A/N: This ficlet- this was my first one in the Genshin fandom, so this has a place in my heart :')) It was for Xingqiu's birthday, too aiya
✤ she/her
Words: 938
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Today is my birthday. My father and brother insisted on having a party at our home, despite my protests.
Another occasion to oblige guests with glasses filled with wine and tea, another occasion for me to put on a performance—how boring.
Fortunately, I was able to slip out the window when no one was paying attention. Hehe...
I brought you some pastries, made by yours truly.
Don't tell anyone~
Let's find a quiet place to enjoy the scenery and chat... chat about anything!
How does that sound?
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"Ah.."
Xingqiu averts his look away as he stepped down from the wooden panes of his quarters' window.
He is nonchalant in doing so, but you knew him long enough to deduce the fact that he was clearly embarrassed from being caught redhanded in his attempt to escape—on his own birthday party, too!
Said male's eyes don't meet yours even when you waved the draft in front of his face with a bemused smile. You're a little peeved, though.
It doesn't take away the fact that you understand where he was coming from, however, he never has been fond of crowds and preferred to celebrate with a few people, so this was no surprise.
This was the third time he tried escaping his own party, after all.
The previous two were successful -you're aware since you were always invited- but graced with the blessing of the Geo Archon, your endeavors of catching him weren't at all futile.
Ah, what miraculous fortune you've been dawned with for the eventide.
"My lady, how embarrassing it is for you to spot me like this..." commented the supposed escapee, brushing his tealish, prussian blue locks away to flash you a bashful smile.
You look away, heart racing.
"My lady..." you murmur with the littlest amount of disdain, "I've repeated for a decade that you can call me by my name,"
"I'm afraid I can't. That would be rather disrespectful."
He answers, to your chagrin.
But alas, you can do nothing—he's an extremely well-mannered individual, governed with his ideals of fairness and justice.
Respect is basically his front, so getting him to refer to you with your name when you are a close relative of the Lady of the Jade Chamber is an impossible feat.
How you wished he'd just cave in for once, though, you're friends with him for as long as you can remember. That is, if the label of friends is mutual.
"Anyway, you are attempting to escape—again! This is why you always get an earful by the time you return," you say, the draft of a letter still pinched between your fingers.
Xingqiu laughs, his arms moving to fold over his chest.
"My lady is definitely intelligent, yes? I shouldn't be surprised." chuckled the boy, his figure still inching closer to the window as if you aren't aware of it,
"But I still am. How ever have you become aware of my escapades, though? I doubt it is my brother." you applaud his certitude, making sure to amble forward to indirectly state that you noticed how he planned to jump out of the window in haste to escape.
His lips quirk up at this, but years of knowing the soon-to-be-head of the Feiyun Commerce Guild allowed you to denote the minuscule strain in the corner of his eyes that depicted his eagerness to leave the manor.
For a moment, you stopped in your steps, not wanting to be selfish and force him to stay despite his obvious desire to whisk himself away from the party.
You are aware of the receiver of the letter; the traveler.
He's been fond of telling you the tales of meeting said outlander, and witnessing injustice be put down firsthand.
Who are you but a mere admirer to keep him in place?
"I've always been invited to your birthday events, Xingqiu," you answer with a simper -to which he faltered at in surprise- neatly setting the paper on the table by his wooden desk.
Meanwhile, the rich male is left astounded.
He never knew you were—and still is—an attendee of the parties thrown by his father. Had he known, he certainly wouldn't have been leaving his abode with the motive of indulging himself in other places, his nose tucked in the pages of a book.
For a moment, he moves away from the windows to head in your direction, but the palm of your hand connects to his torso, gently pushing him back to the panes.
"My lady—"
How disrespectful had he been? Not enlightening you all those years you came to attend.
"It is more than fine," you cut him off with a laugh after he's up on the wooden foundations of the opening that leads to his escape, "This is your special day, isn't it? Make sure to tell me a nice story after you return, I'll be waiting here, you escapee."
You pull your hand back, but he latches onto it with a grateful smile that sent warmth all over your already fuzzy heart.
"I will. Thank you..." he falls silent, still grasping your hand, when his smile largens. "[Name]."
