Chapter Text
Hell would go cold before Keqing allowed anyone to notice.
She stood with her characteristic elegance, slashing through her enemies on a fluid dance, her movements precise and lethal. The clash of her sword, the edge slicing the air before reaching her opponents, it was all the music she needed. The fight developed as smoothly as ever, and only an experimented eye would have notice the change. The subtle clenching of her teeth, the irregular rhythm of her breath and the two scratches that managed to reach her body, drawing some blood. The electro user finished her own battle as fast as always and turned around to evaluate the situation.
A bit away, Chongyun and Xingqiu were working together and taking down some of the monsters. The way they molded their own style to fit the other was truly admirable, freezing the battlefield around them and keeping a perfect balance between crowd control, healing and damage.
Keqing knew they needed no help.
To her left, though, the traveler seemed to face some trouble. An infuriated lawachurl charged against her once more, and Lumine had almost no time to dodge, throwing herself to the side. A purple spark crossed the battlefield and Keqing appeared soon next to the blonde, helping her stand again just before the lawachurl launched a second attack.
“We need to wait until Zhongli gets here! He can’t be far!” Lumine screamed, and she was right.
The Geo user could tear apart the monster’s armor within a few tries, and they could slice through the lawachurl once his defense fell down. That’s the system that the “team” always used, if they could be called that. But Keqing hadn’t see the consultant anywhere near their position, and there was this little problem occupying her mind…
She could feel it, slowly spreading through her body. Clouding her mind.
She needed this done as fast as possible.
So the Qixing faced the beast and charged forward with a renewed fierceness, startling even Lumine. Electro started to dance around the lawachurl at a speed that only the Yuheng could display, destroying its armor little by little but without a pause. The attacks were so fast that Lumine did not dare intervene, not even sure where Keqing would be aiming next.
She had a feeling that she would only get on the electro user’s way, so she decided to step back and get a tornado ready to be casted as soon as the Qixing finished taking down its defense. The attacks on the monster were fast, but not light. Many were heavy enough to leave a cut after breaking through the armor, and Lumine didn’t know what would come down first, if the geo covering it or the lawachurl itself. Keqing kept her reckless assault, nonetheless, and soon the blonde could launch her tornado to aid with some elemental reactions.
Everything seemed to be fine, until the beast roared with fury.
Keqing took a step back, her breath quick and her muscles sore. The pressure of the battle was only a part of the reason, but she couldn’t stop to think about that. In fact, she had to get this thing down soon or she wouldn’t be able to think at all. So ignoring her exhausted body, she prepared again.
“Stabilize!”
A golden flash, and the lawachurl was the one to take a step back this time. Its renewed cover fell to the floor, and the Yuheng didn’t even blink before launching herself and finishing the job. After all, the monster’s health had gone down quite a bit just moments ago. A couple of hits were all it took.
“Zhongli!” Lumine called, so glad to see the consultant finally reaching them.
Something was off, though, as his eyes were fixed on the disappearing lawachurl and the woman letting her sword go once the fight was over. The blonde wanted to ask if he was okay, but she didn’t dare. The dragon seemed to snap out of it by himself and directed a gentle smile to the traveler.
“Sorry to be late, there were quite a lot of them between us. Are you both okay?”
“I am fine! Keqing was a life saver there” She pointed, directing her gaze to the Qixing, who shook her head but stayed a bit away of them. Lumine didn’t say anything about it.
Inside, Keqing was about to pass out. She could feel her body growing weaker and weaker by the moment, her legs subtle tremble, the horrible temperature and how constricted she felt, despite her fast breathing. She had to get out of there fast, but she knew that they were still too far away from Liyue. Damn her body and damn her stupid suppressants. She was sure she had taken them this morning, as every other on the last four years.
It was not the best moment to go into heat.
“I know this is a bit sudden, but I need to head back to the inn now. There is something important that I need to check there.” Her stating was suspicious at best, she knew that, but she couldn’t manage anything else. Lumine looked at her with sudden worry on her eyes.
“We can go back and rest if you want-”
“There is no need” The Yuheng interrupted, adding a soft smile when she noticed it might have been too harsh. The traveler was only caring for her, after all. But she didn’t want anyone around at the moment. “If everyone is fine, please do continue forward to Liyue. I will catch up to you as soon as I am able, or go by myself once I’m done”
This is bad, she thought, as Lumine seemed to frown and prepare to ask some questions. Questions that Keqing did not want to answer on that moment. To her surprise, though, the consultant was the one to speak before the blonde could voice her worries.
