Dream upon a lantern (COWT13, week 2, M2)

Prompt: Lanterna

Missione: M2 (week 2)

Parole: 1752

Rating: pg13

Warnings: 27!xingyun

Lantern Rite is a special occasion. It has always been so, especially for those born and raised in Liyue. The city gets even more lively no matter how much work preparing for the festival is and, in the end, every single citizen ends up looking at the sky as they let the lanterns go with their wishes. Big or small, serious or childish, the night is suddenly full of tiny lights.

Xingqiu considers the Lantern Rite part of his childhood, of his entire life up until now - yet this year something feels off. It's the first time Chongyun won't be able to attend because of his training in the mountains and exorcising stuff Xingqiu is not sure he will ever, completely understand. Sure, his best friend wrote him to tell him but preparation doesn't always do the trick. Especially when Lantern Rite sounded like the right setting for a very serious talk.

"I'm sad too," Xiangling tells him as she cooks, skillfully moving around the kitchen as she listens to his complaints, "but it's not like he can help it. I know you guys had it hard since you finally confessed to each other, because Chongyun still had his training and couldn't stay. I'm sure he's sad too," she says and Xingqiu has no doubt about how Chongyun feels... it's just that he had a plan. Something - other than what the Lantern Rite usually offers - to look forward to. 

"I know," he murmurs, a small pout forming on his lips. It doesn't really matter that he's twenty-seven, okay. 

Suddenly a plate with his favourite dish is put in front of him. He looks up and sees Xiangling wink at him, "Get in the mood, pretty boy. We promised to help with Xiao Lanterns, remember?" 

Xingqiu gives her a small smile before he digs in. He supposes there's not much he can do. 

*

"You what?!" Xinyan basically screams to everyone's discomfort - for their ears, at least. Xingqiu supposes it's understandable when someone simply drops the bomb telling you: I was thinking of proposing.

Yunjin, as the fair lady she is, has taken this more gracefully. A gentle smile curving her lips, surprise in her eyes, she offers him an "Oh my, this is such a joyous occurrence. I'm sure Mr Chongyun will be delighted as well."

Xiangling, though, has done nothing but stare at him since he opened his mouth and even now Xingqiu can tell, by the look on her face, that she finally got the whole picture together: "Xingqiu I'm... so sorry," she says and he feels a bit awful. He's also inclined to be melodramatic, thanks to the (too) many books he read since he was young, so part of him is just glad she understood that for once he has the right to complain. A bit.

"You were planning to propose during Lantern Rite?" "Yeah," Xingqiu admits as he finishes building another Xiao Lantern. He puts it together with the others that have been finished by the three ladies sitting around the table with him and notices Guoba giving him a sad look. Which makes him feel blessed for having so many friends and totally desperate if even Guoba looks at him pitifully. He can see his friends look at each other as if to choose the right words to console him and that's when he decides that this is making him feel even worse - not their friendship, no, that is one of the biggest demonstrations of what a lucky guy he is.

"It's okay. It's not like I'm doomed if it's not this time. I can always tell him when he comes back from the mountains, or wait for his birthday... there will be plenty of occasions! A man does not give up just because mountains kidnap his boyfriend, right? It would be such shameful behaviour and not chivalrous at all."

Xiangling chuckles a bit, even though she is the one who knows best that despite his words, part of him feels like giving up just for a day. It took him and Chongyun years to understand their feelings for each other and to finally admit them without being scared of what they could lose. When they can't meet during important events like this one, Xingqiu sometimes feels like he's back to a fifteen years old boy who dreamed of adventures and swordsmanship and couldn't muster the courage to admit he was in love with an exorcist boy. Small obstacles like this feed his fears like nothing else. 

"Why don't you write it on a Xiao Lantern?" Xinyan suggests and, for a second, everyone just looks at her dumbfounded. Until Xiangling smiles brightly, clapping her hands enthusiastically: "This is such a cute idea! Imagine if the lantern reaches Chongyun in the mountains and delivers the message!"

"Such a romantic proposal indeed," Yunjin adds, nodding approvingly. Xingqiu stares at all of them as if he expects someone to tell him they are joking; yet, it becomes painfully obvious that they are not. 