The faint dust of pink on his cheeks reddened when you laughed, nodding his way as he leaped from the window and landed safely on the ground, passing you a wave before diving into the streets of Lihue. Eventually, he merges with the crowd, out of sight.
The surprise that came from him suddenly calling you by your first name captures your own face in a pretty shade of cerise, another whisper drifting out of your upturned lips.
"Happy birthday, Xingqiu."
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a/n: usage of 'my lady' is intentional in xingqiu ficlets! i'm down bad for those kinds of calling so do excuse me heeeehe :clown:
A/N: Second part to Mutualism! Aka, this is Xingqiu’s attempted revenge to get back at Chongyun hehe.
✤ she/her
➸ Mutualism (i) - Chongyun ft. Xingqiu
Words: 2.8k
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Things are going to turn out great this day, the young swordsman believes it! Waking up on the right side of the bed, knowing that the afternoon ahead will be turning in to his favor—oh he can almost bask in the peaks of Huaguang without a care for the risk of falling.
Xingqiu has finally gotten the chance to 'snatch' [Name] away for a complete day and the chances of being interrupted by his friend—and rival—is nonexistent!
Why is that?
"Have a safe trip, Chongyun."
Why, his exorcism is requested over at Qingce Village!
The blue-haired exorcist manages a tiny smile to send towards [Name] who patted his shoulder. She's still saying a bunch of things, such as accompanying him to the village for the fun of it—but Chongyun refused.
As much as he wants to, he knows that it won't be too fair on the end of Xingqiu, who is yet to actually spend time with [Name].
"Yes, please do have a safe trip. Don't hurry too much." smiles Xingqiu, his words genuine, but his eyes teasing.
The Cryo-user purses his lips a little at this but nods in agreement. Fondness aside, exorcism is a separate topic that must be addressed with seriousness and Chongyun is not one to be lackadaisical in a work that he is passionate about. So it goes without saying that maybe, he really won't hurry back—and that means more time alone! Hah!
That's equal, right? And fair.
It's a little comical to think of rivals deciding to be fair—but he digresses. Now, as Chongyun leaves the harbor -a little reluctant-, the noble teen smiles and offers to tour the girl around the stands, seeing that it is Lantern Rite and it's the girl's first time attending a Liyue festival. It is the perfect day, indeed.
Nothing is going wrong!
The first few hours in the afternoon is all about letting [Name] get a grasp of how the Rite works as well as accompanying her around the place. He finds out that she's particularly fond of the silk flowers, its amaranth hue enrapturing her at first glance. And of course, he wasted no time buying her a small hairpin with the said flower as the very design.
The intricacy of its gold outline is curved to perfection, immaculately suitable for her, he deems.
"Are you sure? I was just about to pay for that," [Name] says, uncertain as the swordsman holds it before her.
Xingqiu tips his head, a lazy smile lifting his lips as he replies, "Think of it as a gift, my lady."
He watches her huff faintly at this answer and he dwells in his minor triumph, knowing fully well that the way he worded his response won't make any room for her to turn it down.
The girl has always been unable to reject gifts and other trinkets no matter their value, reasoning that it's just uncouth not to acknowledge the extra sacrifice some had gone through just to give a present.
The Hydro-user personally has a different view, hence how refreshed he is whenever he's around [Name].
Much like Chongyun's reason for admiring the lady, it was the girl's ability to exhibit something exhilaratingly new to them that makes her endearing. She is just a rare piece that you'll never be tired of being with, and he seeks to stay at her side because of it.
[Name] finally relents and the Guhua-arts practitioner smiles even more as she takes it in her hold. Just then—a short billow of the wind blows, swaying her [c] locks and allowing him to see a simple earring of baby blue in the form of a glaze lily.
He widens his eyes at it, his mind already clicking onto an answer.
So he has also given her a small present.
It only widens the curl of his lips, finding the challenge to be entertaining. It seems that when it comes to [Name], his dear friend is always one step ahead. He's never known the exorcist to be this competitive and driven when it comes to matters outside exorcism, so this is a new feat to look out for.
One should really not underestimate the capabilities of a person who fancies someone.
But Chongyun is usually 'tamed', meaning he won't do anything too bold because he often has his congenital positivity to keep at bay.
