Chapter Text
The rays of morning sunshine peering through the window warmed Keqing’s back as she was roused from her slumber. She sat up, sucking in a deep breath and gave a big stretch. She enjoyed the popping of her joints but her throat felt a bit sore and limbs heavy. Keqing tried rubbing the sleep out of her eyes but to no avail. Turning to look at the clock ticking on her wall, Keqing felt her heart sink to her stomach; she was late .
Being late to her own office was fine, but she was late for an early morning meeting at the Jade Chamber with Ningguang. Keqing stumbled out of bed, throwing open her drawers, pulling out and slipping on her work clothes.
She didn’t even have time to do her hair this morning, running a comb through it to at least be presentable. Thankfully Keqing had put all her work documents for the day in a neat pile on her kitchen counter, grabbing them as she darted out the door.
The salty sea air of Liyue Harbor quickly began turning the gears in Keqing’s head, but as she neared the Yuhai Pavillion she felt them grinding to a stop. Her head pounded with a dull throb, she pinched the bridge of her nose. It felt worse than the ones all her incompetent assistants would give her on a daily basis.
Keqing reached the top of the last set of stairs and could see the familiar blue hair of the Qixing Secretary across the courtyard. A smile tugged at her lips, it appeared Ganyu had waited for her this whole time.
“Good morning, Lady Keqing.” Ganyu dipped her head in greeting.
“Lady Ganyu.” Keqing gave a mock curtsy but it made her a little dizzy in the process. She would always poke a little fun at Ganyu for always being so formal when there was no need after the few years they’ve been working together.
Ganyu raised an eyebrow at the lower octave of Keqing’s voice. It wasn’t heavy with sleep anymore but rather with the beginnings of sickness. She cursed herself a bit knowing at some point she would be told to go home and rest.
“Shall we?” Ganyu gestured to the platform.
Keqing stepped up before Ganyu, reaching out a gloved hand to help Ganyu onto the platform. She took it graciously, hopping up and only letting go when she had her balance.
She watched as Liyue Harbor grew a bit smaller as they ascended to the Jade Chamber. The air up here smelled a bit less like the sea and more like the earthy tones she encountered on her travels blowing in from the north. She could just barely make it out, he sinuses being extremely clouded.
The feeling of dizziness returned to Keqing and she fought off the feeling of bile in the back of her throat. She felt light but heavy at the same time, the platform beneath her feet felt as though it were turning.
She felt a hand firmly grab her by the back of her neck and pull her backwards. She stumbled back into Ganyu and was a bit surprised by her strength.
“Lady Keqing, are you okay?”
Keqing stared at her dumbly. She’d heard Ganyu but her brain was lagging a bit behind. Her mouth hung open a bit as she tried to formulate a sentence, but nothing came out.
Ganyu continued to search her eyes and when unsatisfied with Keqing’s lack of response, she pressed further, her voice laced with concern. “You know, if there’s anything bothering you at work or even outside of it, you are more than welcome to talk to me. You don’t have to resort to-“ Ganyu stopped to gesture in front of her. “That.”
The cogs in Keqing’s brain finally began to turn and a look of horror crossed her face. “Ganyu, that’s not- I wasn’t- I just lost my balance is all.”
Keqing turned her nose up at her statement to give off the air of confidence while Ganyu tried to cover her face with the hand that wasn’t holding her notepad and documents for the day. It didn’t do a very good job of hiding the blush rising on her face from embarrassment.
Once Ganyu had composed herself, face still red, she looked at Keqing again. “Are you sure though? You look a bit pale.”
“I’m fi-“ Keqing coughed as her voice cracked from her sore throat, a blush coming upon her face to match Ganyu’s. “I’m fine. Ningguang should install railings on this thing. It's dangerous.”
Ganyu looked her over once more but said nothing else. Thankfully they had finally arrived at the Jade Chamber, Keqing taking hurried steps to avoid any more confrontation but Ganyu was able to match her in stride.
The guards bowed and opened the heavy wooden doors for them. Ningguang’s secretaries were running around already overwhelmed by work before the day had even really begun.
They reached Ningguang’s office, the Tianquan looking over papers at her massive desk. She frowned upon seeing her coworkers enter her office. “You’re late.”
