Work Text:
Liyue was going through one of the biggest scandals of the century. While it wasn't an issue that would shackle the pillars of the world, it certainly shocked the population as a whole.
The current Yuheng, Keqing, was a transgender woman.
While that wouldn't be such a big deal in countries like Mondstadt, Liyue was still very conservative and judgemental. A big number of the community was still very adamant about these matters, and the scandal caused an outrage between the old folks. They demanded her immediate firing from the Liyue Qixing, as they considered it an insult to the previous generations of Yuhengs before her.
No-one knows who started the rumours. It suddenly spread around the harbor, like a pandemic, and quickly reached every corner of the country. Apparently, an unknown person (probably related to the Qixing) had found her birth certificate in an archive and wasted no time in sharing this information with everyone else.
The Yuheng's answer to the scandal was to remain inside her office everyday without interacting with anyone else in her workplace. Not even the people delivering the food to Yuehai Pavilion had seen her face for a whole week since then. This would be unacceptable in other circumstances, but the Tianquan's intervention forgave her actions until further notice.
Another person affected by the news was the general secretary, Ganyu. Not because she thought ill of it, or because Keqing, a person who had surprisingly turned into a good friend of hers, never told her about this. No, the real reason was that she was worried about her. While the electro user initially stated that she didn't care about what anyone thought about her, she ended up holing up in her office, not daring to share more than a few words with her assistants.
And there was also another issue, something that made her blood boil: her coworkers wasted no time in badmouthing Keqing behind her back. People who had even shown respect for her in the past were now spreading lies and disrespecting the person she loved.
Hypocrites , she thought.
She was proud of having the patience of an Archon, but this issue was bringing it to the limit. The thought of Keqing being hurt was too much to bear. She tried to reach her many times, but nothing worked out. The frustration of not being able to help her only added more fire to the pile.
Another week went by at Liyue Harbor, and not much had changed. A number of meetings had to be postponed due to Keqing's absence, which left Ganyu's work in a harsh spot. As she walked towards Ningguang's office, a quiet conversation caught her attention. Two other secretaries were on one side of the hallway, quietly chatting. It wasn't an uncommon sight, but her enhanced senses caught what they were saying.
"... is she still inside her room? Isn't that very childish of her?"
"I prefer it that way. Can you imagine seeing him walking around in that dress now? What a clown."
"Agreed. I hope she ends up stepping down. I can't support a Yuheng like that."
Ganyu's hands unknowingly crumpled the corners of the papers she was holding. Of course they were talking about Keqing. It was what most people only talked about recently. The cryo user even had to spend her breaks inside of her station to avoid hearing these conversations.
"Isn't she very aggressive too? I've seen her glaring angrily at her assistants when they made a mistake. I know men can get very heated sometimes."
" She ? Come on, you think he deserves that kind of treatment? He doesn't even try to act feminine most of the time."
"You're right… No wonder his family disowned him. What a shame, really. I wonder why Rex Lapis had so many hopes for someone like that."
Something snapped inside Ganyu's mind. Qilins were gentle, caring creatures that seeked peace and always avoided conflict. Some even say that, wherever they went, peace and quiet followed, like a wave spreading across the land. That's why, when Ganyu's blood boiled and her mouth burst open, it wasn't the qilin's genes in her. It was her human heart, screaming in anger.
"Shut up!!", Ganyu shouted at them, and the two secretaries jolted in surprise. Other people stopped in their tracks to direct their gazes at them, curious about the sudden noise disrupting their work.
"Don't you have anything else to do than to talk about someone that way?? Who cares how she was born! Who cares that she was a man! She's ten times more woman than any of you!!", Ganyu angrily screamed. A little voice in her head told her to stop, but she ignored it.
Now everyone was coming out of their offices to witness what was happening. But Ganyu didn't care.
"I'm so tired of hearing any of this already! Don't… don't you even dare talk about her with your dirty mouths again!!"
With a swift turn-around, she went back to her office and slammed the door closed.
Complete silence followed afterwards. Everyone at the Pavilion was stunned. Ganyu, the gentle and caring secretary, screaming her lungs out at someone? At work ? It was crazy, like something out of a fiction novel. Even after the space cleared up and people went back to work, they still doubted what they had witnessed.
The two secretaries were still standing there, looking at Ganyu's office door with wide eyes.
