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Ganyu wakes up feeling absolutely content.
The sun is shining through the window, not the kind of piercing light that makes eyes burn, but a soft light that bathes everything in a gentle glow, filtered by the translucent white curtains. A black ball of fluff is curled up at the end of the bed as he always is, having abandoned his bed in favour of sleeping next to his owners. The blanket has been tossed off the bed but she's still warm, mostly because of the woman behind her.
Keqing is still sleeping, her breaths tickling the back of Ganyu’s neck. Her arm is wrapped securely around her waist. Ganyu loves feeling like this; wanted and protected and loved.
Careful to not kick Heiping, she wriggles around gently in Keqing’s arms so that she can face her girlfriend. The said girlfriend is angelic in her sleep, light purple hair messed up and scattered across her pillow and Ganyu can't help but slowly trace her finger along the curves of the lips she loves so much.
Keqing stirs slightly in her sleep, eyelids fluttering and Ganyu feels her heart clench with affection. Even just sleeping, Keqing still manages to make her dizzy with love.
She lays there for a few minutes just watching Keqing sleep, syncing her breaths to hers, until suddenly her stomach growls. Although no one is awake to hear it, Ganyu still flushes anyway; she has a fairly big appetite and this happens often, but every time she’s still embarrassed.
This is one of the rare days where she wakes up before Keqing does, and she decides to surprise her with breakfast once she wakes up.
Carefully, she lifts Keqing’s arm off her body, inching away from her as one would back away from a sleeping bear. She's about halfway out of Keqing’s grasp when the older suddenly tightens her grip, drawing her back. She must have been awoken by her movements.
Crap.
“Yuyu, where were you going?” Keqing lazily drags Ganyu closer, throwing a leg over both of hers and burying her face into Ganyu's neck. "Come back," she slurs, voice thick with sleepiness, and begins to gently kiss her skin.
Ganyu feels her eyes slip close again, forgetting about breakfast and all too willing to fall back asleep with her girlfriend. Keqing makes a sound of contentment and tightens the arms around Ganyu's waist now that she's not moving anymore.
"Meow?"
The peace is suddenly broken when Heiping leaps up onto their entwined bodies, claws digging through their thin shirts, and they simultaneously yell in shock and mild pain.
“Stupid cat!” Keqing spits, to which Heiping replies with an innocent meow. He swishes his tail into Keqing’s face, and the purple haired girl merely glares in response.
Ganyu giggles, pulling the cat into her arms and scratching behind his ears. He settles onto her stomach, yawns, and begins grooming himself.
Still ruffled by their cat's actions, Keqing sits up and pouts at how Heiping is getting more attention than her until Ganyu laughs and pulls her down for a kiss.
"Good morning, baby," she murmurs between their lips.
Keqing's mouth curves up into a smile. "I love you," she says, as she does every morning when they wake up tangled together, and Ganyu kisses her again.
Despite both of them fully awake now (no thanks to Heiping, who is now out of the room), neither of them want to move, and Keqing flops back down onto the bed.
"Stupid cat," she groans again, "I hate him. He's a literal child."
"Weren't you the one who wanted him?" Ganyu replied teasingly, grinning when Keqing just closes her eyes and turns away, feigning sleep to avoid answering.
"Since you want to be like that, I'll go make breakfast for us and our cat child," Ganyu says, moving to get up.
Keqing makes a soft whining sound, which brings a fond smile to Ganyu’s lips. Keqing is rarely in this kind of clingy mood, and neither would she admit to having this kind of mood.
“But you're warm. Come back to cuddle."
“So are the blankets,” Ganyu retorts, but she betrays her own statement by leaning down and stealing another kiss.
Keqing makes a soft happy noise but sighs when she pulls away again. Huffing, Ganyu swats her shoulder lightly.
“Qing-ah, we can't spend all day in bed. Don't you want breakfast? I'll take your order and make it for you.”
At the mention of breakfast, she seems to perk up.
“I want toast. And scrambled eggs. And hot milk.”
“Fine, you big baby.”
Cheerily, Ganyu swings her legs off the side of the bed. Keqing sighs and sits up, stretching her arms and body.
“Come on, let's brush our teeth first,” she says, sauntering over to the bathroom while Keqing follows after her at a snail’s pace.
They brush their teeth in silence, making eye contact through the mirror. Ganyu spits her toothpaste foam on Keqing’s arm and in return, she splashes her with water. It ends up escalating into a full-on splashing fight, which results in Ganyu dashing out of the bathroom choking on laughter. Afterwards, Keqing sloppily dries off the mirror, complaining about water marks.
A normal morning washup for the couple.
“You can go make breakfast first, I want to change,” Keqing says, going to the closet.
Ganyu hums in agreement and exits the room.
She doesn't notice that Keqing stares after her with an almost nervous expression, listening carefully until her footsteps down the stairs fade away. Neither does she notice that Keqing slowly draws a key out of a jean pocket, fiddling with it before going to their nightstand.
-
Keqing is 100% positive she’s going to die.