“I may have overslept.” The second she opened her mouth, Ningguang raised her eyebrow at her obvious lower octave. Ganyu took the seat to her left as Keqing pulled out her papers. “Let’s begin.”
Keqing mentally lost her place at least three times, her brain falling behind the words spilling out of her mouth and eyes following the lazy plumes of smoke that came from Ningguang’s mouth, the pipe in her hand moving up and down as the Tianquan played around with it in her fingers. She had never felt this lost when presenting a project before.
“-and that’s why I think we should develop this part of Li-“ Keqing was cut off by her own sneeze that sent a throb of pain through her already pounding head.
Ganyu jumped beside her at the sudden noise while Ningguang frowned a tiny bit. Rather than comment on her proposition, Ningguang leaned forward in her seat, resting her elbows on her desk and lacing her fingers together. “Keqing, how are you feeling today?”
“Fine, thank you for asking. Now about the-“
Ningguang raised a hand, the rest of Keqing’s sentence falling short. “Do not lie to me. Ganyu, how is she?”
“I…I believe Lady Keqing has caught a cold.”
Keqing turned to shoot her a look, but Ganyu had her head down idly writing something meaningless in her notes.
“Well then. I believe this meeting is over. Keqing, go home please.”
“Absolutely not.” Keqing straightened her back and stood as tall as she could. “I have too much to do and too many meetings today, I can’t just go home.”
Ningguang’s brow twitched in frustration but before she could protest, Keqing pulled out the papers for her to review and slapped them on the desk. She could feel crimson eyes burning into the back of her head as she left but the only sound in the room was her heels clicking across the hardwood floor.
The air outside was much more refreshing than that of Ningguang’s stuffy chamber. Keqing took a deep breath hoping it would clear the clouds from her mind but to no avail. She made her back to the descension platform, ready to be in contact with solid ground once more. This time however, she plopped herself down sitting directly in the center. Ganyu wouldn’t be here to catch her this time if she lost her balance.
Keqing stepped off the platform feeling a bit weak in her legs, and quietly sniffled all the way to her office in the Yuehai Pavillion. She was grateful she didn’t pass anyone on her way in, able to completely sneak to her office undetected.
She set all her papers down on her desk and plopped in her chair, staring blankly at the words on the documentation. Keqing rubbed her hands over her face and let out a groan. She felt completely awful but if she missed work today it would put her two days behind schedule.
The walk to her office had almost completely drained her to the point that even if she wanted to go home, she probably didn’t even have the strength to leave her office. Keqing folded her arms on her desk and laid her throbbing head upon them. Five minutes of rest would not kill her.
She wasn’t sure how long had passed when a hand lightly shook her shoulder. She immediately felt a flare of anger, not at who woke her, but at herself for completely falling asleep on the job.
Ganyu kept her hand on Keqing’s shoulder, a worried expression on her face. “On orders from Lady Ningguang, I am here to relieve you of your duties today and take you home.”
Keqing suppressed a groan and rolled her eyes. “What time is it?”
Ganyu looked over her shoulder out the window and hummed. “About noon.”
Her heart almost stopped; she’d been asleep at her desk for five hours? Ganyu removed her hand from Keqing’s shoulder and placed it beneath her arm, encouraging her to stand.
“No, I have so much work to do today. I can’t.” Keqing tried her best to remove Ganyu’s hand but her grip remained firm.
“Keqing, you are one of the strongest people I know, and yet you are unable to fight even myself off. You need to go home and rest.”
The internal battle raged on in her head but Ganyu’s reasoning was the victor. She’d lost almost half her day already and she knew Ningguang had probably told Ganyu to pester her until Keqing gave in, which wouldn’t be the first time this happened.
She let out a heavy sigh and saw Ganyu smiling out of the corner of her eye. She gathered up her papers and placed them in a folder. Ningguang could stop her from being at work but she couldn’t stop her from working at home. She cringed at the idea of her assistants covering her meetings for her but it couldn’t be helped.
The other Qixing employees and assistants bowed as they passed on their way out and Keqing felt like she was doing a walk of shame. Too weak to combat a cold this time around, forced out of her office and walked home like a child. A bit of embarrassment ran through her veins.