“What the fuck is her problem?!”, one of them shouted, indignated. “Who does she think she is?"
"Leave her be, Ganyu has always been strange. Must be the adeptus blood in her…" said the other.
"I should've known. She's just as freaky as the-"
"If you two have time for idle chatting", a familiar voice came from behind, and the two felt a chill down their spines. The Tianquan herself was looking at them with a piercing stare and a beautiful smile. "Why don't you come to my office? I'd like to talk about your lack of respect for your superiors."
Before she followed them, her gaze went to Ganyu's and Keqing's offices respectively. An exasperated sigh left her mouth. "This is going to be difficult…"
Keqing heard everything from behind the door.
She's been holed inside her office for days, immersed in her work and only answering to the secretaries and assistants from her desk. They left their reports and other paperwork in front of the door, and Keqing only opened it when she heard their footsteps fading away.
It's not like she was running away. She really didn't care about anyone's opinions about her: she decided she wanted to be a woman, and she would never regret that decision. And it wasn't even that simple: it's how she's always felt.
What really annoyed her is the way they looked at her now. What was once respect and fear was now reject and disgust. She felt their heavy gazes on her, and she finally grew tired of it.
But there was one person whose expression was… different. Ganyu and her hadn't spoken since the scandal, but she caught the half-adeptus stealing gazes at her with a strange look on her face. At first she thought she was disappointed, since her views on the world and society had always been old. But after hearing that outburst, Keqing felt relief washing over her. She was surprised, but very relieved. After she realized her feelings for Ganyu were more than normal friendship, she started to fear what would happen if she found out the truth. Of course, she couldn't hide it forever, so she planned to tell her at some point. At some point in the future . Near future, maybe. Keqing had to admit that she purposely delayed the moment with cheap excuses to herself.
But even after this morning, Keqing tried not to get her hopes up: Ganyu respecting her and even standing up to her didn't mean the qilin was interested in her. Maybe she only tolerated the idea, but was only attracted to cisgender women. Or worse: maybe she was straight. She knew these arguments were just negative products of her brain, but it's not like she could control them.
Suddenly, three knocks on her doors took her out of her deep thoughts.
"Keqing", Ningguang's voice called out. "Can I come in?"
She didn't want to deal with Ningguang right now. She wanted to stay silent, wait until her steps faded in the hallway and continue working in peace. She could deal with her later, after everything finally calmed down and she was in a better mood.
But, surprisingly, an affirmative word came out of her mouth.
"Sure."
The Tianquan opened the door and closed it behind her. She didn't wear her usual teasing smirk, which the Yuheng found very strange.
"What do you want? I'm very busy", she asked, not even standing up from her desk.
"Keqing", Ningguang's voice was softer than usual. "I am not here on bad terms. You know you can't keep hiding away like this."
The Yuheng huffed.
"I'm not hiding. I'm just tired of all those hypocrites giving me strange looks."
"You're still hiding, my dear Yuheng. If you really didn't care about what they thought of your gender identity, you would still be proudly showing your face around the Pavilion."
"Like I give a damn about that."
"That's what you say. You might not care what Liyue thinks about you, but you really care about a certain half-adeptus' opinion", Keqing's head swiftly turned to her at the declaration. "I'm not blind, Keqing, I've seen you two grow closer by the day. It took both of you a whole year after the passing of Rex Lapis, but your relationship is very strong now. Don't you think she deserved to know the truth from your lips?"
Keqing slammed her hands on the desk. Her piercing eyes were locked onto the Ningguang's, but the other woman didn't even flinch.
"Can you blame me, Ningguang, after this past week?! Even people who I thought I could trust are talking shit about me. Of course I thought of telling Ganyu, but I was afraid of going back to how we were because of it!", Keqing lowered her voice, seeing as she was getting heated by the second. "I thought I didn't care. But I do, and it angers me that people ignore how much I've done for Liyue just because I was born like this! I only need a letter from my parents with a big 'we told you' written on it."
"Society is changing, Keqing, and while we talk there's tons of people like you who feel the same. Maybe you got here without revealing your secret to anyone but me, but you gained this position thanks to your hard work. Nobody is going to take your place for something so trivial. If you keep your head up and don't let yourself be bothered by their narrow minds you will make a good example. But if you continue like this, no-one will take you seriously, and we will always be at the starting point."
