Collab With Darkgirlygamer - Tumblr Posts
Paper Cranes, pt 2.
Collab with @darkgirlygamer
Jumping slightly, Naoko could guess who it was. Had time really gone by the quickly? She glanced at her small clock, and sure enough, the time to meet and already passed. Cringing slightly, she moved to the door and opened it slowly. Seeing none other than the Cryo wielding exorcist himself, in his usual attire, as expected since he preferred wearing lighter clothing.
"Oh, I was beginning to worry. I'm surprised you were able to put on the Yukata all by yourself." He noted, eyes flickering to the pin, a hint of pink appearing on his cheeks.
She shrugs in response, grabbing her fan and parasol. "I've had practice." Handing the blue parasol to Chongyun, she continued. "We should get going, we're late for the meet up with Lily and Xingqiu-"
She felt a hand brush aside a lock of hair from her face. The sudden contact making her jump, heart skipping a beat as the blue-haired boy retracted his hand. "Sorry, you just look amazing." He smiled softly, causing her face to flush a bright red.
"I-I... Uhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaa." Was the noise that left her as she hid her burning face behind her hands, earning a soft chuckle from Chongyun. "That's not faaaairrr." She whined as he took one of her hands and led her out the door.
"Apologies... I'll try to restrain myself tonight."
"AHAGAGSH- THAT'S NOT HELPING!!"
Paper Cranes and Festival Fisacos
Collab with @darkgirlygamer
“Well if it isn’t the two loverbirds.” Xingqiu snickered when he caught the eyes of the duo walking to them. “Did you two have fun?”
Chongyun sighed at his remark. "Hello to you too, Xingqiu." He said while still holding Naoko's hand. She stared at the heir with a deadpan look, not amused one bit.
Lily giggled as her eyes shifts to Naoko and down to her yukata. “Ooh~! You look so cute in that! Did you manage to do it all by yourself?” Xingqiu snickered beside her.
“What she’s saying is, ‘did you do it properly? Because I didn’t’.” Lily glared at him while pouting and slapping his arm.
“Shush.”
Blinking, a light pink dusted the girl's cheeks. "T-thank you, and yes, I did do it by myself. It takes a while, but you'll eventually get it." She said with a shrug, unconsciously leaning closer to Chongyun and under the cover of the blue parasol. "And from the looks of things... He's never gonna let you live it down, huh?"
Lily sighs, almost tiredly. “Yep. And I’m starting to regret asking him for help.” Xingqiu pouts while placing a hand on his chest, mockingly feeling hurt. “How rude. I didn’t even receive a proper reward-!” Lily blushed a bit.
"What do you mean by proper reward-?! All you said is reward, not what kind of reward.” Xingqiu sighs while patting the girl’s head.
“You’re too naive.”
“And you’re too dirty.”
Chongyun held back the urge to roll his eyes, opting for a simple sigh. "At it again." Was all he muttered.
"You would think they'd be married by the way they argue." Naoko decided to smirk, glancing up at the sky. "But I think it's about time we started the actual celebration, right?" She giggled behind her fan. "Knowing those two, it'll be dawn by the time they finish!"
Lily turned to them, having enough of Xingqiu and looks at the other two. “Are we going now? I feel like we won’t get anywhere while we stand here.” Xingqiu stared at them before smirking mischievously. He grabbed Lily’s hand, who yelped at his sudden action, and began dragging her away from Naoko and Chongyun. “Have fun with your date! If you need us, we’ll be by the gaming booths!”
“Wha-? XINGQIU!”
"Rest in peace, Lily," Naoko muttered. "You will be missed."
Chongyun chuckled at her words, watching the pair disappear into the large crowds. "Come on, we should get going too." His grip tightening on the shorter girl's hand. "Hold on, don't want you getting trampled."
Naoko again blushed. "Y-yeah. Where do you want to go first? My aim is horrendous so don't expect anything if we do play games."
The exorcist laughed once more. "Don't worry, that's why I'm here after all."
