genshin oneshots (requests open)

the sun shines dull on the snowy mountains

"..And you two understand the assignment, yes?" Ningguang had her arms folded across her chest, looking down on the two young men as they stood before her.

"Yes, Lady Ningguang. I will write it down as soon as this meeting is adjourned," Xingqiu replied, his tone emotionless and professional. Chongyun simply nodded along with him, nibbling at a popsicle.

"Very well. The two of you may go. And remember, you have only a week to return the materials to me. Good luck~" Standing up from her chair, Ningguang turned and left the room, followed by Beidou.

"Aahhh, but how are we supposed to get all the way up Dragonspine and back here in only a week?" Chongyun sighed, abandoning his straight posture and plopping into a chair. "And only the two of us.."

"Lady Ningguang would never set us up to fail," Xingqiu said, giving Chongyun a gentle disapproving look. "And have you no confidence in your abilities? Your skill with a greatsword is admirable, my love." He pulled a small book from his pocket and began to scribble in it, detailing the steps they needed to prepare and the object of their mission. "Come now, we need to prepare if we are to finish this in a week."

"Gah, fine.. what do you need me to collect?"

"Whatever you may need for such an adventure." Xingqiu winked and turned away, going to prepare on his own.

Hours later, the two met at the bridge connecting the harbor to the the rest of Liyue. Both as prepared as they could think, carrying their packs and weapons, dressed in cold-weather clothes.

"I have the route we are to take mapped out," Xingqiu said proudly. He took the map from his pack and unrolled it, tracing his finger along a red dotted line. "We should make it to the Guili Plains by the end of the day, and then we can find a spot to camp. If we hike all day tomorrow we should make it to Dragonspine."

"I still don't think we can do this in a week," Chongyun grumbled. "Aren't the supplies at the top of the mountain?"

"Yes, but that's exactly why we're bringing climbing supplies!" Xingqiu rolled up the map and slipped it back into his pack, then took Chongyun's hand. "And I have a friend who works on the mountain. I'm sure he can help us out a little."

"Ah, if you say so.." Chongyun managed a smile and squeezed Xingqiu's hand, and their footsteps matched as they left the harbor.

It took them two days to reach the foot of Dragonspine. Not wanting to waste any more time, Xingqiu wanted to keep going even after the sun dipped below the horizon. "We still have our time limits to think about," he'd say, trying to convince Chongyun to go along. Not that it mattered, of course- even while they were arguing about it, they kept walking, kept climbing. The very bottom of the mountain wasn't too steep at all, especially with the path clearly marked in the snow.

"Aren't you afraid of all the hilichurl and Fatui camps on the mountain? What if we picked a spot to rest right in the middle of one?" Chongyun asked, lagging behind several paces.

"I'll be sure to survey the surrounding area of wherever we camp so that doesn't happen," Xingqiu answered, stopping to wait for Chongyun to catch up. He grabbed onto Chongyun's hand, squeezed it promisingly, and the two were in step once again. The darker it got, the slower they went, until neither one of them could see the edges of the path anymore.

"I suppose we should spend the night here.." Xingqiu murmured, still squeezing Chongyun's hand. "Perhaps we should have stopped sooner. I apologize."

"It's alright.. the dark's just scary."

Ripping them out of their thoughts, a voice yelled through the darkness, "Who the fuck is out there? Identify yourselves, by order of the Knights of Favonius!" The voice in question was feminine, belonging to a woman who appeared moments later carrying a torch and pointing a frostbitten spear directly at the two of them.