Chapter Text
Was it just Beidou or did the store feel quiet without those two idiots… too quiet even.
Oh gods, was Beidou getting used to those brats? Fuck! Fuck! Shit! Fuck–
Bzzzt–Bzzzt
The keypad phone reverberated on Beidou's desk. Usually she was never hard-pressed to immediately read and reply to texts but right now she hurriedly picked up the phone. Finally a distraction–
Aaand just as one crisis was shoved aside another came barging in, Beidou turned white.
It was a text from Ningguang,
[Are you free for dinner Friday night? Do you want to come over to my place?]
Friday? That's in a few days from now– No, no! Beidou just saw Ningguang last week, she's not mentally ready to see her again! She has to say she's busy,
[Sure :D]
Beidou slammed her forehead on the desk, the stacks of papers around her bounced. 'SURE'???? Had she lost her marbles??
Scrambling to form another text, her fingers felt like butter, 'srry, thatwas a but dial 'm actually busy fr the rest of m life'
She was just about ready to send the poor excuse for a message when she received another text,
[Great, I'll see you in a few days :)]
Beidou knew it was just a digital smile composed of code and numbers and all that mumbo jumbo, but she couldn't help imagining Ningguang genuinely smiling. She decided not to send the text.
—
Hu Tao had been avoiding Yanfei for a couple of days already. There had been multiple times she's seen the law student with her other law student friends at the hall and Hu Tao would literally shove herself into lockers to hide. One of the perks of being a janitor is having a master key to everything on this campus.
She hoped Yanfei didn't think anything lesser of her, but Hu Tao had already accepted they were worlds different from each other. So it's best not to get involved.
She thought that, yet said fact couldn't seem to stop her from doing what she's about to do.
A pair of frat boys had cornered Yanfei into the side of a building. Describing their advances as bad flirting was undermining the sheer rudeness in their pursuit. 'Just one night', 'you're lucky we're interested in you', 'bet you're sleeping with someone with how high your scores are', all blood boiling to Hu Tao.
Nonetheless, Yanfei was unfazed, stoic even. Hell, she was on her phone reading a PDF file!
Seeing this all happening on the second floor window however, Hu Tao grabbed her overflowing bucket. There was a split second the consequences of her actions flashed right in front of her eyes, but she just shrugged them off and gladly dropped the dirty mop water.
She could hear the sound of splashing water with cussing on the side. The two boys looked up at her, drenched top to bottom,
"Fucking janitor!"
"Sorry boys, I got slippery fingers to go with my slippery mop~" feigning ignorance, Hu Tao giggled.
"Go back to the sewers!" The boy yelled.
"Gladly, but only if y'all lead the way, that's where you guys were born, right?"
One of the boys held the other one back, assaulting staff was a massive violation even their daddies couldn't defend. Also who would pick a fight with Hu Tao when she had her trusty mop as a weapon.
They walked away steaming.
During this whole exchange Yanfei just kept staring at her. Hu Tao suddenly felt self-conscious, she could only shyly wave.
Hu Tao noticed a puff of steam leaving Yanfei's nose before running around the side of the building, heading home? 'Good, it's best she gets away from those creeps and me–'
That train of thought was immediately discarded when consistent steps could be heard approaching Hu Tao.
Yanfei was running towards her, like stupid fast. Hu Tao wasn't sure if she should also be running for her dear life. Oh gods, even in bloodlust the law student looked sexy--
When Yanfei got close enough she switched to stomping, "What did you just do?!"
"Huh?" Hu Tao blinked, "I'm sorry, w-were you actually friends with those guys??"
Hu Tao panicked, did she let her feelings get the better of her then fucked her up?
"No, those guys were assholes," Yanfei pinched the bridge of her hose, "but that doesn't matter! What if they want to settle the score with you?"
A scoffed easily came from Hu Tao, those boys didn't even look like they could punch a goldfish to sleep.
Again, that didn't matter to Yanfei though. What Hu Tao did was reckless, recklessly cute, but still reckless.
Yanfei rubbed her temples, what's done is done, she can't change that. So all they can do now is hope for the best and move forward from it,
"Look, if you start to notice those guys even picking on you just tell me, okay? I can deal with them."
The knight in shining armor known as Yanfei said. Hu Tao bit her lip, she feels like she should be the one saying those lines.
"Oh, right!" Hu Tao patted the many pockets in her boiler suit, this time actually having something in one of them.
She pulled out a small notepad and handed it to Yanfei, who accepted it confusedly, "Those are some vegetarian recipes from my grandpa,"
"There's also some with tofu as the main ingredient at the very back, I remember Ganyu saying you liked tofu." A hand not so discreetly hid the blush on Hu Tao's face.
Yanfei flipped to the very last entry, "Crab roe, I actually make that a lot"
"Oh, I'm sorry I put one on the list. I can remove it if you want–"
Hu Tao reached for the pad, only for Yanfei to shift it away,
"No dummy, I want to also try yours and compare them!"
"Oh"
"Do you… want to come over and try them with me?"
"OH"
"I-I can't… I-I-I have another job– after this!" Hu Tao screamed inside, 'TAO YOU COWARD!'
"Then how about another time?"
'No' Hu Tao's brain wanted her to say, but said brain also ordered her mouth to shut the fuck up. Instead she struggled to make a single nod, but that was enough for Yanfei,
"Great! Just tell me when you're free!"
