"Yunyuuuun!"

Chongyun sighed. He knew that voice all too well. The loud, cheery voice that angered him so easily, but could also bring a breath of fresh air into a heated conversation. The voice belonging to a girl that easily made his blood boil, yet could also stir other warm feelings in him that he couldn't identify.

"What is it, walnut?" Chongyun asked. Hu Tao pouted at his short reply.

"I just wanted to see you," she said. There it was again. That warm feeling that simultaneously made him feel like he was floating, but also turned his thoughts to mush.

"What's wrong, Yunyun?" Hu Tao giggled. "You're looking pretty red."

With delayed shock, Chongyun felt his body heating up, and he hastily reached into a side pouch for emergencies. As he peered into it, he sighed. Only two left. He'd need to go to Xiangling to restock. As he pulled it out, he unwrapped it and stuck it into his mouth, savoring the coolness it brought to his mind and body. He sighed in relief, and Hu Tao poked him in the shoulder.

"Hey, got another one?" she asked curiously. Chongyun nodded, and Hu Tao smiled.

"Ooh, can I have it?" she asked. Chongyun frowned.

"Walnut, you do know that those are specifically for me, right? And for my condition." Chongyun replied. Hu Tao pouted.

"Please~?" Hu Tao asked. Chongyun still shook his head.

Hu Tao clapped her hands to her mouth, eyes watering. "Not even for your," she inhaled a little too dramatically. "Your best friend? You wouldn't give a popsicle to me, your best friend?"

"You're not my best friend," Chongyun stated bluntly. That title was reserved for Xingqiu.

Hu Tao burst into shocked tears, sobbing loudly. Chongyun recoiled, startled.

"H- hey, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Chongyun asked. Hu Tao only wailed louder.

"You- How could you say such a thing?" Hu Tao cried loudly. "Oh, my heart! How it hurts and pains to hear those words of utter rejection…"

At this point, people were beginning to stare at the pair, and Chongyun turned red.

"I- sorry if I seemed harsh," Chongyun muttered. "Is there anything I can do to make up for it?"

Hu Tao didn't give an adequate response aside from wailing loudly again, and Chongyun sighed.

"Fine, fine, here," he relented, handing the last remaining popsicle to Hu Tao. "Take it."

"Thanks, Yunyun." Hu Tao looked up and grinned, not a trace of tears from the previous "outburst." "Guess I'm your best friend after all, huh?"

"You-" Chongyun sighed, not having a proper retort. "Fine. Let's go to Wanmin Restaurant. I need to restock anyway." He stood up and grabbed Hu Tao's hand. She yanked it back immediately, face flaring a sharp red.

Chongyun looked at her questioningly, and Hu Tao's mouth trembled.

"What is it?" Chongyun asked, perplexed.

"W- what was that for?!" Hu Tao squeaked out, face incandescent.

"I was pulling you up so we could go," Chongyun replied, confused. This seemed to calm Hu Tao down slightly, although she was still breathing fast with a very, very red face. She licked the popsicle she stole from Chongyun again, and savored the cold feeling on her tongue.

"You coming?" Chongyun asked. Hu Tao nodded, falling behind him.

Gods damn it, Chongyun. If you were any less dense, you'd have realized what you were doing…

She forcefully shoved the thought away, before any more of The Thoughts could break free from their prison.

The pair reached Wanmin Restaurant, where they were met with Chef Mao.

"Ah, hello, Chongyun, Hu Tao. You looking for Xiangling?" He greeted them.

"Yes, sir," Chongyun replied. "I need some more popsicles made. Do you think you have enough for another batch…?"

"Sorry, Chongyun," Chef Mao replied. "We're all out of Qingxin and Mist Flowers. Xiangling's inside, tending to some customers. Want to stay for lunch? A couple of your friends are already inside."

"Sure, we'd love that!" Hu Tao exclaimed, forcibly entering the conversation. "Let's go, Chongyun!" She grabbed his hand, and dragged him into the restaurant. Chef Mao chuckled at the sight, smiling slightly.

As the pair entered the restaurant, Chongyun spotted a blonde haired man waving energetically to him. Chongyun raised his hand in greeting, and went to Aether's table, where Liyue's most popular couple sat.

"Hey, Aether and Keqing!" Hu Tao chirped.

Keqing raised her own hand in greeting, and Aether nodded in their direction.