She spent most of the walk with her head down, Ganyu’s hand on her shoulder a constant guide. The rising heat of the afternoon sun beating down on the cobblestone made her sweat under her collar and the dizziness from earlier returned in full force.
Upon reaching her house, Keqing fished in her pocket for the keys only to drop them at her feet. Ganyu quickly snatched them up and put the right one in the door. Keqing quickly remembered just how much of a mess her house was in and wanted to block Ganyu from entering but knew it would be no use.
Her weekly cleaning was supposed to be done tomorrow so for now books and documents littered her living room table, dishes had stacked up on the kitchen counter, and a mountain of laundry was awaiting her in the bathroom.
“Sorry for the mess.” She said sheepishly.
“My house is in a similar form of disarray at the moment so don’t worry.” Ganyu led Keqing to her bedroom, plucking her work items out of her hands. “Please get into something more comfortable and lay down. I need to run by the markets and my house and then I’ll be back.”
Keqing made to move paused at Ganyu’s words. “Why are you coming back?”
“Because Ningguang and I both know you’ll try to crawl your way back to work before you are fully rested. I’m staying with you to make sure you have a full recovery.”
Before she could protest, Ganyu was already out the bedroom door and exiting her house. She had taken all the documents with her as well so now Keqing wouldn’t be able to get any work done on her current projects. She knew Ganyu did it on purpose and while she wanted to be mad, she couldn’t find the strength in her to do so.
She walked to her dresser where the drawers were still half open from her rush this morning and pulled out something more comfortable to slip into. Keqing walked out of the room quietly, almost tiptoeing but immediately felt like a fool for thinking Ganyu had pretended to leave and was going to pop up behind her and put her to bed.
Keqing swiped up a couple books from the table and darted back to her bedroom, feeling once again like a fool but not wanting to disappoint Ganyu when she returned.
The covers of her bed were welcoming, enveloping her in a warmth that was sorely missed as shivers began to run through her body. At some point the book in her hands became too heavy, the lines blurry, and Ganyu, who had returned at some point, spoke words that were so distant she wasn’t sure if they were real at all. Whatever mumbled response she had given came out jumbled and incoherent, but even through the haze she didn’t miss the soft smile on Ganyu’s face.
Whatever sickness was running through her body had come through full force, smacking her upside the head like the flat edge of Captain Beidou’s claymore. It seeped into her blood and her bones, too weak to move and stay awake. Keqing was in a constant state of flowing in and out of consciousness, only able to tell that time was passing by changes of light flowing through her window.
At some point Ganyu had shaken her awake carrying a bowl of some type of food and setting it down on the nightstand. She was so out of it, everything Ganyu said went in one ear and out the other. It definitely wasn’t in the Qixing Secretary’s contract to spoon feed the Yuheng her dinner but Ganyu wasn’t one to complain at all. It didn’t taste like much and she couldn’t even tell what it was, only that some type of medicine was laced in the broth.
Satisfied that Keqing had eaten most of it, she pulled the covers up to her neck and placed a hand on her forehead. Her temperature was through the roof and it had Ganyu just a bit concerned but hoping the medicine would do some good. Keqing didn’t have it in her to fight the drowsiness in her body, passing out quickly like all the other times that day.
-----
Keqing wasn’t sure what woke her, only that she was burning up and drenched in sweat. The lantern light in the room was low, almost ready to burn out, but the vision on her nightstand pulsed a faint purple light, a physical show of her ambition. She could barely make out Ganyu across the room passed out in a chair, her chest rising and falling with each slow breath.
It was then that she felt the bile rise in her throat. Attempting to rise as quickly as possible to her bathroom on weak and shaky limbs, Keqing became entangled in her blanket and face planted on the floor cursing herself. She rose, unsteady and extremely light headed, fumbling her way to the bathroom.
Keqing barely made it to her destination before dropping to her knees and vomiting up anything currently in her stomach. She didn’t get sick often and not many things ever made her gag but she absolutely hated the feeling of things coming up instead down like they always do.
She heard soft footsteps behind her, Ganyu kneeling at her side and pulling Keqing’s hair away from her face and holding it up in a makeshift ponytail. She threw up once more, feeling Ganyu’s slightly cold hands rubbing slow comforting circles on her back.