Keqing was about to reply, but Ningguang wasn't done talking.
"And about our dear secretary... Even if Ganyu turned out to be like them, why care? You deserve someone who respects you for who you are and cares for your well-being. And Ganyu's feelings for you have been like that since the beginning."
Seeing the expression on Keqing's face, Ningguang couldn't help but send her a smirk.
"It's not what you think", Keqing's cheeks were showing traces of pink. "It's what any other friend would do."
"You've heard her, right? I don't think I've ever seen Ganyu that angry before. Not even when you used to criticize Rex Lapis in front of her."
She was right. Always the polite one, Ganyu never commented on her critiques about the Geo Archon, even though they angered her. Keqing only realized that once they became friends.
But why did Ganyu care so much for her? Was it out of friendship? Or was there something more? Keqing, trying not to get her hopes up, tried to ignore the signals, the changes of the secretary's attitude towards her. She thought about the way she smiled whenever they met, how flushed she looked when their fingers accidentally brushed, or all the times she seeked her company, even if it was for something trivial.
Oh.
With a satisfied smile, Ningguang backed up her steps to the door.
"Tell Ganyu I won't scold her for what happened today, but remind her that this kind of behavior is not allowed in our workplace. The Liyue Qixing has a reputation, after all."
Then, she stopped at the door frame to look back at Keqing once more.
"She cares about you", she repeated, with a lower voice "More than you think so."
And with that she left the office, leaving Keqing and her thoughts alone.
Ganyu was about to resign from her position in the Liyue Qixing. She hadn't even begun writing the letter, but she was very close to it. The events from hours ago were engraved in her brain. She has lost her composure at work of all places . If Rex Lapis was alive, he would be ashamed of her actions.
Nobody came to scold her, or give her more work for the day, which she was thankful for because she already had a lot of work to do. But that also made her very anxious. She could see the night sky from her window, which meant that many hours had passed since the incident. Everyone should be already gone, including Keqing. Although, knowing how hard-working the younger woman was she expected to see her office light still on.
Keqing… did she know about her outburst already? Did she hear her shouting? The thought only made her shame worse. Surely she must know one way or another, since the Pavilion is not as big as the Jade Chamber once was. She probably thinks she is a vulgar woman now. Maybe she's disappointed after thinking Ganyu was a proper and diligent lady. Maybe she-
"Ganyu", Keqing's voice came out from the door, followed by some knocking, and the adeptus jumped from the surprise. "Are you here? I need to talk to you."
Ganyu quickly got up from her desk in a panic. Keqing was here?! For what? She's been avoiding her for a week, so why…? I mean, she was happy to finally see her again, but also feeling a lot of emotions at the moment.
The secretary replied, and her boss came inside. When they were alone together, her stern face softened and her lips rarely curved downwards. But today there was something new, something Ganyu couldn't decipher.
"Lady Keqing…", she said, almost like a whimper.
Keqing sighed. It was like she didn't know where to look, as if she was avoiding her gaze.
"I want to talk about what happened earlier. When you shouted to those two.'
Oh no. There it was. Keqing knew, of course she did. The half-adeptus felt something twist in her belly, anxiety piling up inside. She was surely disappointed in her, and probably was here to scold her, or worse.
"I'm so sorry for my outburst!", she shouted in a panic. "I should've kept my composure and told them off peacefully! I-I'll accept whatever punishment you have in mind, and if it were the case, I-I'll gladly resign from my position-"
"Ganyu! Calm down, please!", Keqing interrupted her before her ranting became worse. "I'm not here to punish you, and Ningguang is not going to take any disciplinary action against you. It's true that it wasn't the best way to react, but…", she cleared her throat, and her eyes moved away from the half-qilin. "I'm glad you think that way." About me , she added mentally.
Ganyi fidgeted. "Still… I'm sorry. I got so fed up with everyone bad-mouthing you everyday that my patience was running very low…"
"It's okay, I get angry at those too, although I usually just ignore them", she let out a sour laugh. "Although... I should be the one apologizing, too."
"You? Apologize? For what?", Ganyu asked, tilting her head curiously.
"I was afraid. Of what you'd think of me if I told you. Our relationship was already strained because of the stuff I said about Rex Lapis in the past, so I didn't want to ruin it further. Not after we made amends. You've become a very special person to me, Ganyu."
