Work Text:
Ganyu remembered the war that had waged on liyue hundreds of years ago dimly. What she did know was that the damage was irreparable.
Thousands of people were killed and the adepti who always talked of the short life spans of mortals discovered that they were not much different.
When she saw Osial rise from the depths of the sea of clouds,she was terrified, the battle was arduous but... they emerged victorious. The cost was hefty and the jade chamber was gone but the casualties were equivalent to none. She remembered feeling so, so relieved. All that was dear to her was safe. Liyue was safe.
But now they stood against Beisht. She shouldn't but she couldn't help feeling overconfident in there abilities, they were well equipped and there was not a singular chance that they would loose this fight. Right?
They kept attacking her with the ballistic devices and arrows. So many arrows. She kept shooting them one after the other again and again and again. Her fingers felt so numb.
She drew the bowstring back and it cut into her fingers. Wincing a little she kept at it. Why wasn't Beisht falling? Why was she still standing strong?
Soldiers around her cried in pain as her brutal attacks hit their marks but she couldn't bring herself to care. Not with one eye focused on the enemy and the other focused on her.
Lady Keqing despite being covered with grim and mud looked... no this was not the time for these feelings!
They had haunted ganyu for so long but she can't possibly, her thoughts are interrupted by an attack from Beisht. She saw it as her life suddenly flashed before her.
Recalling her training her nimble fingers moved quickly, shooting an arrow that froze the sphere of water in place. It froze and crumbled to the ground. By celestia, she almost died due to being distracted by the thoughts of, of lady Keqing!. What would have her teachers, cloud retainer and the numerous other adepti would have thought if they knew. As a child she was always taught that in battle no one mattered. Parents, friends and enemies merged into one thing. A target. And here she was thinking about a mortal.
A mortal. Creatures with life spans so short that they flashed before her eyes. They burned bright and quick and went out before they could truly make a mark. She had had mortal lovers once. Each time they would be so bright like the sun as Ganyu glowed dimly. And each time they would grow cold as Ganyu was left yearning once again for their warmth. She could not let it happen again. Even if Lady Keqing truly loved Ganyu as she loved her, she was not setting herself up for that awful cold.
The thoughts crossed her mind as the battle raged on. Beisht roared and, Ganyu's breath caught in her throat.
A tsunami loomed overhead. Screams echoed throughout the harbor. Keqing, who had moved beside her, turned to yell commands at the soldiers. Ganyu turned around to see the soldiers screaming but there was nothing to do now. They were stranded on the island with death looming over their heads.
She grabbed Keqing's hand in her own as she thought of all those moments where she had found herself falling. The way she helped others at the expense of herself, the way when everyone else just dumped work on Ganyu, barely letting her breath, she lend a hand though her schedule was filled to the brim, the way she would cook Ganyu little treats and bring them to her office as they say there talking and laughing for so long, the way she always smiled when she saw Ganyu approached, the nickname that she had given her "yuyu" and always said it so affectionately, when they would go camping and lie down on the ground looking at the stars, so close to each other that she could hear her heartbeat.
"I love you, Keqing" the words slipped and she felt at ease." You are my sun, my moon and all my stars"
Keqing looked stunned, her skin and hair glowing with the elemental wave shining overhead. This was it. Ganyu's dim light would be wiped out completely as she faded into that inviting cold.
Nothing. Then everything. A cracking noise as the wave crumbled into itself.
The next few hours were eventful but Ganyu couldn't care less. She just wanted to go back and sleep, wishing this was all a nightmare. She didn't see keqing over the course of the next few days and she was left with a bitter taste in her mouth, her chest felt like it was tied in a knot. Keqing hated her now, there's no way she didn't and now that one friendship she felt like she had was gone.
"Ganyu, wait!" The words echoed in her head, the voice was so soothing like the rain on the top of Mt Aozang at cloud retainers abode. Keqing came to her and looked her in the eye, Ganyu whispered to her " I- I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to cause such a drift between you and me, can we please pretend that never happened! I beg you!" She heard the desperation in her voice. "Wait, you didn't let me say anything, gosh yuyu" what? That couldn't be. Could Keqing truly…
"I do love you Ganyu, I love you more than anything else. I never thought you would return these feelings so, i kept them to myself" Ganyu felt… warm. She leaned into Keqing.
Their time was limited, that was inevitable, but till then, they had each other. She had her beloved qingxin.