They sat there for a little bit, Keqing wanting to be sure she wouldn’t vomit anymore before dragging herself back to bed. Losing her dinner almost made her feel a bit better, but not entirely. She still felt lightheaded and her limbs were heavy.
“I’ll be right back.” Ganyu said, standing up and slipping out of the room.
Keqing stayed there, resting her head in her hand but not daring to move from her spot on the floor. She was still sweaty and shaky and she hated it. She hated that Ganyu, let alone anyone, has seen her in such a weak state.
Ganyu returned with a cool wet cloth and a glass of water, setting them both on the sink. She made her way over to Keqing grabbing her underneath her arm and assisting her in standing, helping her move to the counter.
“Rinse out your mouth, and take a drink. You need to stay hydrated.” Ganyu said, handing over the glass of water.
Keqing took the glass in shaky hands, raising it to her lips. Water alone did nothing to rid her of the disgusting taste in her mouth so she opened her medicine cabinet and pulled out her toothbrush. Ganyu stood next to her the whole time, leaning against the countertop with her arms crossed watching intently. The low lantern light flickered across her face; it made her seem a bit older.
Keqing rinsed out her mouth once again, much more satisfied with the lack of taste on her tongue. She turned to move back to her bedroom but Ganyu stopped her.
“I want you to drink a full glass, please.” Ganyu said, filling up the cup and sticking her finger in it, activating her vision to instantly chill the water.
She couldn’t help the smile that tugged at the corners of her lips at such a silly use of a vision. She didn’t care for the Archon’s opinions of course, but Keqing couldn’t help but wonder what they thought at such a mundane use of their gift.
“Thank you.”
The water did little to rid the fever running through her body of course, but it felt damn good going down. Keqing set down the glass and let out a sigh. Adamant to get back to bed she turned only to have Ganyu stop her once again.
“Just one last thing.” Ganyu said, picking up the wet cloth off the counter.
She proceeded to wipe the cool cloth on her face, being as gentle as possible as she wiped the accumulated sweat. Ganyu had such an intense look on her face making Keqing hold her breath so as not to break the secretary’s concentration. She took this as an excuse to look at her eyes, always fascinated by the color that Ganyu’s held. She’s wanted to get a better look at them long before this but it felt awkward to walk into your coworkers office and ask if you could gaze into their eyes.
Keqing felt a smirk rise upon her face. “Did you freeze the cloth too?”
“And? What about it?” Ganyu tapped her on the nose and placed the cloth back on the counter. “Let’s get you back to bed.”
Keqing allowed herself to finally be led back to her room, a gentle hand on the small of her back guiding her. Ganyu picked up the blanket that fell on the floor earlier and draped it over Keqing once she was comfortable. “I forgot to ask. How’s your face? You falling out of bed is what woke me up.”
Keqing felt herself blush deeply, pulling up the blanket in an attempt to cover it. Not that it mattered since her fever had flushed her skin. “Shut up.”
Ganyu tried to suppress her giggle to no avail. “Ah yes I forgot. The mighty Yuheng, even when bleeding out to death in front of me she would still insist she was fine and try to walk it off.”
“ Good night , Ganyu.”
She flashed Keqing with a wide grin, wrapping her own blanket around herself and plopping down on the couch this time instead of the chair. It wasn’t long before she could hear Ganyu’s soft snoring, the constant sound making her eyelids heavy. Between that and the sickness running through her body, Keqing was out like a light.
-----
Her curtains were still closed when Keqing opened her eyes, unable to tell what the time of day was. A panic set in that she was late for work once more, bolting upright and throwing her blanket off of herself, Keqing stood from her bed. Her body immediately rejected this action and she sat back down. Her limbs felt like lead, her head still throbbed, and a shiver ran down her spine despite the sweat on her face and neck.
She would not be going anywhere today considering she still felt awful and Ningguang had essentially put her on house arrest with Ganyu on guard duty. Keqing looked over, Ganyu was not in her room, the blanket she slept with last night folded neatly on the couch by the door.