"Hey, guys. You here to eat?" Aether greeted them.

"What do you think?" Keqing asked him, sighing. "They're in a restaurant, what else would they do?"

"Yeah, I didn't think much when I asked," Aether said sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Honestly, the questions you ask are so dumb sometimes…" Keqing muttered.

"And you chose me anyway," Aether smirked.

Keqing flared red, and looked at the pair who had sat down, watching the exchange amusedly. Well, Hu Tao was anyway. Chongyun looked slightly on edge. "A- anyway, what would you two like to eat? Lunch is on me."

"Why, thank you, Miss Yuheng!" Hu Tao said excitedly. "We'll make sure this gift doesn't go to waste!"

"Thank you very much, Lady Yuheng," Chongyun said gratefully.

"Yeah, yeah," Keqing said. "Don't sweat it. Just order what you'd like to eat."

"Hey, you okay?" Aether asked. Hu Tao jerked her head towards him, confused, before realizing that he was addressing Chongyun, who looked slightly troubled.

"Yes, I'm alright," Chongyun replied. "I just needed some more popsicles after Hu Tao stole-"

"You gave it to me, dummy," Hu Tao interrupted. "Remember?"

"After I gave my last one to Hu Tao," Chongyun finished, rolling his eyes. "But Chef Mao's all out of Qingxin and Mist Flowers, so he can't make any more. I needed to talk to Xiangling so that she could get some more for me."

"Qingxin and Mist Flowers, huh?" Aether asked, leaning back slightly in his chair. He tilted his head upwards slightly, calculating something mentally. "Those are the only two ingredients?"

"Yeah," Chongyun replied. "Aside from water, but water is commonplace."

"Got it," Aether said. He stood up, and Keqing's hand grabbed onto his cape. Aether looked down, and Keqing pouted.

"You said you'd stay with me," she complained.

Aether smiled softly at her, and Hu Tao briefly wondered how that smile would look on Chongyun's face looking at her. Shaking her head to banish the thought, she caught Aether's remaining words.

"Two minutes, love," he cooed. "That's all I'll take."

"Alright," Keqing pouted again. "But take any longer and you know what'll happen."

Aether nodded, and tossed a glance in Hu Tao and Chongyun's direction. "Be right back."

He disappeared into golden light, and Chongyun stared at the spot where Aether used to stand in mild confusion.

"Where did he go?" Chongyun asked.

"To get some Qingxin and Mist Flowers, of course," Keqing replied. "He won't be long."

"So I assume this is why you got together with him?" Hu Tao asked with a cheeky smile. "Easier transport?"

"No, he's a very passionate lover and a great help in the workplace," Keqing replied curtly. "I don't see how him being able to teleport changes anything."

"Well, it makes your job easier, for one," Hu Tao said. "Easy way to get around Liyue, no?"

"No, actually," Keqing replied. "If we want to go somewhere, we simply run. I didn't need a god to do my job then, I don't need a god to do my job now."

The current god in question reappeared in a flash of gold, and presented the Mist Flowers and Qingxin to Hu Tao with an exaggerated bow.

"For your boyfriend's popsicles," he chuckled, leaving Hu Tao and Chongyun both thunderstruck.

"HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND!" Hu Tao sputtered, face red. "W- Where did you get that idea?"

"Really?" Aether seemed genuinely surprised. "Well, sorry about that. Enjoy them regardless."

"Shall we order?" Keqing asked, once again settling against Aether's side.

Now, if only I could do that with Chongyun… Hu Tao thought to herself, smiling at the thought. She decided to indulge the fantasy for a little bit. After I lean on him, maybe he'll lean on me back, and then we'd… we'd… Hu Tao nearly quivered giddily at the word that would come next.

A voice prevented said word from coming out, however.

"Hu Tao, what'll you be getting?"

Oh. Xiangling was here. And the others were staring at her expectantly.

"S- sorry," Hu Tao stammered. "I'll take some steamed fish and prawn dumplings!"

Xiangling gave her a toothy smile, and nodded. "I expected so," she said. "Will that be all?"

"Yes," Chongyun affirmed. "Also, can you make some more popsicles for me? I have the Qingxin and Mist Flowers here."

"Sure," Xiangling replied. "Give them here. They'll be ready in about an hour."

"Thank you, Xiangling," Chongyun said gratefully.