And it's this small thought about his friend that totally turned the tables when—
"Oooooh, I finally found the two of you!"
Xingqiu stops abruptly at the perky tone of a voice he's not expecting to hear, his face slowly paling, unable to claim its hue even when [Name] stopped to call to him in concern. He takes a moment to consider what he heard, unintentionally blocking off other voices.
Ah, that can't be right.
"Where do you think you're going, lover boy? Hehe!"
That really can't be right. She's usually supposed to be at someplace else during this time of year... !
"A friend of yours, Xingqiu?" [Name] smiles as she's about to call to the newcomer who is darting down the streets, expression contorted into nothing but sheer mischief.
Oh, he can already feel the heat of the 'newcomer's teasing as he sentences himself to a minute of complete silence, wondering why the afternoon suddenly turned out this way.
Everything's going by smoothly! It's just a few more minutes before sundown, too—minutes before he plans on confessing!
Oh, Morax, guide him.
The footsteps skid to a stop and a figure slides forward from the momentum, a flash of brown passing by the Hydro-user's peripheral as the said figure moves to [Name]'s front.
Oh, here we go.
"HooOOOH? You're a real beauty, aren't you? No wonder you have two guys wrapped around your finger!"
[Name]'s eyes widen at this.
"Thank you? And I don't think that's the appropriate term for-... !"
Sigh.
The other girl only grins, her eyes flying halfway down as she peers closer—almost as if she's about to whisper something. But she doesn't, and her voice is actually louder than before, like she's doing it on purpose to get a rise out of the composed noble.
And—as much as he doesn't want to, he does, by a little fraction.
"So you're the oblivious kind, eh? Why do you think Master Xingqiu here calls you 'my lady' when he goes around calling others 'my liege'??"
[Name] silently whips her stare towards the swordsman, a baffled, "Wait really?" leaving her lips.
"With all due respect, Hu Tao," Xingqiu sends a bland smile, "I believe you weren't really invited in this... outing. Whyever are you here?"
The director whirls around, hands on hips with her visage displaying the same kind of playfulness, although this time it is laced more with confusion—as if she's genuinely at a lost but refused to let it surface too much. Just this motion allows the astute book lover to derive a theory that is then proven true only seconds later.
"Am I not allowed to meet pretty [Name] here, hm~? Afraid I'll.." the brunette giddily latches onto [Name]'s arms, her optics slanted devilishly, "Steal her from the two of you!?"
Is this karmic debt for messing with Chongyun's food?
The dark-haired swordsman splutters uncharacteristically at this, tiny coughs and clears of his throat coming one after the other as he attempts to construct a sentence that will suffice as a proper answer.
One that he hopes is enough for the polearm user. But he's not able to, for all that comes in his head are excuses—and he knows through experience that serving excuses will only worsen the situation when the director is around.
Either way, the mentioned person manages to grin even more, her jesting personality knowing no bounds.
She proceeds to tease the poor wielder of Hydro, openly telling him to man up and confess—"Like Chongyun did!"—already, and that the presence of other people shouldn't stifle him into silence.
While her bringing Chongyun in as a nice argument to incentivize him to do something is nice, it's not what Xingqiu thinks is worth getting too fussed up with.
He means—Chongyun only ever did confess because of the chili! It's a miracle he didn't pass out.
In a way, he had unknowingly helped the exorcist to confess... !
Hu Tao deadpans after hearing him state this specific realization minutes before sundown, just a couple of hours after the director started tagging along with the pair—and as much as the swordsman would like to take back what he said...
"If you phrase it that way, since you helped him, don't you think you should start making your move?"
That hit the spot.
"I haven't heard of someone giving points to a fellow love rival, how strange, it's like you want the two of them together—but won't that hurt?" the brunette thoughtfully taps her lip, pondering over her thoughts as she rocked her balance on her feet, "Unless Master Xingqiu’s the kind to be into masochism?"
What.
He chokes.
I'm not! And how does she know that term?
"What?"
Hu Tao blinks.
Is he into it!?
"What?"
[Name] enters the scene with an oblivious smile on her face, her hand holding a stick of grilled tigerfish as she turned her head to the two frozen teens who are moments away from gaping. She tips her head, astounded at the sudden silence. Especially when they were having a small argument a while ago!