Keqing grabbed a spare blanket out of the chest at the foot of her bed and wrapped it around her shoulders much like a cloak. She still felt a bit too light headed to stand up on her own and so she stared at the floor, not a single thought going through her head as she waited for strength to return to her body. It didn’t of course, but she was nothing if not determined.
She looked to her right and saw a glass of water on her nightstand next to her vision. Beads of water occasionally slid down the glass, indicating that Ganyu had chilled the water at some point so it would be cold when she woke up. Keqing felt a tug in her chest at Ganyu’s simple thoughtfulness, drinking the entire glass in one go.
Some of the queasiness subsided allowing Keqing to stand on her feet and make her way to the bedroom door. She gripped the empty glass in her hand intent on taking it to the kitchen and then making a beeline back to her bed.
Ganyu had her back to the door, her attention on whatever task she was doing in the kitchen, a gentle humming filling the room.
Keqing somehow managed to sneak up behind her without being noticed, setting the empty glass on the counter as quietly as possible. “What are you up to?”
Ganyu visibly jumped, the glass cup in her wet hands slipping out and falling onto the hardwood kitchen floor shattering instantly. They both proceeded to stare at the floor.
“Ah…I’m sorry I-“
“Is okay. It was just a simple glass. Nothing fancy.” Keqing waves it off. “Although I will ask you to clean it up because if I bend over I think my head might explode.”
“Of course.” Ganyu dried her hands on a towel and bent over to pick up the larger pieces of glass as Keqing went to get a broom from the side closet.
Upon returning, Ganyu was holding her left hand underneath her right, small trickles of blood dripping into her palm. She greeted Keqing with a sheepish smile, a small flush of embarrassment covering her cheeks.
Keqing gently grabbed her hand and examined it; not deep enough to need stitches but deep enough that it would need to stay bandaged for a couple days. She let go, rinsing the small amount of blood off her own hands and making her way to her room. Her travel pack was still left untouched against the wall from her last journey out of Liyue Harbor.
She tossed out random things on the floor, notebooks, a knife, and a change of clothes before reaching the small first aid kit she always took with her. Thankfully, she’d only ever needed to use it once and had since replaced the discarded items inside.
Ganyu was leaning over the sink when she returned, watching the bustling port from the window.
“How did this even happen?” Keqing set the kit on the counter and opened the clasps.
“I may have…lost my balance.” Ganyu mumbled, averted her eyes and Keqing couldn’t help the smirk that tugged at the corner of her lips.
“I guess we’re both a bit more clumsy than usual lately.”
Ganyu snorted, her hand twitching a bit when Keqing poured the rubbing alcohol on it, but she didn’t pull away. Ganyu watched as the Yuheng cleaned the cut, careful to not press too hard and wrapping her hand ever so gently. Keqing always took great care in her work, no matter how big or small the task.
Ganyu flexed her hand and examined Keqing’s work, completely satisfied that the cut wouldn’t be a hindrance to her current duty. She closed the first aid kit, snapping the latches shut and pushing it back on the counter. Keqing didn’t really have the energy to return it to her room, instead draping her upper body over the countertop, the momentary energy boost leaving her body.
She received a few small pats on her back from Ganyu, and she let out a big sigh. She still felt exhausted enough she could’ve fallen asleep right there but then she felt the irritable pangs of hunger in her gut. “I’m kinda hungry.”
“I want to give you something solid for breakfast, but I don’t want to upset your stomach.” Ganyu removed her hand from Keqing back and placed it on her chin, looking down at the floor deep in thought.
“Don’t trouble yourself too much over me. Just a bowl of rice is fine, that shouldn’t upset my stomach too much.”
Ganyu nodded and rummaged through Keqing’s cabinets until she came across a partial bag of rice. Keqing remembered just how barren her cabinets were and felt a bit embarrassed again at her state of living being seen by another person. She spent most of her time at the office or out on travels so she rarely kept perishable food in her house. Long nights at the office meant she would either send an assistant to get her a meal or she would pick one up late on the way home. If Keqing really wanted to make herself dinner, she only bought what she needed to make it and nothing more.
“Actually,” Ganyu broke the silence between them, setting a bowl on the counter. “I’m gonna go draw you a bath. I’m sure you feel a bit icky after yesterday.”
