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Keqing is focused on the bag that’s in front of her, picking up items and studying them close for a second before writing it down on paper. Doing inventory is a fairly boring activity, but she needs to do it from time to time to keep track of the Qixing’s archive as the Yuheng.
Keqing's so focused that she almost missed the soft pressing of lips against her cheek.
She immediately turns her head around.
Ganyu’s sitting next to her, her face very close to Keqing’s, her cheeks adorably colored a faint shade of pink when her eyes find hers.
She stammers.
“I— I apologize. You seemed so focused, I couldn’t help myself. I didn’t mean to distract you.”
“No, it’s okay. I’m mostly done.” Keqing sets her pencil on the table and finds Ganyu’s lilac eyes again. “And you can distract me anytime, it’s always a pleasure receiving kisses from you.”
Keqing smiles as she watches Ganyu’s blush deepen. She averts her eyes from Keqing’s, focusing her attention on the piece of paper in front of her, fidgeting with the pencil between her fingers as she thinks of something to say in return that isn’t too embarrassing to say out loud.
They’ve been dating for a few weeks, and Ganyu still gets bashful quite easily, a trait Keqing finds deeply endearing.
“What are you writing there?”
Keqing’s attention flies down to whatever Ganyu was scribbling before, and she makes out some of the things that she wrote down.
Keqing reads them out loud. ‘Have a picnic’, ‘Stargaze at Jueyun Karst’, ‘Cook a homemade dinner’.
Ganyu quickly snatches the sheet of paper from the table and presses it to her chest, cheeks furiously flushed.
Keqing opens her eyes slightly wider, amused by her sudden bashfulness.
“Ganyu, are you by any chance planning a date with someone else?” Keqing places a hand in front of her slightly opened mouth, faking betrayal.
Ganyu’s eyes widen, and Keqing can clearly see the emotions that flash through her eyes in a split second, from surprise that she even came up with such a misconception to worry that Keqing actually believes that she would ever want to spend intimate time with anyone else but her.
She’s quick to shake her head vigorously.
“Not at all!” She says, cheeks slightly pink from the thought alone. “Please, don’t think that. I wouldn’t want to do any of these activities with someone that isn’t— It wouldn’t be as enjoyable if I was with—“ No, Ganyu thinks, that sounds too selfish. She’s trying to reassure Keqing, this isn’t about her. She tries again. “I… I don’t want anyone else. I just— I just want… You.” She whispers, her cheeks blossoming with the prettiest shade of red. Maintaining eye contact with Keqing proves to be too much, and she averts her eyes down to her lap. “If… If you’ll have me.”
Several weeks after having confessed her feelings for her, Ganyu still has doubts now and then that Keqing does want to be with her. She’s busy more often than not, and Keqing definitely does not have all the time in the world either to spend together as the both of them would like; but Keqing finds her reasons to stay by her side whenever they both manage to find time to spend together, and Keqing's able to simply enjoy time in Ganyu’s company with no one else around.
The first days were filled with bashful awkwardness, the first weeks were tentative and eager, and now they’re both slowly getting used to how it feels to be loved by the other.
For Keqing, Ganyu’s love is like a gentle rain in the heat of the summer. She’s calm in her actions, always asking first before she makes any decision, before she places her hands on hers, before she pecks Keqing’s cheek, always with a faint ghost of pink over her cheeks. She’s not one prone to sudden bursts of energy or adventure, and Keqing appreciates her stability and unconditional love.
For Ganyu, Keqing’s love is like the safety of home, of returning to a place she can rest and unwind without being judged. She’s always felt out of place, being half-qilin and half-human makes her part of both worlds but belonging to neither. But in Keqing, she’s found a place where she is accepted and cherished for who she is. Ganyu loves her warmth, it’s something she wasn’t used to receiving before.
She’s usually very bashful of giving and receiving physical affection, and she’s too self-conscious to ask directly for her attention, but Keqing has learnt to read her silent signs; her hand resting close to hers but not close enough to be touching, her head placed softly on her shoulder, her soft pecks on her cheeks when she wants her attention or something more.
They’re both learning to act on their feelings around the other, and Keqing always feels pleasantly surprised when she reads Ganyu’s signs right and she complies with her silent wishes, not only when she secretly wants her affection, but also when she needs reassurance.
Keqing's as new as she is when it comes to being in such a tender and exciting relationship, but Ganyu has roamed this world for centuries, and the lines that draw human interaction can get blurry in the eyes of an adeptus, so she needs some guidance from Keqing now and then that she’s doing things right. She treasures her so much that the thought of disappointing Keqing in any way, of having her leave her, clench her heart in the scariest way possible.
Ganyu’s eyes widen when she feels her hand finding its way into hers. She doesn’t look up at Keqing, but she separates her fingers so Keqing can interlace their hands together. She briefly closes her eyes, the feeling of her much warmer hand pressed close against hers spreading warmth down her veins.
Keqing presses her lips against the soft skin of her cheek in a tender kiss.
