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Aether walked through the streets of Liyue Harbor, conversing with Paimon, who floated besides him, while enjoying the slight breeze of the wind. All around him were customers and merchants, going about their daily businesses. He could hear some come to agreements while others continued to argue.
Aether was glad to see Liyue was coming along fine, especially after the passing of their deity Rex Lapis, even if that man was still watching over his country with a silent gaze. Looking up to the sky, Aether realized it was almost noon. It was time to visit Wanmin Restaurant to check on his order.
While making his way over there, Paimon was quite excited to taste it. After all, it was something she had never heard of. When the duo had reached the restaurant, they had not expected to see a worn out Xiangling, resting her head on one of the tables. Calling out to her, she lifted her head and gave a worn-out smile to the duo.
“You okay there, Xiangling?” Paimon asked out of concern for the star chef. In response, she just gave them a small thumbs up. Both Aether and Paimon sweat dropped at this.
“I’m fine, honest. Besides this was a good experience for me,” Xiangling responded, resting her head back down, lacking any of her usual energy which she had about cooking. Aether felt bad about giving her this custom order.
“Aether, your order should be with my father. I’m gonna rest a bit more” Xiangling told Aether, a yawn escaping her lungs. Aether chuckled nervously, wishing her a good rest and thanking her as well.
They greeted Chef Mao, who greeted them back with a smile asking what they would like. Aether asked him for his order that he made a few days ago. Remembering that Xiangling told him about it, Mao grabbed a small parcel from one of the cupboards where they kept their ingredients, before giving it to Aether. Thanking him, Aether paid him the fee for the custom order before leaving. Chef Mao called out to them, telling them to visit again. The duo replied, saying they would.
While they were making their way towards Feiyun Slope, Aether opened the parcel he had retrieved. Inside it were ten small identically rectangular shaped brown sweets. At least, Xiangling managed to get the color of the chocolate right. Now all that was left was the taste.
He took two pieces out, giving one to Paimon whose mouth was basically watering at the thought of the new delicacy. This was it, the moment of truth to see if Xiangling’s hard work paid off or not. Aether was a bit nervous, it has been a very long time since he had chocolates to eat.
They both took a bite out of their respective pieces. Sweetness overflowed their senses as the chocolate melted away in their mouths. Paimon let out a small shriek of how good it was and tried snatching the bag which Aether quickly moved out of her grasp and dematerialized it. The taste was perfect, and Aether was glad about it. Paimon ate the rest of her piece before puffing her cheeks angrily.
“Well, if you or Paimon aren’t gonna eat them, then who will?” Paimon asked him out of the blue, the question caused him to choke a bit as a blush appeared on his face. Quick flashes of a purple haired maiden went through his mind. Paimon saw the blush and realized who the sweets were for.
“Fufufu~ Good luck Aether, make sure you steal her heart” Paimon encouraged him.
“Shut up…” He replied back, fighting the blush on his face. Maybe he should get a gift box for the sweets.
Nighttime had arrived, as the lights of Liyue Harbor appeared. Keqing watched from a far cliff, sitting on the grass, patiently waiting for someone. She watched as some ships docked, while others sailed out.
While waiting, she unconsciously started to hum a song from her childhood. She hummed for a while, stopping immediately when she heard a whistle behind her. Looking back, she saw Aether whistle again before clapping a bit. A small blush appeared on her face, before she snapped her head away from him.
“Your late,” She said trying to sound annoyed by his lateness, hearing his footsteps coming closer.
“Sorry, but I was memorized by your voice, so I just had to listen,” Aether complimented her with a sincere smile on his face, as he sat down next to her.
“Shut up…” She punched his shoulder lightly, embarrassed about his complement. He laughed a bit, to which she pouted. It did not last long as a small smile appeared on her face, as laughed along with him. Once their laughter died down, Aether materialized a red and pink box before holding it out towards Keqing.
“Here, this is for you Keqing,” she looked at the box, a bit surprised but she happily accepted it and thanked him. She opened the box to find eight rectangular brown pieces. Aether could see the confusion on her face and told her to eat one. She took one piece in her hand, inspecting it a bit before taking a bite. As soon as she did, sweetness overflowed her senses. She was a bit taken aback by the sweet flavor, and the smooth texture. It tasted nice.
“What is this?” Keqing asked him out of curiosity, before eating the rest of the piece she had in her hand.
“Chocolate. I was kind of surprised when I learned your world had none, so I gave Xiangling it’s recipe and asked her if she could make it, which she did. Like it?” Aether answered her inquiry.
“It’s really good,”
Thank goodness, Aether had an inward sigh of relief. Keqing was about to grab another piece of chocolate before a thought crossed her mind.
“Why today?” She asked him, setting the box of chocolates to side for the time being. Aether stiffened a bit which she did not see as she was not looking at him.
“Why? Well…” Keqing looked at him, only to see a blush form on his cheeks.
It’s now or never, Aether thought to himself, trying to hype himself up.
“Back in my home world, today would have been Valentine’s Day,” Aether did not need to look at her face to know she was puzzled. So, he began to explain what Valentine’s Day was. It did not take long to explain what it was. Afterall, the concept of Valentine’s Day was straightforward. That did not mean it was less embarrassing to explain about it. Aether didn’t, no couldn’t look at Keqing while doing so.
“So… this gift…” Her voice was low and sounded a bit unsure.
“Yeah…” It was the only confirmation he could give her. An awkward silence filled the air, and he wished that he didn’t exist. He could hear her laugh.
” What’s so funny,” Aether looked at Keqing, who was trying to muffle her laugh using her hand, a bit annoyed. She apologized when her laughter had mostly died down. Afterwards, she grabbed one of his hands with hers and looked at his golden eyes.
“I’m happy, happy to be your valentine,” Keqing told him, her voice laced with admiration. Aether’s eyes widened a bit before leaning forward and touching his forehead with hers.
“and I’m happy to know you're mine.”