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It was a usual day.
Ganyu was attending to her secretary duties as usual (she had a lot to do, after all: organize over 10 meetings for Mrs. Ningguang, direct the trainees to their stations, arrest more than 10 fatui agents who were incognito, even taste test some food at Xiangling’s restaurant!) when a few spoken sentences shattered her heart and soul.
She was walking down the street, hiding her dark red horns with her gloved hands, when two tourists behind her blatantly started to talk about her in such a loud voice even someone from Inazuma or Mondstadt could hear.
“Mom, look! It’s that one half-adeptus from the stories!” A young voice said, a hand pointing to Ganyu’s back.
”Darling, you know it isn’t polite to stare.” Her mother, presumably, scolded the child.
”I know! I just… didn’t expect her to be so big-“
”I’m sorry, do you need something?” Ganyu spun around, careful to keep her smile polite to hide the fact she was sobbing inside. Her heart felt like it was in her throat, and her vision became blurry with held-back tears. “I have a lot to do.”
”Ahh, sorry, we were just-“
Ganyu was already walking away from them, hiding her face with her hair. She was walking so fast, she started to get dizzy, but continued, eventually breaking into a run as her surrounding’s noises blurred into a static. She wasn’t sure where she was running, but she knew she had to get away from the city. People were staring, but she didn’t care. Her hair got frizzy, disheveled, and messy, but she didn’t care.
At last, she finally took a break, right on the outskirts of the city. She sat down on the cold pavement and began to cry, sniffing furiously as she wiped the liquid away. She took her teal phone out of her pocket, blew into her handkerchief, then dialed Ningguang’s number. Immediately, she picked up.
”Hello?” Ningguang’s serious voice asked into the receiver.
“Mrs.. Mrs. Ningguang, I, uh, I don’t feel so well. Do you mind having someone as my replacement for the day? I know it’s a dumb question-“
”Of course, dearie.” Ningguang’s tone changed from serious to questioning. “Are you sick?”
Ganyu sniffed away from the speaker. “K-kinda.”
There was obviously some whispering done on the other end of the line. “Where are you?” Ninguangg asked softly.
“O-Outside the harbor’s gates. I-I needed fresh air.” Another loud sniff away from the speaker, Ganyu’s faced now throughly wet and glistening from the tears that had been spilling down her cheeks.
”I see.” More whispering. “Well, everything has already been taken care of, and tomorrow there’s nothing planned because of the Lantern Rite, so take these days as a break, all right?”
”T-thank you.” Ganyu hung up, and bent over, clutching her stomach and she groaned in pain. It was like someone was stabbing her, constantly, menancingly. She felt her face grow hot too.
Another pang resounded deep inside her stomach, and she let out a soft yelp. She could barely move.
What was wrong with her today? These comments didn’t usually affect her as much. She was used to being entitled as “the big, fat adepti.” This wasn’t the first time she had heard something like that today.
Had she finally snapped?
What was she doing?!
Ganyu inhaled quickly again, wiping away snot with her arm and shakily standing up. She took out her phone to let Ningguang know she could probably return to duties when she felt a hand take hers’ firmly.
“H-Hey, what do you-“
”Ganyu, you look miserable.”
Ganyu dared to look up.
There, in a lavender colored sweater and teddy bear pattern jeans, hair all over the place but still in its signature style, eye bags showing, was Keqing.
“What… what are you wearing?” Ganyu whispered, biting back a giggle as she took in the state of her girlfriend.
Keqing flushed red. “S-Shut up! I came outside because I was worried about you, y’know. What’s going on? Do I need to punch someone in the nose?”
Tears began to gradually come back as they rolled down Ganyu’s face. “P-please don’t be that violent… I’m just having a bad day, is all.”
”Did someone comment about your body again?” Concern was laced throughout Keqing’s voice, and Ganyu hated it. She tried to keep a straight face, but her expression betrayed herself, yet again.
“Mhm,” Ganyu mumbled, but it came out as a squeak. Her breathing became unsteady again.
”Hey,” Keqing whispered, bent down, and wrapped Ganyu in a hug. It was very tight, so it took a while to get used to, but eventually Ganyu felt like she couldn’t live without the other woman’s warmth.
Keqing began carding her fingers through Ganyu’s ponytail, whispering sweet nothings into her ear.
“You’re safe.”
”I’m right here.”
”I love you.”
“Do you want to try to take a deep breath with me?” She said quietly, and Ganyu furiously nodded. Keqing gently turned her around and pressed her hands down in the middle of Ganyu’s chest. Ganyu was sure she could feel how fast and hard her heart was pounding with the way she took a deep breath and rested her head there, instead of her hands.
“In,” she inhaled slowly. “Out,” she blew cold air out onto Ganyu’s face. “In,” hhhffff, “Out,” fwwwooo.
Eventually, Ganyu’s vision cleared enough so that she could see the back of Keqing’s hair. She whimpered as she dug her face deeper into the crook of her neck.
Ba-dum. Ba-dum.
Ganyu could hear Keqing’s pulse, and let out a sigh.
She was real.
She was breathing.
“You are perfect the way you are, my love.” Keqing whispered so softly Ganyu had to strain to hear her voice. She felt her hands clutch tighter onto her back. “Any *sshole who doesn’t agree can catch these hands.”
Ganyu giggled, this time for real. “T-Thank you, Keqing. You are… very kind to me.”
Keqing’s heartbeat picked up pace, from a steady drum to a fast maraca. Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum. “I-I’m just doing what anyone would do to comfort their g-girlfriend! Idiot.”
”I’m your idiot.” Ganyu felt Keqing grin against her back.
”D*mn straight.”
”That’s the only straight thing about you.”
”Hey!”
By now, they were both laughing. Keqing finally broke out of their embrace, and began to silently caress Ganyu’s cheeks, wiping away any left over tears. “You are very precious to me, you know that, right? I’ll love you, even if Celestia and all the archons crumble. I promise I’ll find a way back to you.”
Now it was Ganyu who was blushing. “I didn’t know you were so poetic.”
“It’s another of my secret talents.”
Keqing got up, and stretched, raising her arms up into the sky and the frills around her wrists twirling. “Let’s get home, okay?” She said, extending a hand to Ganyu, who was still on the floor.
“Gladly.”
Only the crystalflies know what happened next, but to observers, they could see a half-adeptus and a cat, chasing each other and laughing gleefully as the sun set.
The dawn will rise as another day.