Did they have another one of those poetry battles... ? Oh no, I'm not cut out for that.
"What?" she speaks—and the two jumps in surprise, both with varying expressions.
A flurry of words starts to overlap one another after they process her standing in front of them, with Hu Tao beaming and Xingqiu panicking, not wanting the girl to misunderstand anything lest she heard what they were talking about.
If he's in the right state of mind, he would've been more conscious of the fact that they are in a rather populated area -as it is the festival-, but his appearance is basically on the line.
Normally he wouldn't mind, as it is not in his motives to change an outlook of a person about him but this is different—this is—.. this is [Name]!
"My lady! Please do not believe all the utterance she is speaking of! I am nothing of the sorts!"
Their tiny banter increases in volume, with the [c] haired female backing slowly as she tried to defuse the situation, careful not to let go of her stick of food.
Beyond determined to get her point across, the director only opted to bounce closer, irises dilating in complete and utter mischief—oh she knows what she's doing, alright—, much to the noble's panic.
Thankfully, before she can ramble on and on, a low voice fades in from behind them. This is followed by Hu Tao shrieking as she is hoisted in the air by her back collar and onto the shoulder of an amber-eyed man.
"That's enough of that," Zhongli says, passively raising his hand as if to apologize for his boss' antics.
Xingqiu sighs in relief, a hand on his chest. He had taken out his book a few seconds ago, just about to thump it against the brunette's head -gently, of course!- to disorient her for a little while.
"Put me down, old man! Mr. Zhongli!" exclaimed the said female, "It's not every day I get to match two people in life and not in death!"
The man in question only shakes his head, his face blank—the two teens think it's a normal thing for him to come across—as he excused himself, all the while not letting go of his hold on the Pyro-user.
The crowd automatically separates to create a way for him to walk through, curious stares flying from the director of the parlor and unto the member of a commerce guild.
[Name] takes a bite of her grilled tigerfish, [c] jewels twinkling in amusement.
"Well that's exciting, she's so upbeat!"
Oh, if only you know...
"So what was she talking about matching people? Do you fancy someone, Xingqiu?" she giggles playfully, almost like she's trying to pick up the subject that was momentarily dropped due to the arrival of Zhongli.
To this, Xingqiu consciously averts his gaze, unable to speak for he's still busy raking his mind for answers.
Inner voices are debating whether he should flatly tell her that she's the one he fancies or simply reschedule his confession, and he can't choose! Not when he's slightly panicking, still a bit overwrought from the hysteria brought by Hu Tao.
He hasn't even processed that she's tugging him towards the small cliff with the waypoint near the entrance of the harbor! It's sundown, meaning that it is time to welcome the exorcist back from his trip to the faraway village.
Just accepting this stirred some kind of bitterness in his tastebuds, though he cannot deny that the time he spent with [Name] was nice, he's still underwhelmed because he hasn't accomplished his single goal. Now Chongyun is definitely a step ahead and... !
He purses his lips.
"I do, actually," he answers, relieved to find out that his voice didn't waver, "And it's you, my lady."
A few seconds later, the girl drops her hold on his sleeve and she turns to look at him with wide, blinking eyes. Xingqiu swallows thickly at the sight of her being showered under the refracting rays of beautiful orange, highlighting the surprise in her jewelesque [c]s. If he squints closely, there's a dust of pink on her cheeks.
[Name] laughs—anxiously, he notes.
"Oh! I like you too!"
His natural response is to turn red, of course, although he knows that she probably meant it in a platonic manner—she did it as if she's trying to assure herself that she was liked as a friend, which is weird!
He's sure he delivered his message well, so why was she nervous?
Either way, his face is burning and his eyes are turning owlish. He is suddenly thankful that he's standing against the light, meaning the lady won't be able to see how red his face is as of the moment.
Hastily afterwards, he whips up his book to hide his face, his expression contorting into a flustered one as he sighs.
"I do not—I do not mean it like that, my lady.."
"..."
The only sound that came is the billowing breeze, heightening the suspense he's sentenced under as he thought over bringing the book down or keep it as it is.
He is curious of the girl's reaction but at the same time, worried—because what if all that awaits is a look of uncertainty!? Like what one will give when they're unsure how to reject someone!
