Chapter Text
The sisters of the Church of Favonius had noticed a change in Sister Barbara as of late. She was gone more often, and had her head in the clouds more than usual. And of course, that girl from the Adventurer’s Guild she was always hanging around. Fischl! What was her deal? The sisters would murmur amongst themselves, could she be a fan with a sinister ulterior motive? Were they just friends? Were they something else? Was she a bad influence? Barbara tried her best to keep the true nature of her relationship with Fischl a secret, but she was a terrible liar by nature, and rumors were spreading around. The annoying thing about rumors is that they’re often worse than the actual truth.
Barbara was an idol, and she had a reputation to keep up. She knew that dating someone would be big news in Mondstadt, so she was trying to keep it secret for both her and Fischl’s sake. Not just to the public, but to the rest of the church. She felt tons of pressure from the other sisters to be a perfect model for the Church of Favonius, and Fischl had a weird reputation. But Barbara hated lying. She hated how awful it made her feel. As wonderful as Fischl was, being with her was the most daring thing Barbara had ever done. The guilt and shame of it all was starting to take its toll.
~
Was this right? Was this okay? To Barbara it was a crazy situation. She and Fischl had just LIED to the other nuns, saying they were going to go read at the library!! Well, it was true that they were going to the library, but they weren’t going to read. Barbara had just gotten off work, and Fischl had discovered a particularly well hidden closet in the back of the library that was perfect for making out in. Barbara was incredibly flustered when Fischl brought up the idea, but she went with it all the same. As Fischl pulled her along from the Church to the Knight’s Headquarters, Barbara found the rush to be exhilarating. It felt sinful and intoxicating like a drug. What were they doing?? Something bad, sure, but Barbara couldn’t stop. They were going and going and it was so exciting she couldn’t stand it. Everything about Fischl was exciting. Her bold nature, her confidence, her strength, it was like candy to Barbara. Rather than being pulled along, Barbara picked up her pace and started running with Fischl side by side. They laughed the whole rest of the way there, proud of their escapade.
They quietly entered the library. Thankfully, Lisa was napping at her desk, and would be none the wiser. (In fact, Lisa knew that they met up at the library for secret dates all the time, she just didn’t care that much.) This prompted Fischl to grab Barbara by the wrist and lead her, down the stairs, to the back, to an unbecoming, dusty storage room. She shut the door. It was dark, save for the light that trickled in from the doorframe. A chair was placed under the doorknob to keep out any unwelcome visitors. But Fischl noticed that Barbara seemed a little tense.
“What’s the matter?” Fischl asked. She was standing in front of Barbara, who was backed up against the wall.
“...I don’t know? I’m just nervous…” Barbara said.
“Hey, it’s alright.” Fischl whispered.
She knew Barbara was rather sensitive and she didn’t want to be too forceful. Slowly, she took Barbara’s hand and guided it to her waist. Her hand fit so perfectly on the curve above her hip. That seemed to be enough, because Barbara placed her other hand on her back to pull her closer, pressing their hips together. As they leaned in, Barbara glanced at Fischl’s lips, then at her eye for just a second, to make sure it was okay. Then finally, Barbara kissed her gently. Then she kissed her again, and again, and again. The rush that filled her head dulled her senses. Fischl held Barbara’s face and neck and stroked her cheek with her thumb. They melted into each other’s embrace, and all of the anxieties Barbara had about their secret were fading away as Fischl’s presence against her overtook her mind. Who cared if it was wrong? It was too right to resist.
Barbara relished the feeling of Fischl’s body in her arms, and her hands traveled around her back and waist. She trailed her fingers up and down Fischl’s spine, and felt her shudder. She wanted to feel and know every inch of her. Drink in her presence and love all of it. She rarely ever allowed herself to want so freely, but she craved Fischl. Not in a sexual way, as that wasn’t her nature as an ace. But she craved to hold the girl she loved in her arms shamelessly and without apology.
Fischl decided to test the waters. She playfully licked at Barbara’s lips, just the tip of her tongue. Barbara jumped for a moment, which made Fischl laugh a little.
“Heh, you’re so cute.” Fischl murmured.
Barbara huffed in embarrassment and took matters into her own hands. She held Fischl against her even tighter and held the back of her head to kiss her harder. She slipped her tongue between her lips. Fischl did the same. Barbara always thought that tongue kissing sounded gross but here she was doing it with another girl. Fischl was surprised that she was getting so bold. Seeing what new behaviors she could tease out of Barbara was very fun. She nipped at her bottom lip, making Barbara jump again. Barbara countered by biting back and sucking her bottom lip. Ever mindful of how thin and tender the skin there was, she bit at her lips gently, to avoid drawing any blood. However, soon Fischl’s lips were not enough for her. She started trailing kisses down Fischl’s jawline, all the way to the corner below her ear.
Fischl was not out of bold and dastardly ideas. She trailed her hands down Barbara’s shoulders and grabbed her boobs. Oh she was definitely not getting away with that! Barbara bit at her jaw and sucked, hard.
“Hey you’ll leave a mark…” Fischl whispered.