Yanfei beamed as she hopped on her heels, "I should get going now though, Ganyu is probably looking for me. See ya~"
Poor Hu Tao could only limp a hand wave as a reply. Oh gods, did her legs felt like jello again.
—
Everything has felt like a dream ever since Hu Tao accidentally(?) accepted that invitation from Yanfei. There was like a pleasant haze for the rest of her day. Mopping the floors, cleaning the toilets, getting scolded by the head janitor, even signing off and walking to the grocery store, all those didn't stop her heart from feeling fluffy when it really shouldn't.
Who knows maybe this really was all a dream manifested by her overworked brain as a way of releasing endorphins. Frankly, she'd praise said stupid organ for actually doing its job, but she's not exactly sure why it thought manifest a glaring Keqing across the street from her was pleasant.
Keqing continued to scowl at her, probably since Hu Tao herself has also been blankly staring at Keqing the whole time they've walked on opposite sidewalks from each other.
'Oh wait this isn't a dream!'
Realizing the Keqing staring daggers at her was the real bitch, she glared back. Keqing scowled harder, somehow.
Keqing would glare, then look back at the sidewalk, then glare back at her again. And Hu Tao more or less did the same. The two were practically in sync for a good few minutes before a drop of rain flicked Hu Tao's forehead.
The clouds had grown gray and when she turned to Keqing she was already running to the nearest shelter, which was a bus stop on Hu Tao's side.
Water already congregating over her head, Hu Tao soon joined Keqing in the empty bus stop. The two exchanged mutual growls before looking opposite ways.
Trying to avoid starting a fight with Hu Tao, Keqing entranced herself on the droplets sliding down the roof to the small puddles in front of her feet. There was a sense of inner peace she gained from it. That is until she felt water hitting her forearm.
Hu Tao was slapping falling rainwater her way, "Heh"
So much of inner peace. Keqing exhaled and without warning jabbed Hu Tao's side, hard.
"Owwie…" Hu Tao whimpered as she rubbed her waist.
"K.O." Keqing went back to her business.
"Okay… kinda deserved that."
It might not look that way but Hu Tao was already so tired of her and Keqing's animosity for each other. She gets she's a little shit, and Keqing's temper is as short as her height but Hu Tao actually does want to get to know Miss Kittens more,
"So. How's things with Ganyu?"
Keqing looked at her, at first bewildered, confused, expressing a face that could only say 'are you actually fucking talking to me right now?!' but then slowly, her shoulders dropped,
"None existent, I think she hates me."
"No…" Maybe it was out of pure habit, but Hu Tao didn't mean for that to sound as sarcastic as it did.
Nevertheless Keqing ignored the tone and continued, "Do you think she is even into girls?"
Hu Tao shrugged, like hell she knew the answer to that, but that didn't really matter, "It's worth it to shoot your shot rather than leaving it rusting in your barrel."
"That's… not how guns work," Keqing corrected amidst the sulking.
Hu Tao chuckled, she also started patting Madam Perfectionist's back, "Don't get yourself down, Keqing. It's not uncommon for girls to be into other girls"
"Thanks" she actually gave a genuine looking smile. Keqing hadn't felt this vulnerable in over a month, and the last time she did it blew up on her face,
"I really appreciate you saying that Hu Tao…"
Hu Tao hummed, what else was she supposed to reply with a compliment from Keqing herself.
Keqing bit her lip, "You know my parents cut me off when I came out. They kept hooking me up with random rich guys so I told them I was gay…. Haven't heard from them in over a month now…"
"Ah." Now Hu Tao really didn't know how to reply to that, was humming still appropriate?
"Fuck your parents," she decided to just be honest, "They don't know the kind of person they shut out of their lives."
"Heh, right. Fuck'em"
That statement echoed between the two for a bit as no other words were exchanged.
Hu Tao began to rub her temples,
"Aiya, now how am I supposed to feel good about myself when I get the job…?"
A single chuckle left Keqing's mouth, "Why did you take up that position anyway? You seem to have a lot on your plate already."
"It's not that I wanted to work in a grocery store specifically…"
Hu Tao trailed off when she noticed a pharmacy across the street, "Hey, wanna come with me to the drugstore for a bit?"
Keqing wasn't really sure where this was going, frankly she's never sure where Hu Tao is ever going, nonetheless she nodded.
—
Hu Tao handed the pharmacist a long sheet of prescriptions before walking to Keqing who's brows were high until they dropped,
"Are you perhaps sick?"
Hu Tao shook her head, "Nah, they're for my grandpa"
"Ah…"
"To be perfectly honest, I have no personal attachment to the position. I just want as many jobs as I can get."
All the bullying and calling her a brat had suddenly flashed right in front of Keqing eyes. Her shoulders dropped from how heavy they became, Hu Tao didn't seem to notice,
"Gotta earn the greens, see hehe. Need enough to afford grandpa's meds, not to mention that business plan of mine is still in the waiting room heh!"
Keqing groaned, "Great… now I also can't enjoy one upping you anymore…"
"Right??" Hu Tao laughed, "How about we just do our best and be good sports, no more at each other's necks?"
Hu Tao extended her hand to Keqing, who gladly shook it, "Deal."
By then the rain had slowly died down outside.
—
When the pair entered the grocery store Hu Tao had a paper bag of medicine and a bottle of gummy bears as a peace treaty courtesy of Keqing.
Beidou greeted the pair at the front of the store, well more like ran to them,
"Kids, I'm gonna need some Ningguang advice from you!"