He's read it so many times in the novellas bought by his older sibling and oh! He doesn't wish to be put in the same spot.
Ahhh! His face burns more. How did Chongyun handle this!?
"He's not... um, lying about that.."
A new voice enters the scene and he automatically removes the object that shielded his eyes, only to find the exorcist a few steps away from [Name], bashfully ruffling his icy hair. He's a little fatigued, evident of his long journey, but it seems like he still has a good hold of himself in spite of heating up.
Chongyun is somewhat hesitant, but he moves to his friend's side, anyway, eyes poignant in its stare against [c] ones.
"We like you, [Name]."
And the cat is out of the bag... Xingqiu mulls as he fixes his look upon the lady, who stared at the both of them with equal surprise. The tips of her ears are pink, or at least that's what the admirers think, but perhaps it's just the lighting of the setting sun?
They can't be too sure.
"...." [Name] looks down abruptly, finding the grass interesting as she starts to sway gentle, mumbling things to herself.
They don't miss the way she started picking on her fingers, a habit that implied her fluster.
"It will be so selfish of me, though..." she whispers in tune with the wind, her next words carried by the breeze, unable to be heard.
Chongyun and Xingqiu shot each other a questioning look before the latter speaks up,
"Pardon?"
The girl clenches her fist in what they can assume is resolve and they both freeze when [Name] finally looks up, her eyes firm, indicating that she has—to their fear and anticipation—reached a decision.
They're swarmed with nerves, tiny beads of sweat dribbling down their temple—or is the setting sun just that warm?—as the girl opens her lips.
The two are rigidly waiting—and they're so, so certain that neither of them were chosen or she probably already had someone else but—
[Name] shuts her mouth after giving her answer, her lips thin and pursed as she played with her fingers whilst maintaining eye contact.
Thump
Meanwhile, both teens have faces comparable to jueyun chilis.
All is silent until Chongyun faints out of nowhere with a dazed smile, and Xingqiu stumbles over with the same look on his face.
“what are you doing?” xingqiu asked, hint of a laugh in his voice.
you smiled in response and continued your mission. you maneuvered your way under his arm, setting your head in his lap and giving him an innocent smile.
“i’m taking a nap.”
“we have a perfectly good bed. i’m sure a pillow is much nicer than my thighs, love.” he spoke, but he was setting his book next to your head and draping his other arm across you.
“you feel relaxing.” you hummed, heavy eyes already slipping closed.
he was thankful for you doing that. as much as he loved to tease you whenever you got flustered, you’d just caused his face to burn red with something so simple.
“lets get you to bed then, hm?” he smiled and let his index finger trace your face. “i’ll go to bed too, your back is going to hurt if you sleep like that.”
you let out a whine, hesitantly lifting your head off of his lap. “you don’t have to-”
“hush,” he leaned forward to press a kiss to your temple. he stood up and offered you a hand, which you took with a tired groan. “you’re tired, we don’t need you getting sick. i have time for hobbies tomorrow.”
hey i'm new to requesting so i hope i'm doing this right. if you're okay with this maybe fluff hcs for Xingqiu saving his gn s/o from the Fatui? S/o would be scared and unsure if Xingqiu would come save them. i hope that was enough info but i can reword if you would like.
have a great day/night
dw, your requesting format was totally fine :) and ty, you too !!
one order of a donut coming right up ! i hope you enjoy it, and ty for ordering from quill's dessert cafe 🍧
🍩 xingqiu saving his s/o from the fatui
feat; xingqiu x gn!reader
warnings; kidnapping
xingqiu.
xingqiu, second son of the guild manager of the feiyun commerce guild, and self-proclaimed practitioner of the guhua clan's martial arts, was also one of liyue's biggest pranksters and your boyfriend. unfortunately, being his s/o did not mean you were exempt from his playful tricks, and in fact you ended up either being his reluctant accomplice or having the prank played on you. however, the two of you still loved each other to bits and though you wouldn't admit it for the world, fearing xingqiu's ego would inflate to the size of the moon, you enjoyed spending all the time you could with him, even if half of it was used on teasing chongyun.
it was a sunny summer afternoon, and you were strolling along guili plains to head back to liyue harbour after a busy day of adventuring. you were so used to xingqiu randomly bursting out of seemingly thin air to surprise you that you didn't even panic when you felt someone cover your eyes and pull you away, electing instead to sigh exasperatedly, "again, xingqiu?" the voice you heard in reply was most definitely not xingqiu's, and then you realised it was time to freak out.
