Work Text:
Some shifting on the mattress lulls Beidou out of her sleep. A bleary eye reminiscent of rubies slowly opened, and found herself greeted by darkness, of dark blue hues and...some whites? the illuminating rays of the moon softly seeping its way through curtains, barely lighting the room drenched in the darkness of the night. The pirate let out a murmur, her own drowsiness tempting her back into dreamland, until she felt the shift again, and a soft groan that did not quite belong to her. There, she opened her one eye fully, her vision clearing of sleepiness, and finally registered the sight clearly.
Ah, turned out she wasn’t in the comfort of her bedroom in the Alcor.
She was on a floating rock.
Well, the floating rock of Liyue Harbor. Some glorified, gigantic pieces of plaustrite held together that housed the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing.
The average citizen wouldn’t call the Jade Chamber just some rock, but Beidou has been in this place far too many times and is down-to-earth enough to call out the sheer frivolity of it, a waste of mora and resources, to be cooped up on some rock floating up and above everyone else. It’s a bit arrogant, isn’t it?
The pirate let out a sigh, finding her drowsiness slowly dissipate for seemingly no reason. she propped herself up quite a bit with her elbow, the heel of her hand meeting with her cheek as she surveyed her situation. She usually left the Jade Chamber as soon as she woke up, but, hm, she looked at one of the open windows, at the night sky enveloping Liyue Harbor, of the moon shining in all of its glory, showing no signs of going down any time soon, of the hustle and bustle of the harbor prominently missing as many of its people rested for the day, and deduced that it might be far too early to leave.
Besides, her eye finally landed on a lump of white hair and soft snores, and found herself smiling, just a bit, as she looked at her...partner—lover? business partner? girlfriend? Neither of them are sure, really—in simple admiration. Ningguang rarely showed a vulnerable side, a given for someone with her background and profession, Beidou would not blame her for that; as someone in a similar position. Still, she relished in the few times the Tianquan let down her rock solid walls, even if it’s just in the comfort of their bedrooms, in the bareness of their forms as they let their frustration and passion out, and of the peaceful rest that comes after.
The Tianquan shifted for the umpteenth time, and Beidou could see her closed eyes flicker just a bit.
“Mhmm, might as well take a picture, captain. It will last longer.”
Beidou tilted her head, slightly, the edge of her lips quirking upwards a chuckle; not her usual loud and boisterous laughter that echoed throughout the chamber, startling secretaries and anyone who happened to be in the proximity, rather, it was soft, soaked in affection and sleepiness. A side of the boat captain she probably didn’t show to too many people, so it was a bit of a treat to see her this way. Suppose, Ningguang thought sleepily and fondly, the boat captain can be rather sweet.
“You drool in your sleep.”
Never mind.
Ningguang’s head moved in a way that Beidou could definitely say she was rolling her eyes, and the pirate’s grin grew just slightly. Getting under the Tianquan’s skin with her...open-minded, non-mandatory view of the law was one thing, but it’s times like these, a petty scuffle with Ningguang—just Ningguang—and her stooping down into the captain’s level of childish pettiness, it’s endearing, and dare she say, cute even.
"Well, you snore,” Ningguang shot back, in an uncharacteristically lazy drawl, as she lifted her head up, just a bit, to wipe off the dried up spit the pirate wanted oh-so badly to point out. “Much more of a nuisance, if you ask me.”
It’s Beidou’s turn to roll her eye, just one; the other side of her face covered by that iconic red eyepatch of hers. No one truly knew why the uncrowned lord of the ocean kept her other eye covered up; the most popular assumption was that the legendary sea creature Haishan managed to take her eye before she had put an end to it, another assumption was more practical, and plenty of other pirates utilize, that she covered one of her eyes to become accustomed to the dark. Frankly, Ningguang didn’t care to find out, or rather, didn’t mind not knowing. Beidou had her fair share of skeletons in the closet, and Ningguang had her own. Perhaps, with time, they would both let the other in those closets, or maybe not, but there’s really no rush to find out now, is there?
“Happy to disturb the sleep of the O Great Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing,” the pirate teased, “Another great feat by me, I’d say.”
“And disturb my waking moments with your antics too, apparently,” She murmured into silk pillows, soft white hair falling over drowsy crimson eyes, threatening to close at any moment. “and here, I thought you'd be gone with the moon by now.”
She wasn’t lying. Their arrangement didn’t usually go like this, did it? Usually one of them would have been long gone before the other woke up, usually it was Beidou, managing to sneak out of the palace high above the sky undetected before the sun dared show up and her men fully awake to detect that their captain had been missing. On the occasions where they spent their night on the Alcor, it had been Ningguang, legs unsteady from the smooth rocking of the ship and from what transpired the night before, sneaking out of the ship without any of the Crux crew noticing her, straightening her clothing, and pretending to have a morning stroll in the docks as the oblivious merchants and fishermen went about their business.
The next time they meet, they don’t talk about what happened in those nights, until it happens again in their so-called business meetings late into the night. The cycle continues, rinse and repeat.
They didn't know what they were exactly; at least, not yet. But they were still young, plenty more adventures and opportunities await their path, and heavy responsibilities to their people and their duties and their ambitions weighed them down, leaving no room for frivolous endeavors, and if those endeavors include love, or relationships, or even marriage, well, then so be it.
But with their youth, comes another perk; time. They still have time, and plenty of it.
They can take it slow, see where it takes them, and for them, that's just fine.
For now, this arrangement…whatever this is, it'll have to suffice.
"Ah, ah, but the moon isn't gone yet, is it?" The pirate grinned, playfully.
Ningguang hummed, sleepiness still coating her words and movements, "true."
"Means we still got time."
Like a kitten's ears perking up out of curiosity, a crimson eye peeled open as the Tianquan quickly picked up the implications, her mind as sharp even through hazy drowsiness.
"I'm listening."
"Well, don't." Ningguang felt abrupt movement as the mattress sank just a bit on both sides. Before she knew it, rough fingers grabbed her chin as she found a pair of lips pressed against her own, before those same lips started its path down downwards, from her chin, to her jawline, and it stopped at that sweet part of her neck that never failed to make her gasp. “What we’re doing isn’t really made for listening now, is it?”
Ningguang found herself giggling as she snaked her arms around strong shoulders, her hand guiding her partner’s face to hers as their lips connected in a deep kiss, leaving both of them gasping.
“Aye, then, captain.”