Her heart is practically going to beat right out of her chest, and she hasn't even started the actual event yet.
It's actually been going decently well so far. Ganyu went out without any objections, and the key is where she put it: in a pocket of a pair of jeans she bought and never wore, sitting in the closet collecting dust. And being the more neat and tidy one, Keqing was responsible for cleaning out and organising their bedside table, which made it easy for her to hide the ring.
Keqing walks over to the nightstand, crouches down, unlocks the drawer and opens it to reveal a small box among several other boxes. She holds her breath as she picks it up, irrationally worrying that the ring might have somehow disappeared.
When she flips open the lid, she breathes a sigh of relief, seeing the ring still nestled safely in the box.
It's not very showy, yet still pretty and meaningful - a simple silver band with a dark blue sapphire set in the middle, with two small diamonds on its sides. Although it’s not the conventional diamond ring, Keqing knows it’s exactly what Ganyu would like.
However, a small part of her brain is going crazy with thoughts like what if she doesn't like it? What if she doesn't say yes? What if she isn't even prepared for this kind of commitment?
Even after being in their relationship for four years already, Keqing is somehow reduced to a puddle of insecurities when it comes to the proposal.
Ganyu does that kind of thing to her. She always seems a little too unreal for this world, and Keqing can't believe she chose her, of all people.
Keqing checks the ring one last time, then flips the lid closed and shoves it into her pocket, carelessly chucking the key into the drawer before slamming it shut. The box makes a very noticeable bulge on her pocket, but Ganyu isn’t going to have time to notice.
She’s planning to propose when Ganyu is cooking. It’s not exactly very romantic, but Keqing’s thought about it and being in the house with no one but her girlfriend, sharing kisses and bantering around, she’s never felt more at home. Who needs a fancy restaurant?
Not them, that’s for sure.
As Keqing walks down the stairs, everything she sees reminds her of Ganyu. From the walls which Ganyu insisted they paint pink, to the pictures of them hung up on the walls, to Heiping sleeping on the couch, the two year old furry child they adopted once they moved into their apartment.
Truth be told, she can't imagine her life without Ganyu. She's changed her life in many little ways, like getting her to stop her nervous habit of biting her fingernails and subtly influencing her to enjoy eating mangoes. She’s also impacted her life in large ways, like finally fulfilling her childhood dream of owning a cat.
When she wakes up every morning, she looks forward to spending it with her girlfriend, seeing her beautiful smile, and hearing her laugh, and every morning she falls in love just a bit more. It's like the saying: I love you more than yesterday but less than tomorrow. Keqing always thought it was cheesy and cringey, but she's gained an understanding of it since she started dating Ganyu.
When Keqing arrives downstairs, Ganyu is standing in the kitchen. The toast is already on the plate, and she’s in the process of making the scrambled eggs. Keqing smiles fondly at her actually following her order.
Ganyu’s also wearing that tacky orange apron Ningguang gave her for her birthday and she probably looks really stupid, but Keqing finds her looking as perfect as ever.
“Hey,” Ganyu greets, stirring the eggs. Keqing is really picky about her food, but she can't cook. Luckily for her, Ganyu does most of the cooking, with Keqing occasionally pitching in to help but making a mess more often than not. Ganyu never complains, though, just makes fun of Keqing for her lack of talent.
Keqing should be nervous, but this is such a normal situation - both of them preparing breakfast early in the morning, Ganyu dressed only in an oversized shirt, both of them happy and content - that it’s already instinct for her to hug Ganyu from the back, resting her head on her shoulder.
“Nice apron.”
Ganyu snorts unamusedly and pretends to hit her with the spoon in her hand. “Shut up.”
Keqing hides her smile in the back of Ganyu's neck. “No."
While Ganyu rolls her eyes and goes back to cooking, Keqing feels for the ring again. It’s there, but she hasn’t exactly prepared a whole speech. She's had the ring for a few weeks, and the topic of marriage has cropped up a little over the past year, and she's been deliberating for the past few months, but she still feels unsure.
You know what, screw it. Ganyu isn’t going to care if you have a whole moving speech, just propose before she turns around and sees that really big lump in your pants.
Keqing forces her breathing to be normal and breathes in the floral scent of the lotion Ganyu applies every night before she sleeps. It relaxes her a little, but not enough.
“Yuyu.” Wow Keqing, what a compelling start.
“Mm?” Ganyu’s free hand reaches back to blindly grasp around. Keqing catches her hand and interlaces their fingers together.
“You love me.”
Ganyu stops cooking and turns around with a completely serious expression on her face. Keqing blinks, wondering if she said anything wrong, and is already running through a plan to abort mission and try another day before Ganyu even opens her mouth.
“No, Keqing, I'm actually a gold digger and I've been faking this relationship for the past four years," she deadpans. She continues staring at Keqing, but the corners of her mouth twitch upwards slightly.
His face breaks into a huge grin, and with a violent swat of her spoon, she exclaims, “Of course I love you, you idiot!”
The tension leaves Keqing and she smiles back, admiring the utterly radiant face of her soon-to-be fianceé. “That’s good, because I love you, too.”