"xingiqu, eh? so they do know the little brat," a raspy voice that sounds like nails scratching against a chalkboard replies. you still can't see, for your world's been forced into darkness by the blindfold the strangers have tied around your eyes. "alright, we've got the bait, so it's time to see if he'll come to the rescue of his little sidekick," the voice sounds again, and is answered by a group of men hollering and cheering. "sorry you've got to be the bargaining material, but we fatui always take revenge against those who have wronged us," the man apologises to you in a mocking tone, letting you know he isn't sorry in the slightest.
but seriously, the fatui!? how on earth did xingqiu get involved with them, and even then on their bad side?! you supposed you really couldn't put anything past your charismatic boyfriend. you keep your mouth zipped shut, aware that they've already stolen your weapons and you're powerless against their sheer numbers. however, your mind starts desperately trying to think of other ways to escape, yet ends up travelling to thoughts of xingqiu.
would he even come rescue you? or would he even realise you were missing? perhaps he wouldn't notice, too busy with the day-to-day work of the feiyun commerce guild. sure, you didn't want him to come throw himself into danger for your sake, but it would be rather beneficial for your health if he could send someone to come rescue you. then, your mind retreats once again to the possibility that he wouldn't notice - you try to shake off the negativity, but it clings to you in the dire situation, causing you to sigh.
"what's up, prisoner? worried your boyfriend isn't going to come save you?" a nasty voice calls out to a chorus of laughter. you remain silent and clench your fists before deciding that it was utterly stupid to keep worrying if xingqiu was going to find you - you had to trust him, and also figure a way to get yourself out of this mess. panicking wouldn't help anybody, not to mention it would just give the idiotic fatui members surrounding you more satisfaction.
your hands are bound with rough rope that chafes against your skin, but you can tell that it isn't of good quality, as after a few minutes of quiet fidgeting, it's begun to fray. a few more minutes and it's snapped entirely, allowing your hands to move freely. the next problem was the blindfold, as well as the fact that you were completely outnumbered and outpowered. you had zero clue how to deal with that, to be honest.
whether by coincidence, a stroke of luck, or a blessing from celestia, a familiar voice yells at the exact same moment you lose sight of what to do next, "i have arrived, my liege!" "xingqiu?!" he unties your blindfold at the speed of light, tossing your weapon to you while directing the millelith around him to chase after the fatui, who were now attempting to flee the scene. you catch it with ease, and start to wield it with the wondrous dexterity you're known amongst the adventurers guild for, pinning down multiple men in merely a couple of minutes and leaving their arrest to the millelith.
dusting your hands off, you look up before running into xingqiu's open arms, burying your head in his neck as a welcome respite from the chaos surrounding you two. he hugs you back even tighter, and genuine care is evident in his tone as he says, "i was so worried when you didn't come back on time." "well, thanks to you, i'm safe in one piece!" you beam, trying to get rid of the cloud of anxiety hanging in the air. "that is true," xingqiu ponders, "but you would have been in double the danger if you hadn't freed your hands earlier, so i shouldn't take all the credit." "you're right," you reply, "but anyways, shall we head home?"
interlacing his fingers with yours, xingqiu kisses you and beams, "sure! but just to let you know, i'm never letting you out of my sight again. i don't want to risk anything happening bad to you." you smile in reply, "to be honest, being with you all the time doesn't sound like a bad thing to me," before skipping ahead, leaving xingqiu, face now redder than a cherry, to chase after you, "hey, wait!"
quill speaks !
hi anon! i hope i wrote your request well and you enjoyed reading it <333
also my hcs always end up seeming like a oneshot split up into bullet points i cant 😭
pls this request was in my inbox for so long omg im so sorry KKDKWJFJD i was trying to write it for ages but it wasnt coming out well until this version HAHA
i hope you enjoy your stay at quill’s dessert cafe, and do check out the menu if you'd like ! 🍭
