seems to remember something, and he scurries off in the direction of the kitchen, pausing a few steps away to call out a quick “I’ll be right back!” over his shoulder before disappearing. Xingqiu hears what sounds like a yelp from Xiangling, followed by a Sorry, I’m borrowing these! from Chongyun and more indignant noises from Xiangling (Xingqiu can’t quite make out what she’s saying) before Chongyun dashes out of the kitchen and back over to the counter, this time holding a plate of what appear to be profiteroles.
Chongyun sets the plate on the counter in front of Xingqiu, who eyes it warily. “What is this? Are you trying to repay me by killing me?”
“What? No, no, not at all! They’re, uh, normal profiteroles. From the kitchen, not,” he gestures vaguely, “from hell. To cleanse your palate.”
Xingqiu snorts. “You don’t have to worry about that, I brushed my teeth for half an hour after she left.”
“To get rid of your trauma then, I don’t know, just—” Chongyun makes a frustrated noise and pushes the plate a little closer to Xingqiu, “please take them before Xiangling drags me back in there and shoves a chili down my throat or something.”
“Now how am I supposed to turn down such a gracious offer?” Xingqiu picks up one of the profiteroles and takes a bite, a pleased noise escaping him as he savours the sweetness of the filling, void of any spices or other strange ingredients that definitely don’t belong in there. It might just be the best profiterole he’s ever tasted, though the bar was probably well underground after last night.
Chongyun smiles a little as Xingqiu finishes off the rest of the profiterole. “It’s good?”
“It’s great,” Xingqiu confirms. “Better than great. You really are too good to me, you know that? First the free drinks, and now this…” He gives Chongyun a coy grin. “Keep this up and I really will think you’re trying to court me. They do say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, after all.”
It’s not the first time he’s made this joke, but instead of blushing and stuttering out a protest like before, Chongyun frowns. That’s not the reaction Xingqiu had been expecting at all, and the worst part is that he’s not entirely sure why Chongyun looks so upset. Xingqiu wants nothing more to reach over and smooth out the furrow in his brow with his thumb, but a little seed of doubt in the pit of his stomach stops him. Could it be that Chongyun is revolted by the mere thought of pursuing a relationship with him? Maybe Xiangling really was wrong, after all.
Before he can spiral any further, though, Chongyun mumbles a response, so quiet that Xingqiu would have missed it had he not been listening for it. “Please don’t make jokes like that when you don’t feel the same way.”
Wait.
What?
A wave of relief washes over him, and Xingqiu can’t help but laugh a little at how stupid they’ve both been. Xiangling’s never going to let him live this down. Chongyun’s frown only deepens, though, and Xingqiu rushes to clarify the situation before he misses his chance and ruins everything. “Dear Chongyun, when did I ever say I didn’t feel the same?”
It takes a few seconds, but Xingqiu can pinpoint the exact moment Chongyun processes his words. His eyes widen almost comically, heat rushes to his face and his mouth opens and closes around words that won’t come to him. Eventually, he manages to say, “Archons, I really am an idiot, aren’t I?”
Xingqiu laughs again, a mixture of giddiness and affection bubbling up in his chest. “I think we’ve both been idiots about this.”
Despite his embarrassment, Chongyun manages a shy smile. “At least we can be idiots together, right?”
At his own words from before getting thrown back at him, Xingqiu swears his heart skips a beat. He’s fairly certain he’s sporting the sappiest grin known to man right now. “Right. Strength in numbers, and all that. I don’t know about you, but I think we go pretty well together.”
Chongyun’s smile widens. “I think so, too.” His gaze flickers down to Xingqiu’s lips for a brief moment, a quick little motion that doesn’t escape Xingqiu’s notice. When Chongyun realizes that he’s been caught staring, his cheeks darken even more. “Sorry,” he says weakly, “it’s just. You have a little…” he gestures vaguely at the plate, “the cream. From the profiterole, it’s…” he trails off, glancing off to the side.
Now that simply won’t do.
