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let us be honest; even you can't ignore that it has been a few months since the weather of the such vast, far-reaching, region of liyue commenced to be exceptionally unstable.
unsurprisingly enough, it had started following the more recent event concerning the jade chamber – not that you'd received any detailed information about the situation, but beisht definitely must have caused quite a stir. the population of the harbor is now safe and sound, at least.
however, that was not really your main concern. seemingly unfettering snow has been falling down on you and kazuha's current destination and its far surroundings for a week now – or so you've been warned by the owner of the wanmin restaurant, meanwhile you both were ordering food-to-go. now that you truly think about it, you clearly should've made a stop at another store so you could purchase a warmer scarf.
nonetheless, it was too late to backtrack. you and your dear had already left the town, stringing along what seemed to be the usual path merchants of sumeru take. the layers of snowfall on the ground was making it a bit of a hassle to march through, undoubtedly reaching your calf muscles by now. but, kazuha really didn't seem to mind the freezing temperature, despite his nose and cheeks being tinted pink.
“do you not think those cliffs look just mesmerizing when covered by ice?” your lover chuckles, eyeing up the paysage around him. “it's almost like... liyue harbor's neighbourings have fallen into a profound slumber – we can finally travel undisturbed for a while.”
he pleasantly if not poetically comments, tightly holding your gloved hand, aiding you stroll your way through the frosty, moist powder.
you hesitantly stare up at the top of the precipices to your left and right, gulping now a nervous squeak. “i'm just really hoping none of the icicles crumble down on us, and don't even get me started on avalanches...” your concerns were starting to devour you from the inside, resulting in you abruptly falling dead silent, continuing to walk stiffly.
it took kazuha a moment to take the tighter grip around his hand into account, as he turned to you while adjusting his scarf, almost quirking a brow.
“is something wrong? did you forget something at the harbor? or maybe this bewitching setting is leaving you speechless?”
“...n– no– sorry, i'm just–” stumbling on your own words, nonsense escapes your mouth for a few seconds, lungs burning from the sudden inhales of freezing, dry air – if he hadn't noticed your visible anxiousness due to his focus on the road, he indubitably did now. you were stuttering non-stop, along with lowering your head and looking to all sides to ignore eye contact.
seeing you distressed like a little animal made him faintly frown out of concern – he knew you wanted him to be safe.
“hey, hey.” he hushed you, gingerly caressing your cheek that had been rubbed raw by the wintry weather. your skin stung slightly from the friction – although his reassuring gaze warmed you up, emotionally. “dove, nothing will collapse on us. we will make it safely to the chasm, together. understood?”
you audibly swallow, nodding your head a few times in genuine acquiescence. you even attempted to smile to show your sudden mindset betterment.
his head tilted to the side, heart quietly melting at your beaming grin. you overcame, as well as put yourself through so much for him since the beginning of your now interminable voyage together. and archons, did he deeply respect you for that. there were no words – no matter how poetic or intricate – to express how much he adored you.
he passed his head on the top of your cold forehead, lovingly pecking it. his soft lips felt so warm... somehow. “you're beyond courageous, it's admirable.”
your heart flutters to his sincere praise, giggling giddily; you still react like a lovesick schoolgirl when kazuha compliments you – even though you've been together for archons know long now. you cough, as you both restart walking.
“t– thank you, love. i'm not all that used to snow, so i'm all worried as usual...”
“you know. once you get used to extreme weather, nothing will fret you anymore, trust me.”
following a good half hour of struggling throughout the thick snow, you two finally reached the divergent point of the river leading both to qingxu pool and lingju pass. you cheered, pointing at the eroded rocks raising high above the cliff fronting you from afar. “we're getting closer and closer! phew!" you shout, excitedly readjusting the bag's leather straps on your covered shoulders. “all we have to do is climb up that slope then we'll be there, right?”
“indeed,” he calmly replies, “we will probably need to settle down before the sun sets, though.”
ah. right. the pitch-dark, starry night falling upon teyvat was the least of your concerns because of all that snow. until now, that is. it's still early afternoon, so it should be fine to seek shelter somewhere, right? ...right. you walked past kazuha, marking the way to the feeble bridge leading to said slope, but you froze as soon as he called out your name, swiftly turning at a full 180 degree angle.
