Chapter Text
Ganyu sneezes again and Keqing could swear she felt the Jade Chamber slightly sway in the air. Ganyu blushes bright red and sinks deeper into her chair and Keqing can‘t help but roll her eyes. This is the third time she has sneezed, and Keqing was sure she isn't the only one who is scared the Chamber might fall out of the sky any moment.
Everyone else might have seen, or felt, it coming. But Ganyu certainly didn’t. It’s been centuries since the last time she caught a cold or got sick. She didn‘t even believe she could get sick anymore. Being half Adeptus had its perks, truly.
Thinking back, she should have seen the red lights anyway. The whole past week Ganyu’s head felt like it might fall off her head, considering how hard it was pounding. But she shrugged it off as a product of stress, and that it would leave as soon as it came. But yet, she should’ve seen it coming this exact morning.
There had never been a problem with rising before the sun did. Arriving at the chamber early in the morning. But when she couldn’t seem to get up this morning, wanting to stay in bed for the whole day, before forcing herself to get up, she should’ve known this was the beginning of something.
She came in late, she never comes in late, greeted my Keqing sitting on her desk already. She is never coming in later than Keqing.
A slightly confused look by the Tianquan is send her way when she strides towards her desk, sitting down with the headache already building.
The hurting in her head doesn't subside throughout the day and it only makes the nauseous feeling in her stomach grow. A few coughs and a few sneezes there, and she could barely concentrate on her work anymore. Not like she was able to do so the whole last week.
An extreme strike of pain makes its way through her head when she coughed especially hard. Ganyu winces in pain, holding her head in her hands.
It is only shortly after lunchtime, she couldn't go home just yet. She doesn't want to cut this day short just because she feels a bit sick.
It couldn’t even be so bad, she doesn't know why her body is acting up the way it is right now. Ganyu is perfectly capable of continuing with this day, completely ignoring the disapproving looks of the other secretaries. She is a godforsaken half Adeptus, she wouldn’t let down her work, simply because she caught a little cold.
The door opens but Ganyu doesn’t even try to raise her head from her hands. Footsteps make their way through the room until they stop in front of her desk.
“You okay there?”
It’s Keqing. Of course it’s Keqing. Who else would come here to mock her when she was in this state?
Keqing and Ganyu barely talked. There were occasions where they had to. Considering she was the Yuheng and Ganyu was the general Qixing’s secretary. But Ganyu thinks her presence is more irritating to Keqing than anything else.
Must have something do to with the fact that Ganyu is only half-human. And considering the way Keqing spoke about the Archons, Adepti, and Gods, it was no wonder she dislikes Ganyu quite a lot. And she definitely isn't afraid to show her.
Ganyu sighs, “Yeah, I apologize, I’ll continue in a moment.”
Her head still in her hands, no intention of removing it anytime soon. This way, she couldn’t see Keqing’s unpleased expression on her face.
“That's not what I asked.”
She raises her head then, looking up with strikes of pain clouding her vision, into eyes that had more shades of purple than a person could count.
Before Ganyu can answer, a ridiculous amount of pain shoots through her head, sending a wave of queasiness to her stomach. She whines lightly at the uncomfortable feeling, letting her head fall again.
“I’m fine.”
Keqing frowns disapprovingly. Stemming her hands into her hips.
“Well. You certainly don't look like you do.”
“I’m okay. There’s no need to worry Miss Keqing.”
Ganyu sends her a tight-lipped smile, but Keqing’s frown only deepens at the use of that title.
“Lady Ninguang said I should send you home.”
“What?” She sounds almost heartbroken and Keqing can't help but feel bad.
“You’re clearly not feeling well.” The Yuheng states.
Angry and disappointed at herself, Ganyu jumps up from her seat to stand in front of Keqing to prove that she isn't sick when a sudden wave of dizziness hits her and everything begins to spin.
Barely able to hold herself up, Ganyu can already see herself hitting the hardwood floor. But what she feels instead are someone’s arms, wrapped around her.
“I’ll bring you home, come on.”
Defeated Ganyu sighs, nods, and follows the girl’s order. There is no way to get out of this now. On their way to Ganyu’s apartment, Keqing has to stop and hold her more than a couple of times to make sure she wouldn’t fall over.
When they reach her home and Ganyu wants to thank Keqing for bringing her. Said girl waves her hand dismissively, brushing past her.
“I’m gonna make sure you actually rest.”
Ganyu stands in her doorway dazed. Did this woman just march into her house as if she owned it? She sighs, it is Keqing, what is she expecting really?
Closing the door behind her, she already feels better. Being in her own house, the familiar rooms not adding to her uncomfortableness as they did in the Jade Chamber. Thinking back to it, Ganyu realizes that being on a platform that floats in the air maybe hasn't been the best idea, to begin with.
Lightly shivering while walking towards her room Ganyu mumbles, mostly to herself, “I’m cold.” Keqing on the other side of the room snorts lightly, looking like she’s pulling clothes out of her closet. Ganyu’s clothes and Ganyu’s closet. The audacity this girl has is incredible.
“How can you even be cold with that vision of yours?”
Keqing expects her to be a walking iceblock after all, in both literal and metaphorical ways.
She laughs but Ganyu clearly isn't the mood to laugh, just shrugging her shoulders.
Keqing's face falls slightly before she holds out some clothes for Ganyu, then leaving the room.
“I’ll get some more blankets then.”
When Ganyu finishes changing she stands in her room, not knowing what do to with herself. She just feels really horrible and everything hurts, and in addition, she feels very out of place in her own four walls. Oh how annoying it was to be a mortal, she thinks.
When Keqing comes back in and places the blankets on the bed, Ganyu only stares at her. The presence of the girl making her feel a bit more at ease.
“Didn’t know your kind could even get sick.”
The just now archived feeling of comfort leaves her as soon as the words left the girl’s mouth. A few tears spring to her eyes and she doesn’t even know why this upset her so much. This is Keqing and Keqing says these kinda things. She is used to it normally. Ganyu sighs loudly, looking at the purple-haired girl with an exhausted expression.
“Can you, please, stop this.”
It took Keqing a few moments to realize the other woman hasn't taken the joke as she intended her to, and her eyes soften in sympathy. She didn’t mean to make the secretary feel worse.
“Sorry”, she says quietly, “let’s get you into bed yeah?”
When Ganyu is seated under the blankets, her eyes already slipping close, Keqing makes her way out to the room to leave, when a voice calls out her name.
“Can you stay for a bit? Only um- until im asleep? I just-”
Keqing wordlessly slips into bed next to Ganyu, very clearly not what Ganyu had in mind, but she certainly isn't complaining. She feels Keqing’s body heat, and the additional temperature from her vision, against her back. Adding a nice amount of warmth.
She put her arm around Ganyu’s waist. “It’s okay, lets sleep, you’ll be better later.”
Before Ganyu can completely drift off to sleep, she mumbles a quiet 'thank you' before pressing her body closer to Keqing’s.