Xingqiu reaches out to grab Chongyun’s chin and tilts it up, forcing their gazes to meet once more. “Is that so? Well then, since you can see it better than I can, won’t you be a dear and wipe it away for me?”
He expects Chongyun to grab a napkin from the counter to wipe away the cream, or maybe swipe a thumb over his lips if he’s feeling especially daring.
Neither of those things happen.
Instead, there’s a gleam in Chongyun’s eyes, and that’s all the warning Xingqiu gets before Chongyun is leaning in and slotting their lips together.
Xingqiu’s eyes widen in surprise, but slip shut soon after as he melts into the contact. It’s awkward and clumsy and the counter is kind of digging into Xingqiu’s stomach as he all but folds across it for easier access, but despite that, it might just be the best kiss he’s ever had.
(It’s also the only kiss he’s ever had, but that’s not important.)
He lets out a surprised squeak when a tongue swipes over his bottom lip, and then Chongyun is pulling away and licking his lips, looking far too proud of himself. “Got it,” he murmurs.
Xingqiu just gapes at him, his brain still in the process of un-frying itself after Chongyun’s unexpected display of confidence. Honestly, it’s a little unfair that Chongyun will get flustered easily over the smallest of things and then go and pull a stunt like that without any hesitation.
“Since when were you so bold, Yun?” His voice comes out just a touch too breathless, and he hopes that Chongyun won’t notice.
Of course, Chongyun chooses this moment to be stupidly perceptive and has the audacity to smirk at him, that handsome jerk. “You’re expecting me to hold myself back after finding out the guy I’ve been trying to flirt with for weeks actually likes me back?”
Xingqiu lets out a breath, smiling helplessly as he leans forward to rest his forehead against Chongyun’s. “You’re so unfair,” he whispers.
Chongyun chuckles lowly, leaning in closer to brush their noses together. “Yeah? What are you going to do about it,” he murmurs, breath ghosting Xingqiu’s lips.
Oh, Xingqiu knows exactly what he’s going to do about it, but before he can close the remaining distance and bring their lips together once more, something smacks him in the side of the head and he startles, jumping back and putting distance between them.
Xiangling is standing in the doorway to the kitchen, armed with half their stock of sugar packets and ‘what the fuck’ written all over her face, and the reminder of where he is slams into him like a freight train. Xingqiu decides for the sake of his own sanity that he is going to pretend everyone else in the café didn’t witness their little… display. Meanwhile, Chongyun appears to be astral projecting.
“I told you to grow a pair and ask him out, not make out over the counter!” Xiangling exclaims.
“Well, you should’ve been more specific,” Xingqiu mutters petulantly. Xiangling throws another sugar packet at him.
“I didn’t think you’d be so shameless,” she fires back. “Aren’t you supposed to be working now?”
Xingqiu’s eyes widen and he whips around to check the clock, sighing in relief when he sees that he still has a few minutes before his shift starts. “Not for another few minutes,” he says smugly, puffing his chest out. At this point, he’ll take whatever small victories he can get.
“Oh! I almost forgot!” Chongyun, no longer looking like he’s on the verge of combusting, grabs a cup and scribbles something on it before rushing off to prepare Xingqiu’s drink. Xingqiu watches him work, a fond little grin on his face. Xiangling snorts.
“Whipped.”
“Shut up.”
It’s not long before Chongyun returns and slides the cup across the counter. “It’s on me today,” he says bashfully.
“Isn’t it always,” Xiangling mutters, but walks back into the kitchen to leave the two of them alone.
Xingqiu picks up the cup to see what Chongyun’s drawn on it this time. To his surprise, there’s not just one cat, but two of them sitting side by side, their tails curling together to form a heart. Xingqiu’s heart squeezes at the sight, and he brings the cup to his lips to hide his smile.
Maybe it’s the lingering sweetness of the profiterole he had earlier, or perhaps it’s the way he can still taste Chongyun on his lips, ever so slightly, but somehow, this tea tastes better than it ever has before.
He thinks it might just be his new favourite flavour.