Work Text:
It was an open secret between those who worked in the Yuehai Pavillion that the Yuheng and the Head Secretary were in an intimate relationship, the word spreading like wildfire when it was first brought up. Though this may be true, many of those who work within the Pavillion tend to question the true nature of their relationship; seeing as the two women barely spared the other even a glance when working in the office despite coming into close contact more often than the other secretaries would with the other Qixing members.
Many of the secretaries wonder if maybe their relationship was arranged and loveless: it wouldn’t be entirely irrational or unrealistic as the Yuheng was from one of the most powerful and wealthy families in Liyue. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for those that were abundant in wealth and authority to marry their child into another family that held just as much prestige as their own to attain more glory and the likes. Though this theory posed the question of what would be the benefit of merging the Yuheng’s family with that of the adepti? In the past, the adepti of Liyue held their reigns and authority over the presiding humans in Liyue but as of now, the adepti are merely nothing more than vigilant protectors of the lands, ready to come into combat as soon as there were to even be a jab at Liyue; their authority was entirely given and left to the hands of the Qixing. And just as adepti were, they had no need for such superficial things such as wealth and status; they were able to create their own domains and most adepti would rather be left to their own, finding solace in solitude.
Not to mention, the Yuheng was incredibly driven and stern in her beliefs. Had her family actually arranged an agreement with the adepti through the connection between herself and the blue haired horned secretary and the lilac woman opposed the idea, she would simply will both parties into relenting. She was never one to follow others after all, choosing to pave her own path in life.
And it wasn’t at all like Ganyu would seemingly agree to such a thing so quickly, either. The animosity between the two had been running for years; ever since Keqing was appointed as the Yuheng to be exact. Every other secretary, especially those who were there to bear witness to the delegation of the current Yuheng, knew the distaste and slight resentment Ganyu had towards the younger Qixing member; particularly when said woman were to voice her opinions on Rex Lapis.
Perhaps it was due to work and efficiency? The two women were well known to be workaholics and sticklers for effectiveness and efficiency when it comes to work flow. Perhaps one of the two had presented the idea and the other simply went along with it; cohabiting would give them the benefit of easily continuing their work at home and entering this so-called relationship would give them an excuse of sorts to seek seclusion to quickly finish other upcoming projects with ease and focus.
But why would they go as far as to ‘enter’ a relationship if it were to revolve around work? The two could have just as easily started cohabiting without the need for a label and even so, Ganyu was the Head Secretary; she was the secretary to the entirety of the Liyue Qixing and not just Keqing’s own. It wouldn’t make sense for the two knowing full well that if Ganyu had started working solely under the Yuheng’s wing it would decrease the overall work efficiency for the entire organisation (which became especially apparent after Ganyu had once decided that maybe she had not belong in Liyue Harbour, returning back to the adepti realm in Jueyun Karst leaving the remaining secretaries to stress over her overbearing workload; one of which only Ganyu could handle.)
Or maybe the two were--
“Baishi, Baiwen, Baixiao, I would like to task the three of you with resolving this loophole in the new bill that was just passed. It seems like that Yanfei had found another way to teeter between the lines yet again.” Ningguang breathes out in an air of slight frustration at the thought of the pink haired illuminated beast, scrunching her brows together as she eyes the parchment in her hands.
The three secretaries shoot up, straightening their spine at the voice of their boss, the woman taking a drag at the pipe between her clawed fingers before handing the sheet over to Baishi.
“Yes, Lady Ningguang.” The three chorus before scuttling away, faces dusted in pink, embarrassed by the train of thought they had (and the fact they were almost caught doing so).
The Tianquan watches the three quickly make their way into their shared office before turning to the office of her dear coworker, the Yuheng, and feeling a coy smirk tug at her lips.
---
It was long past sundown when Keqing finally tears her eyes away from the documents in front of her. Her hands had grown cold and the twin-tailed woman could feel the goosebumps ride up her arms. It was rarely ever cold in Liyue but a mixture of the night air and the winds must have dropped the temperature.
She puts her brush down and stows away her calligraphy set, making sure to clean the brush off so as to not stain any other documents. Quietly, she packs away the rest of her belongings before heading off into the hallway of the building, looking around to check how many of her coworkers may be left in the building, and to her delight, only two lights were left alight, three including the one from her office.
She begins to grin as she makes her way to one of the remaining lit rooms, swiftly and silently opening the door to find a blue haired horned woman sleeping at her desk serenely; Ganyu’s chest rising and falling intermittently. The ends of her lips seem to tug upwards evermore when she steps closer to the table, hand falling gently onto the secretary's head, combing her fingers through the periwinkle locks of her lover.
“You know, you should really be at least a little more intimate with her during work hours, Keqing.” A voice suddenly cuts through the silence and Keqing can’t help but grind her teeth at how sly it sounds.
The lady of the Jade Chamber stands at the doorway to Ganyu’s office, one of her infamous sly smiles hidden behind a paper fan.
“And why is that, Miss Tianquan?” Keqing replies curtly.
“Calm down, Keqing. I pose no threat.” Ningguang lowers her fan, eyes growing softer. “A lot of the other secretaries have begun to question your relationship. If you’re not careful, someone else might sweep her away.”
The room falls silent once more, Keqing turning away from the Tianquan and back to the sleeping woman. She tucks a lock of hair behind the Qilin’s ear before ever so gently running two fingers along the lines of her horns, two which the sleeping woman replies with a pleasant mewl.
“She wouldn’t let that happen. I trust that she wouldn’t. If we were to fall out… I know that we would talk about it first." Keqing moves to trace the lines on her horns again. "And what matter is it to them, how affectionate we are with each other? Ganyu and I… we're content with how we choose to display our affections with each other in front of the public."
"That must mean the two of you must be all over each other behind closed doors."
Keqing can feel something lodge itself in her throat, her cheeks starting to burn.
"N-Ningguang!" But before she could curse the woman, Ningguang had already strutted away laughing, the sound echoing through the hall.
"Lady Keqing…?" Ganyu quietly rises from her slumber, a soft groan escaping her lips and she stretches her body out much like a cat.
"It's okay, we're alone now, Yuyu."
Ganyu can't help but smile at the pet name; it took far too much convincing and time for Keqing to even utter out the pet name yet now the word seems to simply roll off the twin tailed woman's tongue.
Ganyu snakes her arms around her lover's waist before burying her face in Keqing's tummy.
"Are we going home now?" the secretary can feel all the usual formality in her tone slip away as feels the warmth radiating from Keqing's body.
The lilac haired woman hums in response, giving Ganyu a light peck atop her head just between her two horns. "Do you want to stop by Bubu Pharmacy to get some qingxin on the way home?"
"Yes, please."
And with that the two lovers pull themselves apart, packing away all of Ganyu's belongings before locking each of their respective offices and making their way out onto the calm streets, basked in the light glow of lanterns the night of Liyue was known for.