"Don't sweat it!" Xiangling chirped. "Enjoy your double date, you four!"

Xiangling turned and walked away before Hu Tao could protest.

Hu Tao and Chongyun sat there in an embarrassed silence, while Aether and Keqing found nothing embarrassing, and kept talking to each other. After a couple more minutes of awkward silence, Hu Tao spoke up.

"S- so, where are you going after this, Yun?" Hu Tao asked

"I'd like to go to Jueyun Karst," Chongyun replied thoughtfully. "I consulted Mr. Zhongli about my condition, and he told me that the adepti may be willing to help me with some of my… problems… if I presented something good. He wouldn't specify which problems or what I needed to present, though…"

"Probably just food," Aether spoke.

"You sure?" Chngyun asked skeptically. "I think they'd want something more than that, right? Surely not just food?"

"Just food," Aether replied, nodding. "It was… what was it? Matsutake Meat Rolls-"

"Jewelry Soup, and Mora Meat," Keqing finished.

Aether raised his eyes in surprise. "How did you know? You weren't even- Oh. You were. You were still stalking me at the time, yes?"

"I- I wasn't stalking you!" she spluttered. "I was keeping an eye on you so- so I could know that you wouldn't continue destroying or harming Liyue!"

Aether roared with laughter, before turning back to Chongyun and Hu Tao. "Well, anyways, those are the foods that I used to get an audience with Cloud Retainer. Maybe you should try it as well. I know Xiao lives in Jueyun Karst. I'm also aware that he's probably listening in on this conversation, but he's either there or at Wangshu Inn, regardless. If you're looking for him, get some of Wangshu Inn's Almond Tofu first before meeting him. It's the only food he likes, and the only one that might get him into a talkative mood. Cloud Retainer is on Mount Aocang, Moon Carver's on Qingyun Peak, and Mountain Shaper's on Mount Hulao. I wish you the best of luck. Don't get too disheartened if you meet them, though. They can be quite cold to outsiders."

"Thanks for the advice," Chongyun said, noting it down in his head. "Where are you guys headed?"

"Qingce Village," Aether replied. "She's got some business there and I've really got nothing better to do."

"I actually envy you, you know," Hu Tao said. "Having the ability to go wherever you want whenever you want."

"Eh," Aether shrugged. "I know it sounds fun and nice, but it gets pretty boring when there's no one close to you to spend your time with. I think you know that."

"W- what do you mean by that?" Hu Tao asked, flushing, the implication not lost on her. "I- I have plenty of friends to spend my time with!"

"Well, if you don't understand, I won't elaborate," Aether shrugged. "You ready to head off?"

Keqing nodded, and took his hand. The couple paid for everyone's meal and bid farewell to Chongyun and Hu Tao, before setting off. Hu Tao and Chongyun waited, as their food hadn't arrived yet.

The atmosphere became tense, just the two of them. Alone. In a restaurant. Together.

Soon after, however, Xiangling returned, bearing their food.

"Enjoy your food, you guys! Aether and Keqing leave?" she asked.

"Yep," Hu Tao replied. "We're gonna finish up here, then continue whatever we were doing. We still haven't decided."

"Alright. I already got the payment from Lady Keqing, so you guys are free to leave whenever. Please enjoy!"

Hu Tao nodded, and turned back to make some small talk with Chongyun.

"So, the adepti, huh?" she asked.

"Yeah," Chongyun replied, glancing at her. He cleared his throat and looked back to his food, face slightly pink. "I need to ask them a few questions about some strange… feelings I have. Mr. Zhongli wouldn't help, but he said the adepti might."

"I see," Hu Tao nodded. "That's nice. Can I come along? I've always wanted to see the adepti. And besides, I'm a legendary cook."

Chongyun nearly choked on his food, hacking slightly. "I- if it's alright with you! I mean, I- I guess you can? Wouldn't hurt, would it?"

"Well said, Yunnie," Hu Tao smirked. "Let's head out after eating, yeah?"

"Alright," Chongyun said, finishing his last mouthful of food. "Let's go, then."

Hu Tao stood up and grabbed Chongyun's hand, pulling him to his feet. As Hu Tao dragged Chongyun out of the restaurant, he looked back, thinking he might have forgotten something.

Ah, well. He'd figure it out. As long as his hand was in hers, and they could stay together…

Wait, what?


So I basically made this for CuriousLad. Now act cute for me.
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