Keqing sat up ready to protest but Ganyu had already darted out of the kitchen and into her room. She followed slowly, ignoring the dizziness and pushing onward. She flopped down on her bed and listened to the sound of running water, feeling her eyelids grow heavy. She let them fall, only cracking them open when she heard Ganyu digging through her drawers to find a fresh pair of clothes.
She was doing so much for her, going that extra mile to make sure that Keqing didn’t have to lift a finger while she was sick. I’ll have to find a way to repay her , Keqing thought.
“Keqing, your bath is ready. I left you a towel and some new clothes on the counter.”
Keqing lazily rolled off her bed almost completely falling on the floor. “Thank you, Ganyu.”
Ganyu’s smile was as warm as a million suns. “Don’t mention it. If you don’t mind leaving the door open, please do so that I can hear if you need me.”
Keqing nodded, slipping into the bathroom and waiting until she heard Ganyu leave the bedroom to begin disrobing. Her shirt had clung to her a bit from so much sweat overnight and only then did it occur to her how gross she felt and probably looked. She didn’t particularly like that Ganyu had seen her in such a state but it didn’t matter anymore. She shook off her pants and kicked them to the side with her shirt and took one step into the bath.
Keqing let herself sink into the water, the warmth overflowing her senses and helping to relieve her of her fevered chills. The heavy steam slowly cleared her sinuses and Keqing was finally able to breathe a bit more properly.
She sat there feeling her eyes grow heavy once more. She knew there was no harm in closing them for just a little bit, that is, until she completely fell asleep and slipped further into the tub inhaling water, sputtering as she sat upright.
Keqing stilled, quietly listening and hoping that Ganyu didn’t hear her because that would’ve been embarrassing. When there were no footsteps she let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and began to scrub herself from head to toe. Keqing was a bit reluctant when she drained the tub, already missing the warmth.
The task of completely drying her hair was a bit arduous for how tired she was, opting to quickly run her towel through it before drying the rest of herself off and slipping on the clean pajamas.
Ganyu was finishing the dishes she had been doing before Keqing woke up, humming along again to a melody in her head. “I bet you feel better much now.”
Keqing couldn’t help the smile that reached her face. “I do.”
“Take a seat on the couch and I’ll bring you your food.”
She wanted to protest that she could help herself but when Ganyu blocked her way into the kitchen she let out a grumble and plopped herself down onto the couch. Keqing was handed a steaming bowl of rice and it didn’t take her long to dig into it. Ganyu looked a bit concerned at the pace Keqing ate, probably worried she would throw it back up but the Yuheng didn’t care. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was; she hadn’t eaten since last night and she’d thrown that up and before that she didn’t have anything at all.
Keqing jumped a little when she felt Ganyu’s hands on her head, not realizing that she had left the room and returned in the time Keqing had eaten through half her bowl.
“What are you doing?” She asked through a mouthful, turning to face Ganyu.
Ganyu simply ran a comb through her hair. “Detangling your hair so sit still.”
It was just another way for her to say taking care of you . Much like when she woke up, Keqing could feel that same tugging at her heart, like her fist had wrapped around it in a tight grip. Oh no , she thought.
Keqing’s face felt a little warm as she could feel all the things she had repressed a couple years ago bubbling to the surface once more. When Keqing had first taken up the position of Yuheng she had drowned in work way above her head but the Qixing Secretary had spent many nights late at the office to help her get through it all.
She felt the same thing now as she did back then, but at the time she thought it was her sleep-addled brain confusing admiration at Ganyu’s hard working personality for affection and so she threw those feelings away into a vault and hid the lock and key. She supposed it could be the same thing now; admiring Ganyu for taking care of her without a second thought but she brushed it away. Keqing had always watched her from afar and her kind and gentle nature had always put butterflies in her stomach.
“Your hair is so pretty. It must take a bit of work to keep it this nice.”
Keqing was glad she was facing away from Ganyu with her back to the armrest of the couch so she couldn’t see just how flustered she was. She liked how gentle the fingers were running through her locks. “Thanks, it can be a little time consuming.”
Ganyu finished, returning the comb back to her room. Keqing turned around and saw Ganyu pulling everything off her bed and throwing it on the floor. She disappeared into the bathroom and returned moments later with all her laundry from the past week, adding it to her pile.