“would you agree for us to take a break at qingxu pool, near the water? i'm sure you must be a bit hungry by now.” before being able to even open your mouth to answer, your stomach grumbled frantically – to which he just chuckled, gently shaking in your direction the bag full of food and snacks he was holding in his hand.
“come,”
—
the moment you had both settled down at a little less snowy spot and opened the multiple food containers, you instantly dug in – thank the archons they were kept warm in your special bag. the both of you had bought so much; tianshu meat, crab roe tofu, fried radish balls, jueyun guoba... the list goes on; none of you concealed your love for food from each other, your constant gifting of snacks to one another reinforced that statement. if it wasn't for the fact that you brought kazuha grilled fish from every inn you cross paths with, he would probably always forget to eat. as a wanderer, his mind is often elsewhere – and he's infinitely thankful that you remember for him, you're so doting.
“wait, kazuha, try the jueyun guoba!”
“oh? well thank you. you should try one of matsutake meat rolls, they're very flavorful.”
the small conversation and mutual exchanges of food kept on, slowly dying out when you were done eating this enormous meal – so you just lied there, snuggled up together on the sleety dirt. your layered pants were a bit wet on one side, but frankly, you could care less. you were resting with your lover, it's all that counts. while he was playing with your hair, you were playing with the end of his thick, burgundy scarf, flipping it side to side to distract yourself from falling asleep. his hand was so cold, yet so soft in your hair.
you sniffled, visibly on the verge of falling asleep – drifting off for a few minutes until you felt something tap your shoulder. a first time, then a second time.
“dove, wake up, i would like to show you something.” his voice was soft, accompanied with a tint of excitement you could easily recognize – grumbling faintly and rubbing your eyes, you helped yourself with your elbows to sit up, and the second you opened your eyes, you were surprised; the lake around the qingxu pool had completely frozen. untarnished, pristine ice had replaced the usually slow flowing water – and yet, the snow still hadn't ceased – although, the air was a little more agreeable, your face wasn't burning as much.
“mother nature will genuinely never let my amazement die away,” kazuha slowly helped you up then rubbed your shoulders, keeping you close to him. “everything is so silent now, like all life around had already found shelter from the cold – don't you feel at peace, too?” he cooed, to which you quietly agreed, observing the white, glowing scenery with pure fascination; it was "unconditionally magnificent", like your lover would say.
you both stood like this for a few minutes, the side of his face squished against the top of your head. you wish you could stay like this forever – it ached you even imagining him being far away from you again. he'd done uncountable sacrifices and compromises, all just for you. you were lying if you felt like you deserved any of this – but he helped you through that, too. no matter how many times, your heart fluttered at the little things he does; those good morning wishes, the poetic comments about the landscape – the way he grabs your arm to show you something interesting he found, or an item you would like – how his hair moves gently in whatever direction the wind leads, his scarlet eyes meeting yours, the same squeezing shut whenever he smiles at you.
your arms slowly found their way around his cloaked waist, resting your head on his shoulder – the fluffy fur of his hood getting in your face.
kazuha shifted a little, and lifted your face with his index, grinning faintly, yet adoringly. “i love you,” he murmured as he kissed your nose, interrupting the hug. and out of the blue, he hauled you up by under your arms as high as he could, staring up at your surprised face. “ah!–" you yelped when he began softly twirling you around mid-air – stuttering out his name through loud, surprised laughs and giggles when he sped up the pace.
this, was a view he would truly do anything for. your hair flowing to the side, your burst out giggles and the way you said his name, the pure happiness set on your face – he could even hear your accelerated heartbeat. witnessing you being genuinely happy was inexplicably the best thing ever, it made his heart feel light, and reminded him that the smaller things in life were far more important than the rest.
now there you both were, in heartfelt joyfulness – twirling, laughing, and dancing your linked hearts out in the crunchy snow, next to the frozen lake. everything felt never-ending, until the bright moon came down on teyvat.
you were the risk kazuha willed to take, and truly – he wouldn't change this for anything, ever.