"Are you seriously—" "We are! I'm going to bring something to write!" Xiangling exclaims, standing up and going towards one of the stands before he can stop her. He looks at Xinyan just a split second before she takes the materials for the Xiao Lanterns in front of him, leaving enough for only one more to build.

"I'm finishing your part too, you just focus on yours! You have to go totally rock'n'roll about this, Xingqiu!" she adds, quite content with the turn of events. He gazes towards Yunjin, almost expecting to find some reason in her at least, someone who'd say what everyone knows deep inside their hearts: the chance of this lantern reaching Chongyun is so small that it would make more sense to just witness Rex Lapis' resurrection. 

Instead, she sips her tea. 

*

Hundreds of lanterns fill the sky as fireworks illuminate the night. Everyone in Liyue Harbor looks up, staying close to their friends or loved ones, smiles on their lips and happiness in their hearts. Xingqiu does the same— Chongyun might not be there, but he's surrounded by friends who helped him with a marriage proposal. Even the Traveler managed to find the time to return to Liyue as one goes back home for his family's special occasion. That's enough to fill the small void in his heart and make him think that, despite everything, he can survive and just wait for Chongyun to be back. 

"There are still so many stands I want to check!" Xinyan admits, "Xiangling, are you good on time before going back to the restaurant?" "Yes, Dad and Guoba are managing it together to give me time to go around so I'm okay!" she assures, chitchatting about what to visit while they still have the chance to. Yunjin is not too far, talking to Hu Tao and Xingqiu is quite sure to have seen the Traveler follow the Conqueror of Demons somewhere. 

"Xingqiu! Guys!" he hears a voice way too familiar to confuse it with someone else's. Chongyun is running towards them, a lantern in his hands and a frantic expression. Xingqiu can't believe that such a cliché thing might be really happening. And one look at his friends tells him everyone is thinking the same as him.

Chongyun must notice the way they are staring at him as if he just did something incredible just by existing. He stops only a few steps from them and before Xingqiu can actually make sure he's not hallucinating— 

"Don't tell me you really received the Xiao Lantern!" "Oh my God I can't believe it, how much you guys are going to be a romantic cliché?!" are just two of the comments Xingqiu manages to get before his brain shortcircuits. He... he didn't even write something special! He was so sure this wasn't going to work that he barely put there some words that could be considered a vague idea of the proposal and yet, out of hundreds of lanterns, his is the one that reached Chongyun? Just like that?!

"Yun, I— I mean," he begins, walking towards him,  "I'm sorry, I... never thought this would reach you. Not that I don't mean it, just— I can't believe this is how you are going to remember me proposing to you!" he admits, a bit frustrated maybe. Happy. Incredulous. 

"...y-you doing what?" Chongyun asks and, by the way he looks, Xingqiu can instantly tell that something is off. 

"The Xiao Lantern. I wanted to propose to you during the Lantern Rite but you said you couldn't come here so I was a bit pissed off because it felt right to do it now and during the event but I knew you couldn't help it... so Xinyan said to write it on a lantern. That, maybe, it would reach you and— well, you do have a lantern and came here running."

Chongyun looks like he has just been slapped and, at the same time, like he has received a whole week of training with the Conqueror of Demons as a present.

"Do you mean... a marriage proposal?" he asks, light blue eyes shocked yet still completely focused on Xingqiu. At this point this is becoming so random that Xingqiu's priorities are all over the place, enough for him to ask the poor exorcist: "Yeah but what's that lantern you have, if it's not mine?"

"There were kids who wanted to set another one in the sky but it got stuck on a roof so I just took it for them," Chongyun admits, pointing at a small group of children fussing over lanterns not too distant from them.

Xingqiu looks at them and is horrified.

"Meimei, look! There's a message on the lantern, but... I can't read it, the handwriting is so ugly!" "Wait! Maybe is a secret language from the adepti!"

He and Chongyun look at each other and the exorcist suddenly has to try his very best to not burst into laughter— Xingqiu feels extremely offended, yet that joy is enough of a response to his proposal. Not to mention that this is the best thing a Lantern Rite could do for him: bring Chongyun home, close to him.