Keqing was going to protest when she walked past with all dirty laundry but was unable to with a mouthful of rice. Ganyu had disappeared for almost an hour before slipping back into the living room with a satisfied smile upon her face.
This time Keqing’s mouth wasn’t full of food. “Ganyu, you don’t have to do all of that. I can take care of it when I feel better.”
“Nonsense.” She completely waved her off. “I’m doing it because I want to.”
There were apparently a lot of things she had done because she wanted to. Keqing did one sweeping look across her room and noticed that all her books had been placed back on her bookcases, papers organized on the table, the dishes from earlier were cleaned and put away, and even her weekly dusting was taken care of.
Ganyu was a caretaker at heart. Keqing had seen it at work and on the streets of Liyue Harbor; she never shot down a person who needed help and was more than happy to extend her hand. She plucked the empty bowl out of Keqing’s hands and placed it on the counter to be taken care of later.
As she walked back to the living room, Ganyu observed the many books on her shelf that were separated by historical reads, the geography of Liyue, and the few personal books that Keqing had gathered overtime that she hoped to one day actually settle down to read. Ganyu stopped on one, running her finger down the spine and pulling it off the shelf. She turned to Keqing with an amused look on her face.
“I remember this one, it was quite well written. I didn’t think you were the type to read such a scandalous workplace romance.” Ganyu teased.
Keqing’s face immediately heated up. “I’ve-I’ve never read that before!”
It was a lie of course. She’d read it multiple times and quite thoroughly but the teasing lilt in Ganyu’s voice and the smirk tugging at the corner of her lips made her blush deeply.
Ganyu placed it back on the shelf and pulled out the adventure novel next to it and sat in the armchair next to the couch. Keqing knew from experience that it was incredibly uncomfortable, she just hadn’t had the chance to get rid of it.
“Ganyu,” she sat up and leaned forward, patting the other end of the couch. “You will thank me later for asking you to move to the couch, otherwise you will end up quite sore and uncomfortable.”
She smiled, moving from the chair to the couch and settling underneath the blanket Keqing had put over herself.
Keqing’s brain had been so clouded by sickness that she didn’t realize how weird this situation was. Maybe weird wasn’t the right word for it but the two of them had never hung out beyond work hours before unless it was one of Ningguang’s yearly celebration parties, and even then that was a work event. She supposed this wasn’t hanging out either, Keqing was beyond sick and Ganyu was getting paid to take care of her. Perhaps she should actually try hanging out with Ganyu at some point.
Ganyu had started reading the book but after half an hour Keqing saw her jerk her head up repeatedly to stay awake. She failed, and the heavy book slipped out of her hands and landed on the floor with a thud. The sound did nothing to wake Ganyu, her quiet snoring coming quickly after and making Keqing quite drowsy herself. It was in that moment she realised just how much she needed to go to the bathroom but Ganyu’s legs were casually placed on top of hers and she was afraid to move them so as not to wake her up. With the sleepiness clouding her mind, Keqing willed herself to sleep.
Upon waking, Keqing realized she was not on her couch but in the comfort of her bed, the early morning sun peering through the window. She flushed a little at the idea of Ganyu picking her up and moving her unconscious body to the bedroom. She hoped she wasn’t too heavy.
“Ah good. You’re awake.” Ganyu walked out of the bathroom in a fresh set of clothes while trying her best to dry her wet hair without touching her horns too much. “I hope you don’t mind that I used your bath. You slept for a really long time. How are you feeling?”
Keqing moved her head back and forth a little bit. The dizziness was gone and upon stretching her limbs with a few satisfying pops, she was relieved that they didn’t feel like lead. “Much better. I think my fever is gone.”
Ganyu sat on the edge of the bed and took her head in her hands, leaning forward to press her lips to her temple. The freshly wrapped bandage on her hand scratched her cheek a bit. Keqing knew she was just checking her temperature but it made her a little giddy.
“Your fever appears to be gone.” Ganyu pulled away, moving her hands from Keqing's face to her shoulders. “Technically you can return to work, but your body is still going to be tired. I recommend you take one more day off.”