“Sap,” Ganyu teases, pushing lightly at Keqing. She only widens her smile and brings Ganyu into a hug, completely ignoring the violently orange apron, wooden spoon, and eggs.
“I love you so much, Yuyu,” Keqing says with as much sincerity she can. Ganyu makes eye contact, and suddenly her eyes glint with what looks like suspicion.
“Keqing, please don't tell me you're doing what I think you're -"
FUCK.
Keqing's mind races. In a desperate attempt to stop Ganyu, she leans up and connects their lips together. Despite what Ganyu was about to say, she still melts into the kiss. It’s simple and pure, but Keqing feels the emotions pouring through where their lips are connected. She wants to stay there for the next hour and maybe for the rest of her life, together with Ganyu and her body and her soul and her scent and everything else.
But there's a proposal to do, so Keqing withdraws her hand from Ganyu’s waist and sneaks it over to her pocket, tugging the ring out. She gently detaches Ganyu after one last peck, then summons all her courage and sinks down to one knee, opening the box.
She thinks she hears Ganyu inhale sharply and mumble something like holy shit, but she's already talking, words spilling out of her mouth.
“Okay, I don’t really have a speech planned, but Ganyu, you’ve changed my life so much for the better. You make me want to be a better person, and every day I'm thankful that I have you.
"I can still remember how both of us were so afraid that the other didn't like us back, even though we were both so obvious. God, we really were disaster lesbians, actually, we probably still are," Keqing says, surprising herself with a laugh.
“We've had many ups and down, but I'd like to say that I don't regret a second of our relationship, nor do I regret allowing Chongyun to drag me along when he went to Xingqiu’s place, where we met. I don't regret you, and I never will.”
She takes a deep breath for what she's going to say next.
“Ganyu, I love you and I always will. I know that what I just said is a huge mess but at the end of it all, I want to be with you for the rest of my life, so will you marry me?”
She doesn't look away. She looks straight into Ganyu’s eyes, noting the tears gathering there. Again, he's struck by how pretty her honey eyes are, even with tears glistening among them and rimmed with faint red.
"Oh my god, yes."
Keqing was so busy spacing out she doesn't think she heard Ganyu right.
“Wait, what did you say?”
“I said yes, you idiot!”
Keqing is knocked backwards and she almost falls over, instead catching himself on a counter while Ganyu kisses her, hard. She responds, but Ganyu suddenly sobs into the kiss, wetness sliding down her cheeks.
“Hey, hey. Don't cry, babe,” Keqing laughs, pulling away and cupping Ganyu’s face in her hands after putting the ring on the counter. Ganyu’s lips tremble with her crying and Keqing moves to kiss away the tears, gently tracing her lips along the tear tracks.
“These are called happy tears, Keqing.” Ganyu says, her words wobbly. She sniffs and wipes her tears messily. “Now finish your proposal.”
“Um. Okay.” Keqing fumbles behind her for the box, opening it and accepting Ganyu’s hand. She pulls the ring out and gently slides it onto Ganyu’s finger, feeling a sense of satisfaction when it fits perfectly. Ganyu reverently lifts her hand and stares at the ring, turning her hand left and right, admiring the way the light reflects off the diamond. Her gaze suddenly snaps to Keqing, and she narrows her eyes.
“I fucking knew it. I knew it when you stepped into this kitchen. But - I wasn't ready. I'll never be ready."
She laughs suddenly, her voice quivering. "I wanted to propose first! God dammit, Qing-ah!"
Keqing shrugs and beams, feeling slightly dizzy with happiness.
"I guess I beat you to it."
"Oh, don't worry, I will still spring my own proposal onto you. And I'll make it way less obvious than you did," Ganyu says. Her fingers reach up to touch the ring, twisting it, and they both watch the gemstones catch the light.
“I’m engaged,” she whispers, almost to herself. Then she raises her head and locks eyes with Keqing. “I’m engaged. I’m engaged to you, Keqing.”
Keqing didn’t realise the emotions building up until she feels the elation burst and flood through her at Ganyu’s statement.
She said yes. I’m engaged. I'm going to marry her.
A wide grin bursts across her face and she sweeps Ganyu into the tightest hug she can muster.
“Yes, yes you are. You’re going to marry me.”
Ganyu buries her face into Keqing’s neck, wiping the remaining tears and embracing her. She can feel the coolness of the ring on her finger and it only serves to feed the dizzying happiness spreading through her body.
“I love you so much, Keqing.”
She can feel the movement of Keqing’s jaw as she prepares to reply, but Keqing stops and sniffs the air.
“What’s that smell?” Keqing asks.
Ganyu frowns in confusion and looks around the kitchen, the acrid scent registering in her senses. It only strikes her when she sees smoke rising off the eggs on the stove.
“Crap, my eggs!”
Keqing’s laughter echoes behind her as she races to save their kitchen from burning down.
She can’t believe she gets to spend the rest of her life with morning after morning like this, with Ganyu.
She can’t wait.