Chapter Text
Barbara waited outside the cathedral, coughing into her hand and releasing the petals into the wind. She was about to have another fit when she saw Xinyan rounding the corner. She shoved the petals into her bag and turned to face Xinyan.
“Barbara! There you are,” Xinyan happily cried, bounding over to greet her. “I couldn’t find you anywhere yesterday, you ok?”
“Yeah I just overslept I guess, I just wasn’t feeling well, I’m all better now though,” she lied and bit back on the flowers quickly overtaking her throat. “Can I take you somewhere today, it’s a bit of a walk but the view is stunning.”
“Sure, you know you can take me anywhere,” Xinyan responded eagerly, did she have something planned as well? No, that can’t be.
Barbara led Xinyan out of Mondstat’s walls and down the path towards Thousand Winds Temple. They passed it though and went up onto Starsnatch Cliff. Barbara had been fighting the flowers attacking her lungs the whole way there. It had been a lot harder than she had anticipated, especially with Xinyan right there next to her, making her flowers bloom more and quicker than before.
They sat by the cliffs edge and gazed out across the coast and into the sunset. Barbara was so tired that she began to lean over, Xinyan took note of this and moved closer to catch her on her shoulder. They sat like that for a few quiet moments, taking in the view and the quiet. The peace was ripped away by a violent cough erupting from Barbara’s throat. She pulled away from Xinyan and curled up into herself, face buried in her hands and sleeves.
“Barbara? What’s wrong are you ok,” Xinyan asked tentatively after a few short seconds of choked out coughing. She leaned closer to Barbara and reached slowly for her hands. She pulled them away from her face, revealing the bloodstained flowers in them. Barbara readied herself for Xinyan’s questions and disgust, but instead Xinyan just wordlessly pulled her closer, into a safe, warm embrace. Rubbing her back slowly and rhythmically until her breathing leveled out.
“I need to tell you something,” Barbara finally said, voice hoarse and quiet. Xinyan looked down at her, orange eyes filled with so many emotions Barbara couldn’t count let alone decipher them all.
“I- I think I’m-“ She choked out and started coughing again, trying her best to regain her composure, it was getting worse by the second. “I love you, Xinyan,” she practically screamed between her coughs, “I love you so much it hurts, your hair, your eyes, your music, your smile,” she continued, “everything about you is warm and safe and kind. Your music inspires me and your smile keeps me going, your like a blazing fire, like the sun. I can’t start my day without you. I love you.” She finished, completely out of breath, still clutching the flowers in her hands and looking at Xinyan with tears warping her vision.
After a few moments of quiet Barbara began to freak out, “Y-you don’t need to feel the same, I’d totally understand, I-I just needed to say it or,” Xinyan started laughing almost hysterically.
“No! I love you too, ya dork!” Xinyan scooped Barbara up and spun her around. Barbara went from scared to extatic in under a millisecond and was squeezing Xinyan back, her previous pain thrown to the wind along with the petals. “I can’t believe I made you get Hanahaki though, you should’ve just told me Blue!”
“Blue?” Barbara asked through tears.
“I don’t know, we can figure out pet names later I guess.”
“Absolutely not!” Barbara laughed, hugging her tighter to her, still sobbing hysterically.
“Oh your getting a pet name for sure, your too cute to not have one,” Xinyan exclaimed, crying as well and laughing.
“Ok Fireball,” They both laughed so hard the collapsed onto the ground hugging and kissing each other until they fell asleep under the stars.