Keqing placed a hand on top of Ganyu’s and squeezed. “Thank you for taking care of me.”
A tint of pink crossed Ganyu’s face, sticking out like a sore thumb between her pale skin and blue hair. “It was no problem. Really. I would do it again if I had to.”
Keqing let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding as Ganyu pulled away and began gathering the extra clothes and items she had brought the other day. “Where are you going?”
“You have recovered enough that I don’t need to watch over you so I have to return to the office.” Ganyu sighed, letting out a tiny shudder. “I worry that we left our coworkers with too much work.”
Keqing couldn’t help the look of disappointment painted on her face but was a little surprised when Ganyu mirrored it. “I see. I guess I will see you tomorrow then.”
Ganyu’s face carried a small hollow smile as she threw her pack over her shoulder and opened the bedroom door. “See you tomorrow.”
Keqing listened to Ganyu make her way through the house and close the front door. It was silent after that but for the clock ticking on the wall. Keqing found the rest of her day much lonelier than the last.
-----
The warm morning sun rose through Keqing’s window once again, but this time she was already prepared to leave for work. Documents in hand, she stepped through the front door, and onto the cobblestone streets of Liyue Harbor. Her destination however, was not work but the florist down by the harbor. She silently prayed they had what she needed.
She eyed the ships entering the harbor, one such being that of the Crux Fleet. She rolled her eyes as she walked down a set of stairs. Captain Beidou wasn’t exactly trouble but she was sure to hear about her and her outstanding fines from Ningguang at some point today.
Keqing stopped at the stall that was her destination and immediately spotted the qingxin flowers and breathed a sigh of relief.
“Lady Yuheng, to what do I owe this honor?” The shopkeep clasped his hands together, trying but failing to hold back his excitement at the possibility of such an esteemed customer.
“I need those qingxin flowers. All of them.”
The man frowned just a little bit. “I’m sorry, but those are reserved for someone else.”
Keqing rolled her eyes. “Are you bound by a contract to hold onto them?”
“No ma’am.”
“Good,” She fished a large coin purse out of her pocket and tossed it on the table. “I’ll take all of your qingxin flowers then.”
-----
Keqing took a deep breath and opened the door to Ganyu’s office. She felt a bit relieved upon not seeing her behind the desk. The vase at the corner of her desk was unusually empty. The flowers that were there had probably all wilted in the time Ganyu hadn’t been at the office to take care of her and she was probably too busy to replace them herself. Perfect , she thought.
She crossed the room, documents under her arm, a bouquet of qingxin in one hand and the breakfast she’d picked up on the way in her other. She placed the food on the desk and nearly jumped out of her skin as a gentle voice came from the doorway.
“Lady Keqing, what are you doing here?” Ganyu asked quietly, her shy and professional work demeanor had fully replaced her casual and relaxed self from the other day. It felt like a stark contrast.
Keqing had the bouquet barely concealed behind her back but there was no doubt Ganyu had probably spotted it. “I was just...stopping by on the way to my office.”
“Oh. Was there anything I could help you with?”
“Actually I um...Wanted to thank you for taking care of me.” Keqing, who was usually so practiced at speaking, was fumbling over her words. A blush was blooming on her face and she moved her free hand up to tug at her collar, all of a sudden feeling a bit hot. “I brought you these and some breakfast.”
She had a hard time meeting Ganyu’s eyes as she held the bouquet out in front of her but she didn’t miss the way the secretary’s face lit up upon seeing it. She took the flowers, closing her eyes and breathing in the scent that was so familiar to her yet one she hadn’t experienced in awhile being so busy with work.
“Thank you Keqing. You really didn’t have to.” Ganyu’s face was growing more pink by the second and it made Keqing squirm from how cute she looked.
“I did. You did more than enough for me.” Keqing fake coughed and cleared her throat, the heat rising in her face unrivaled by Ganyu’s. “Well, I must get started with the day. I have a lot to catch up on.”
She slipped past Ganyu and darted out the door. Keqing felt that same fist gripping her heart, squeezing so hard she was afraid it was going to pop. She knew she wouldn’t be able to ignore it for much longer, but how to deal with it brought a new set of problems and feelings to the table, but she was nothing if not resilient and persistent.