“I don’t want anyone else either. I only want you.” Keqing says, her words tickling her skin. “If you’ll have me.”
Ganyu’s eyes rise up to meet hers and she draws a gentle smile. She nods, a couple of strands of light blue hair falling over her face.
Her attention returns to the sheet of paper in her lap. She places it on the table in front of Keqing so she can get a clear view of it.
“It’s actually a list of activities and places that I’d like for us to do this weekend, together.” She says, lilac eyes hopeful and excited.
“Of course you’re organizing your days off.” Keqing chuckles. “I’d love to do all these fun activities with you, but you also have to save some time for a lazy and relaxing day. You’re way overdue for a proper rest, Ganyu.”
Keqing lets go of her hand and instead wraps her arms around Ganyu’s waist, holding her a little bit closer.
Keqing must’ve accidentally poked her side because Ganyu giggles.
“That tickles!” She says, softly trying to push her arms away, but Keqing holds onto her tighter.
“Nooo! You’ll never be free from me!” Keqing fakes a voice slightly deeper than hers. “I’m the affection monster! You’ll have to fight my kisses!”
Keqing places her lips on Ganyu’s neck, and she squirms, but she keeps chuckling. Keqing leaves a trail of kisses as she makes her way up-- kissing her earlobe, the line of her jaw, and leaving messy kisses all over her soft cheeks, her chin, her nose, her forehead, her eyebrows, her eyelids.
“Do you surrender?” Keqing pulls away enough to look at her lilac eyes. Ganyu’s silly lopsided smile is still dancing on her lips.
She nods, so Keqing lets go of her, returning to her position next to her.
Then, she watches Ganyu slowly leaning over to her, placing her lips on the corner of her mouth. It’s a feathery soft kiss, barely the brush of her cooler skin on hers, but she doesn’t immediately pull away. She stays there, savoring the moment of being intimately close to Keqing, and, to her surprise, she presses her lips almost imperceptibly harder against hers, her eyes closed and her hands nervously knit together on her lap.
When Ganyu pulls away, Keqing sees her eyes pinned on hers, a furious blush spreading under the soft skin of her cheeks.
Keqing stares back at her for a second, her heart beating faster and telling her that this is one of the signs she has to read into.
So Keqing reaches up with her hand and cups Ganyu’s cheek, brushing the inside of her thumb against her skin, almost feeling the incessant rush of blood underneath, not daring to break eye contact with her.
She follows her movements, her eyes dropping down to her lips.
Keqing knows she’s staring. Ganyu knows she’s staring, and her heart is thumping so hard in her chest that she fears Keqing might hear it, but she can’t look away, not when she sees Keqing slowly leaning towards her.
Ganyu parts her lips in anticipation, her breathing coming out shortened and quickening by the second as Keqing closes the distance between the two of them.
Ganyu swallows when she feels her other palm cupping her other cheek, her face now tenderly held in Keqing’s grasp, her eyes focused on her lips, and she’d swear she’s trembling in her hands.
When her lips finally find hers, Ganyu quickly closes her eyes, losing herself to her senses, to her lips deliciously pressed where she wanted them the most, a furious blush spreading over her cheeks and down her neck.
She gasps when Keqing moves her head, caressing the sensitive skin of her lips with hers. Ganyu presses closer to Keqing, silently asking her for more, eagerly waiting for her mouth to be all over her, fulfilling a need that she’d never been able to put into words.
Keqing traces the shape of her bottom lip with her tongue. Ganyu whimpers at how painfully slow her tongue is brushing her skin and how sensitive it feels, how sweet Keqing tastes, how she needs everything of her, and she needs it now.
Ganyu finds herself caught up in the moment-- Keqing’s touch all over her, her mouth pressed against her, her tongue caressing her bottom lip, darting inside when she loses what was left of her defenses and parts her lips to let Keqing in. She’s surrendering herself to Keqing, to the way she makes her squirm when she brushes her tongue against hers in a painfully slow dance that lasts several minutes in her arms.
She’d swear her heart stopped beating when Keqing first pressed her lips against hers, and it hasn’t come back yet. She finds pure bliss in the way Keqing deepens the kiss and how her body responds to her touches without her consent and presses her mouth impossibly closer to hers; and the way her lungs burn because she’s utterly forgotten how to breathe when she’s around Keqing.
Then, Keqing pulls away and Ganyu chokes on a gasp, her breathing troubled and closer to panting. She swallows, she can still taste Keqing in her mouth, her head still spinning over the feeling of having her so intimately close to her. Ganyu’s eyes travel up to find hers, equally swirled with blissfulness.
Keqing draws a tired smile and her hand palms Ganyu’s side of her face again. She leans to her, pressing her forehead softly against hers, feeling her heart still hammering inside her ribcage.
“We’re going to have so much fun this weekend.” Keqing says. For a moment, Ganyu asks herself if she’s referring to fun like this and probably more this weekend and her cheeks flush with blossoming red colors just at the thought of it.
She can’t say she isn’t excited about it.