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“Goodbye, Ganyu!” Keqing says by the front door, her mind filled with thoughts of the big day that’s ahead of her. Ningguang assigned her a special mission to contact some potential business partners, so she’ll be out of Liyue for the day. “I’m off to work now.”
Ganyu walks up to Keqing to say goodbye, quick steps echoing through the hallway as she makes her way to her.
“Have you checked that you have everything with you?” Ganyu says, hands on her hips. “Please, make sure you have your keys, too. I won’t arrive home until late at night.”
“I have everything, don’t worry.” Keqing shows her her keys, throwing her a flashy smile.
“Very good.” Ganyu smiles too, gentler. “I hope you have a safe trip, then.”
Keqing nods, her hand on the doorknob. “Alright then, I’ll take my leave now. Have a good day, dear.”
Keqing always kisses her goodbye, each and every morning before parting to work, so Ganyu briefly closes her eyes, waiting for her lips on her cheek. It’s been months of her daily routine with Ganyu, and she’s grown used to expecting her affection.
To her surprise, it never comes. Instead, she hears the sound of the door closing after Keqing, and she’s gone.
“ Oh .” Ganyu says, staring at the wooden door in slight surprise.
She’s probably just forgotten , Ganyu thinks. It doesn’t mean anything, Keqing could’ve been late to the meaning if she stayed any longer .
Yes . Ganyu echoes in her head as she turns around and finishes off getting ready for her own day at work. It doesn’t mean anything.
Ganyu leaves for the Yuhei Pavilion as well, spending long hours working on reports, filling papers, changing schedules; but as the afternoon goes by, she keeps finding herself thinking about this morning. Did it really mean nothing? She’s probably overthinking it, Ganyu knows herself and she’s aware of when she starts spiraling on certain thoughts, but Keqing has never not given her a goodbye kiss.
What if it does mean something and she’s simply oblivious to it? That would certainly make a conversation harder in the future if she doesn’t address this matter properly with Keqing. So Ganyu makes up her mind to bring up the topic when she sees her again tonight. Somehow .
When Ganyu finally arrives home after a long day, Keqing is already having dinner. She was alone, so she’s been sitting on the couch, the TV playing in the background some contest show that she’s not paying much attention to.
“Welcome home, Ganyu.” Keqing draws a smile when she enters her field of vision, her lilac eyes lighting up. “I made dinner for you too, it’s in the fridge.”
“ Ah . Thank you.”
Ganyu’s quick to say, growing a little shy because of the fact that Keqing went out of her way to make dinner for her. She’s lived with her for months, but it’s still the smallest things, the tender gestures of affection that get Ganyu’s heart speeding up.
She comes back from the kitchen with the food Keqing made for her, finds a comfortable spot on the couch next to her, and she starts eating quietly. Keqing is focused on her dinner as well, barely paying attention to what’s on TV. After a couple of minutes, Ganyu breaks the comfortable silence that’s settled.
“Is it okay for me to ask you something?” She timidly says.
“Sure thing.” Keqing nods, fork in her mouth as she just took a big bite.
Ganyu seems to fidget with the fabric of her dress. She doesn’t meet her eyes when she speaks.
“Are you… Um . Forgive me if I’m mistaken, but are you upset with me?”
Keqing frowns quickly, placing the fork down.
“No.” Keqing says carefully. “Why would I be upset with you?”
“Really?” Ganyu seems to deflate like a balloon, drawing a small smile. “ Ah . If that is the case then, please, don’t mind my question.”
“I do want to know now.” Keqing turns to her, head tilted. Did I do something that upset her? “Surely, there must be a reason why you asked.”
“Well… There is , but—” Ganyu opens her mouth. Closes it. Tries again. “If you say you’re not upset, then it is of no importance, really.”
“Is something bothering you, Ganyu?” Keqing says, her voice low and gentle. “Or did I do something, perhaps?”
“ No! Please, don’t concern herself with this matter anymore.” Ganyu shakes her head, locks of blue hair framing her face. “It is sort of silly.”
Keqing slowly reaches her hand and palms her face. Ganyu’s quick to find her lilac eyes, a faint blush spreading on the bridge of her nose.
“I’m sure it’s not silly.” Keqing says. She wishes to be someone Ganyu trusts, someone who’s always a safe space for her to open up about anything that troubles her pretty head.
“ Well — If you wish to know, then. Um .” Ganyu casts her eyes to the side, her skin burning where Keqing is touching her. “When you left this morning, you— Ah … How should I put this? You left and... Um . You didn’t give me a… A goodbye kiss… Like every morning…” Ganyu’s cheeks are flushed red down to her neck, her hands firmly clasped on her lap. “ But — I’m sure you were just in a hurry. You said you weren’t upset, so I— Uh … I shouldn’t think too much of it, right?”
Ganyu closes her mouth, her body stiff, and there’s a silence that stretches for what feels like forever to her.
Then, Keqing starts laughing.
“Please, don’t laugh!” Ganyu closes her eyes tightly in embarrassment, feeling her cheeks heat up.
“Ganyu. Ganyu, my love .” Keqing keeps laughing, her hand still on her cheek. She finds her lilac eyes, and her smile softens. “You were right. It was quite silly.”
Ganyu bites the inside of her cheek, her eyes looking everywhere but Keqing.
“Don’t mock me, please .” She sounds mortified, so Keqing stops chuckling.
She raises her other arm to cup her face with both hands. Ganyu timidly meets her stare, and immediately softens. Keqing leans to her slowly, very slowly.
“This one is for this morning.” She presses her lips to Ganyu’s cheek, the soft skin that meets her under. “This one is for laughing just now.” She reaches to her again, leaving a tender kiss to her other cheek. “And this one,” Keqing says, brushing her lips with hers. Ganyu opens her mouth slightly, her heart beating rapidly. “Is so you never doubt how much I love you.”
Keqing presses her lips to hers, and Ganyu catches them eagerly, fingers trembling with anticipation. She kisses her deeply, feeling the tender pressure of her lips on hers, her sweet taste drawing stars in the vault of her chest.
When Keqing pulls away, Ganyu’s cheeks are blooming like a crimson flower, her lilac eyes drawn to hers like there’s nothing else in this world worth looking at.
“I love you too.” Ganyu says simply, and Keqing chuckles again. Because she knows, oh , she knows how much she loves her.