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Dark clouds hovered over Liyue, from which rain pelted down. Two figures could be seen, a male and a female, as they ran underneath one of the many resting spots that existed around Liyue. Its circular-like shaped roof, with the help of the bamboo forest around it, assisted in shielding them from the rain.
“Well, that was unexpected.” Said the male. Laughter escaped him, as he pushed his wet golden locks back. He decided to take off his gloves so he could wring the water out of them.
“Wish I had brought an umbrella with me,” his purple haired companion said with an exasperated sigh, she had already taken off her black gloves and threw them on the bench before sitting down beside them.
“Nothing you can do about it now, Keqing,” he sat down next to her, stretching a bit before calling for Paimon. The little, floating pixie appeared in front of him, also completely soaked in rainwater. He materialized her towel in his hands and gave it to her. Taking it, she thanked Aether and disappeared once again. He materialized another towel and told Keqing to remove her hair ornaments and let her hair be loose.
“I can dry myself, Aether.” She said trying to snatch the towel out of his hands, but he pulled it away quickly. A small smirk was plastered on his face, and she was beginning to regret not bringing her own towel with her.
“Just do it Keqing, don’t make this harder than it has to be.” His tone was playful as he moved the towel behind him, a mischievous glint in his eyes. If there was one thing she didn't allow him to touch, it was her wet hair. Keqing pouted slightly before looking away to try and come up with a way to seize the towel from him.
Aether watched her intently, curious to see what she would do. A sly smile appeared on her face, which gave him a bad feeling. She inched closer to him, before looking up and staring him in eyes. Just like him, a playful glint was present in her eyes. She grabbed his scarf and pulled him down.
He felt her lips capture his as she kissed him. His eyes widened slightly in surprise; a small blush spread across his face. Before long, Aether closed his eyes and began kissing her back. He felt her hands release his scarf, before slowly sliding down his arms.
Realizing what Keqing was trying to do, he quietly dematerialized the towel hidden behind his back. When her hands reached his, he grasped his hands around hers firmly. She jolted a bit out of surprise and broke the kiss and looked at him. She realized he had dematerialized the towel when he brought their joined hands forward.
“Didn’t know you wanted to hold hands so badly milady, you could’ve just asked.” He said with a small smirk, before touching foreheads with her. A small blush creeped onto Keqing’s face, as she turns her face away in an attempt to hide it. He chuckled before releasing the hold on one of her hands. Using his now free hand, he grabbed her chin and made her look towards him.
He admired her amethyst, cat-like eyes, and her blush increased with how intensely he was staring at them. He never got tired looking at them, and there were times where he wished he could stare into them forever. His hand released her chin and cupped her cheek, never breaking eye contact with her.
Aether slowly started to lean in, closing his eyes in the process. Keqing closed her eyes as well, and before long she felt his lips once. It was a slow, but passionate kiss. They broke off slightly, only to resume moments later. While kissing her, their other joined hand untangled themselves as his hand moved to wrap around her waist while both of her hands encircled his neck.
Their kiss continued for a while, before finally breaking off when they both were running out of breath. Aether opened his eyes to see a very intense blush on Keqing’s face. She looked away from him, and he could see a pout on her face. A few chuckles escaped his mouth, before he spoke.
“I love you, Keqing.” He told her with sincerity and fondness present in each word. He was sure the blush on her face became even redder than it already was, to the point he was worried he had overloaded her emotions.
She didn’t say much, she just leaned in and rested her head against his chest. A small smile appeared on his face as he wrapped his hands around her slim body. Resting his head on top of hers, he could still feel the wetness from the rain. Speaking of the rain, he could still hear it pitter-patter, however he didn’t mind. He wished it would rain a little while longer, just so he could enjoy her casual attitude a little bit more.