“Yeah, and you deserve it.” Barbara replied.
Her breath against her ear tickled. This was a side of her that Fischl hadn’t seen before. She was proud, frankly. Barbara always struggled with being assertive.
They parted for a moment to catch their breaths. Dazed eyes, lips red and wet. Barbara’s eyes darted down to Fischl’s neck for just a second. How terribly inconvenient, that Fischl’s neckpiece and bow tie were blocking access to the skin on her neck and collarbone. Barbara was certainly not one to go ripping off clothes indiscriminately, so she asked. She slipped a few fingers under the neckpiece. She could feel Fischl’s thundering pulse.
“Your neck?” Barbara asked.
Fischl giggled for a moment, then started unhooking the straps that connected her neckpiece to her bodice. Then she unhooked the bow tie, letting it open and fall to the floor. It revealed her neck and shoulders, toned from drawing her bow countless times. Barbara traced her thumb across her collarbone, observing in awe the freckles that lightly dusted her skin.
“You’re beautiful.” She murmured.
“Really?”
“Yeah.” Barbara whispered as she trailed her hands to her shoulders.
“You know, you’re lucky I wear that neckpiece, it’ll cover any marks you leave- ah!”
Fischl was quickly interrupted by Barbara diving in to bite her neck. Then she sucked hard on the flesh in between her teeth. Fischl could do nothing but try to stifle the little noises she made in the back of her throat as Barbara lovingly covered her neck and collar with little red marks. Since the straps were gone, Fischl’s bodice had sagged a little low, perfect for Barbara to leave hickies low on her chest. Fischl felt lucky in that moment. Nobody in Teyvat would ever believe her if she told them that the beloved idol of the Church of Favonius left hickies all over her. Though she left marks, nothing Barbara did was forceful or controlling, at least, it didn’t feel that way to Fischl. They were love bites in every sense. Hickies left like love notes. Marks of appreciation, indulgence, longing, and admiration. Barbara was finally letting go and drinking in all of Fischl that she wanted. Eventually she got tired and buried her face in the crook of Fischl’s neck, and wrapped her arms around her. She leaned into her and sighed contentedly. Fischl took the opportunity to playfully nip at Barbara’s shoulder, making her jump again.
Fischl laughed. “Can’t take what you dish out?”
Barbara giggled. “Heh. No, I guess not.”
“Well you’re not getting away with it that easily. Face my divine judgment!”
Fischl started peppering Barbara’s face with kisses, making Barbara giggle. That was probably her favorite sound. But since Barbara was laughing, Fischl started laughing too, and it was getting harder and harder to keep kissing her.
“Stop laughing!” Fischl said between her own laughter. “Take thy penance with dignity!”
Barbara kept laughing. “Maybe I should commit transgressions against the Prinzessin der Verurteilung more often.”
They laughed some more. Fischl leaned in and kissed her sweetly.
“My angel from beyond the stars…”
Barbara sighed and placed her hand on Fischl’s cheek.
“What am I going to do?” Barbara asked.
Fischl was concerned by the sorrowful look on her face. “What do you mean?”
“Why do you have to be so wonderful, and yet we’ve got to hide us?”
“Well, the hickies you surely left on me won’t help with that.”
Barbara groaned and rested her head on Fischl’s shoulder. “You’re so right.”
Fischl hugged her, and asked, “What’ll happen if the other sisters find out? Will it be so bad to tell them?”
Barbara sighed again. “I don’t know, I’m just scared. They’re always pressuring me to keep up a good image for the church. And I know our relationship would cause gossip. They would be angry at me for causing trouble. Plus, I hear them whispering about it. They ask me questions about you, like, why I like being around you so much and why I spend so much time with you. Sometimes the stuff they say about you makes me mad…but I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how much longer I can keep lying…”
“But aren’t you the deaconess? You could just tell them off!”
Barbara raised her head up. “I don’t know…I was just given this title after dad left…I technically have authority but I don’t know what I’m doing. It’s not like they’d take me seriously anyways…”
Fischl squeezed her hand.
“They shouldn’t be treating you like that…”
“I know…I just wish things were different. I wish I could tell everyone how great you are. How much I love you and stuff. I’d write you love songs.”
“I wish I could tell people too.” Fischl said.
Fischl didn’t quite know what to say. But a certain lazy librarian crossed her mind. Lisa knew Fischl well, and was often a source of guidance and comfort when she didn’t know what to do. Maybe tea with Miss Lisa could solve their problems.
“Let’s ask Lisa what to do.”
“What? Lisa? Why??” Barbara exclaimed.
“She always helps me out when I have problems. She’s super smart too! I’m sure she’ll know what to do.”
“Does she know about us?”
“No, but she won’t care. We can go together, it’ll be okay.”
Fischl smiled comfortingly. Barbara was afraid, but she trusted Fischl.
“Well…secrets are dreadfully tiring to keep.” Barbara said.
“It’ll be alright. We can figure this out.”
Barbara smiled back. She put her hand on Fischl’s cheek.
“Alright sweetness, let’s talk to Lisa.”