Paper Crans
Final
Collab with @darkgirlygamer
The pair spent the next few hours exploring the city of Liyue Harbor at night, visiting many food vendors(notably not Xingling's), winning prizes(Chongyun manages to get Naoko a giant stuffed polar bear), and enjoying the festive music. Though the exorcist chose not to participate in most events, due to his condition, he ensured that Naoko smiled the entire time. But, she noticed his behavior, and the joyous atmosphere shifted into one of worry. She knew of his condition and began to feel guilt that while she was enjoying all the fun, he could not do the same.
Eventually, the time came for the fireworks to begin, and, Chongyun, never one to partake in anything he considered "overly passionate" decided it was best if he left the Harbor all together. Traveling to the nearby secluded hillside that overlooked Liyue and the stone forest. Sitting in the grass, he gazed out at the calm waters that reflected the moonlight, the perfect image of serenity and silence. Just as he preferred.
The subtle crunch of grass drew his attention to the black-haired girl beside him. Naoko carefully folded her Yukata and legs to sit beside him, resting her fan and hairpin, which and long fallen out, on her lap. Staring at the sea, no, somewhere beyond that. Her dark lavender eyes holding a lonesome and melancholy gleam as she gazed somewhere beyond the horizon.
"Naoko?" He called to get her attention off of... That.
It was a few seconds before she tore her gaze away from the sea, and stared into his unusual eyes. "Yes?"
"Are you all right?" He carefully asked. Her gaze turning downward as she hesitantly answered.
"Yes just... Nevermind, how are you?" She quickly deflected, causes his brow to furrow. Always quick the change subject whenever it came to herself. A bad habit, he surmised.
With a sigh, he admitted with a shrug; "Fine... Just wasn't ever a fan of fireworks."
She hummed, suddenly feeling as if tension and rose between them. She opened her mouth, no words coming out for a moment. "Have..." She started nervously, suddenly finding all her words gone. "Have you ever seen... Fireworks?" She dared to ask, deep down knowing the answer.
"I don't think so... Besides this," He leaned against her shoulder. "Is more than enough."
Though Naoko instinctively leaned into his touch, a hollow feeling began to form in her chest as she began to recall the last Summer Festival she had been to.
An image of a family of four watching bright bursts of color light the sky passes over her eyes.
Her hand clenched around the fan.
And an idea came to mind.
"Chongyun... Do you have any paper?" She asked.
"What?" He blinked for a moment, before digging into his pockets, finding a crumpled piece of paper. He handed it to Naoko, who began to fold the white sheet carefully. Her delicate hands working elegantly as it began to take shape.
A crane?
A paper crane?
She held it up to him. "What do you wish for?
Chongyun, while confused, complied and held the crane, closing his eyes for a moment. Naoko waiting patiently for a minute as he made his wish, hands shaking slightly not from cold. When he was done, the exorcist handed the white bird back to the girl, who then enclosed it with both her hands.
Dark lavender eyes closed as she breathed.
A soft frosty light began to emit from the cracks of her hands, casting a small glow on the pair, which only grew brighter as she opened her hands.
What was once a single lonely crane burst forth into dozens, no, a thousand miniature cans that took off into the air, flying high into the stars in their wings of snow. His eyes widened at the display, gasping as they flocked and turned to the time of Naoko's hands. Leaving tiny snowflakes in their wake as they flew towards Liyue Harbor.
Their gentle glow, while dimmer than the stars, lit up the rooms of those they landed in. Some flew to the highest points in Liyue, some to narrow alleyways, some to dark secluded rooms packed with books, and some danced into the hands of friends. Their pure wings reflecting the wish of a lonely pair on a hillside.
"Naoko... What?" Chongyun gaped once all the cranes vanished from sight. The girl only smiled, leaning close to him as she intertwined their hands.
"A little gift, for the person I treasure most in this world."
She placed a chaste kiss on his cheek.
"I love you."
Happy new year everyone