That last statement made Ganyu's heartbeat faster, but she still offered a warm smile to the younger woman.
"It's okay, Lady Keqing, I understand why you kept it a secret. Liyue still needs a lot of change in its society. But I've never thought of that as something weird. One's gender and sexual orientation should be respected, as long as it doesn't harm anyone else or themselves", Keqing's lips curved upward at her statements, making Ganyu very glad. "And… you've become very important to me too, Lady Keqing. I would never let our friendship go to waste for something so trivial."
There was something in the way Ganyu said those words that made Keqing very nervous. Not only that, but also her mannerisms, how she looked away immediately with a blush on her face.
Could it be…?
"Do you really feel the same?", Keqing asked, sharp eyes fixed on the qilin.
Ganyu blinked. "What do you mean?"
Keqing took a very deep breath. She wasn't ready for this, but she had to get it out of her chest. Regardless of the outcome, she knows they won't fall out. She's sure of it now.
She could do this.
"I really meant it when I said you were very special to me, Ganyu. Not only as a friend, but also as something else. It took me a while to realize that, but now I'm sure of it", her eyes were on Ganyu's, and Keqing had to use all of her self-control to not melt into them. "I have feelings for you. The romantic kind. It sounds bad for a sceptical woman like me to love someone like you, and that's why I never thought of telling you before. And there's the… transgender issue, too", before she looked away from embarrassment, she could swear her eyes caught a hint of red in Ganyu's cheeks.
"If you don't feel the same way, we can go back to being friends and forget about this. I don't want to make things awkward for you with such-"
"I love you too", the qilin interrupted her.
"Huh?" Keqing's head snapped back at her.
"I love you too, Keqing. You've been in my mind since you started asking more and more for my opinions. The moments we spend together have become something very precious to me. While my opinion about you has changed over this last year, it surely hasn't changed these past days. In fact, I think… it just made me fall more in love with you", she said, and her round cheeks turned into a more deep tone of pink.
"But… Ganyu, I don't have a… body like yours, at least not yet. Are you sure about what you're say-"
Ganyu's finger on her mouth stopped her rantings. They were closer, and her kind smile made Keqing's chest flutter.
"I don't mind. And even if you stayed all your life like this, my answer would be the same. I love you as you are, Keqing."
They were so close that Keqing could smell the qingxin scent coming from her. Ganyu's finger left her lips, but she was still right in front of her. In fact, she was getting closer. Her gaze went to her lips. They looked soft and plump, and Keqing only noticed that she was doing the same when their noses softly bumped into each other.
The kiss was chaste, but soft and satisfying. Ganyu felt Keqing's hesitant arms wrapping around her back, and she did the same around the younger woman's neck. The Yuheng's embrace tightened, as if she was holding onto her desperately, but she was still entranced by her lover's lips.
It was the sweetest thing she's ever tasted.
When they parted, Keqing started sobbing. Ganyu gently rubbed her thumb across her face to clean the falling tears.
"Are you really okay with someone like me?", she asked, emphasizing the words "like me".
"More than okay", Ganyu sent her a warm smile. "I wouldn't want anyone else other than you."
And Ganyu peppered kisses on her damp cheeks, her lips catching stray tears, and every touch trying to convey her feelings more. It was going to take some time, she was sure of it, but the half-adeptus didn't mind. Even if it took all of Keqing's human lifespan, Ganyu was going to fill it with happiness.
The scandal eventually died down, with the efforts of the Tianquan and the Yuheng herself. Keqing decided to make it official in a meeting, which received both rolled eyes and claps. Some people still looked at her like she was garbage, but there were new kinds of gazes. Respectful and proud ones, as if they admired her for what she was doing. Those were the ones that improved her mood through the day, and helped push forward.
And something else changed between the general secretary and the Yuheng, too. While they kept it professional in front of everyone, things were much different in private. Keqing's issues were not easy to deal with, but Ganyu was there to help her sort them out. Every time she held her hand, every embrace and every kiss told her she was loved and needed. And if this rocky path became even more difficult to walk on, both of them would walk through it together, easing each other's way.
Keqing knew all that, of course, and it only made her fall in love more with the half-qilin. For the first time in her life, she felt like she was the happiest woman alive.