“It is quite alright. The battle is already over and there does not seem to be any more danger around. If it is the Yuheng’s wish to go back, I suggest we do as she says” Zhongli mentioned, his spear disappearing on his hands after checking around. Lumine didn’t seem convinced at all, so he kept going. “The commissions we carry are due soon, and the Qixing might have other work to do, which does not concern us at all. Don’t you think, traveler?”
She made a perfect “O” with her mouth, as if the chance of Keqing having some Qixing-related work to do didn’t even cross her mind before. The electro user had been helping them so much lately, she felt suddenly guilty for taking all of her time!
“I see! I am sorry, Keqing! I didn’t mean to set you apart from your obligations”
Keqing blinked, surprised with the turn of the events. But that horrible heat was still spreading through all her body, and she was in a rush, so she faked a smile and shook her head again, playing along.
“It is okay. I don’t know how long it will take, but I will meet you in Liyue without fault”
“Please be careful!” The other woman nodded.
“Farewell, Keqing” Zhongli said with a calm tone. And it was terrible.
The consultant did not usually approach her by her name. Instead, he tended to use her title and refer to her as the Yuheng. She didn’t mind, and she didn’t expect this sudden change, nor the reaction of her body. The Qixing’s breath got caught in her throat and the heat on her center raised as fast as her anxiety. What the hell was this? Was that a spark of mischief in that stupid consultant’s eyes? Did he know? She tried to slow her breathing as much as possible, convincing herself that it had been her imagination. Keqing gulped and turned on her heels, leaving without even saying goodbye to the cryo and hydro pair.
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Keqing reached the Wangshu Inn within an hour, speeding forward at the top of her abilities. She was met with a curious gaze but a simple indication towards the stairs, where the highest room of the Inn was located. More than her status as the Yuheng, her condition must have been deplorable, she guessed, for Verr Goldet to give away such a luxurious room without a single question asked.
She would handle that later.
The woman rushed through the stairs to the pointed room and fell to her knees right before reaching the bed, her breathing heavy and her body trembling almost without control. Keqing made an effort to think and evaluate her options.
The pills. She had to take more of those damn pills, had to stop this at any cost. They had not worked that morning, but they would if she swallowed enough, right? Damn her mind for not thinking about it before, but the only things on her head were the unbearable heat and the need to run and lock herself away.Though she would have retired even after taking the stupid suppressants, anyway.
The violet-haired Qixing scouted clumsily through her few belongings, all stacked in a tiny bag and pending of her attire. Took her some tries to open it. Another few to find the crystal box containing what she was looking for.
“Need, need…”
She undid the lock on the box right before a flash of gold filled the room, startling her. When she looked back at her hands, they were empty and her mind went into a panic, struggling to turn around while still on her knees and on the floor. When she did, though, she found an intricate brown attire just a couple steps away from her position.
“You should not take this when already on that state”
“!!” Keqing choked a cry of surprise and launched her body backwards, her back leaning against the bed.
Before her, the infamous consultant of the funeral parlor stood while holding the box with the pills, arms crossed and a frown on his face. No. No no no. What was he doing there? Why did he take them? When did— The mess on her mind did not matter, the only important thing was to get that box back and sate the heat burning her from the inside.
“Give them back”
“You are going into a heat” He stated, as if that was reason enough to refuse. “You are an omega. I’ve had my suspicions for a while. It became clear today, when your scent changed”
“!!” No one had ever exposed her nature before, so the petite woman choked a second cry. Her brain searched for words to shoot back and refuse his, but nothing came. “My… scent?”
“Indeed” He nodded. Zhongli took a step towards her, and she pressed harder against the bed to retreat, making him stop. His tone was calm and his breath controlled, while Keqing was definitely a mess. “It turned so sweet; it was almost… intoxicating. Tell me, how long have you been taking this, to be able to hide your scent even from me?”
He shook the box on the air with a look of disapproval. Zhongli knew of their existence and the mechanism behind their effects, which he never liked.
The suppressants dulled the scent of an omega, stopping their body from producing any pheromone and many hormones; while it delayed the beginning of a heat, it had many side effects, lowering the levels of hormones non-omega related and necessary to function.
The ones who took those pills usually experimented sickness, aches and fatigue. Not to talk of the long-term effects, as they were against the regular omega-biology. If he was not able to tell the nature of the Yuheng, the woman must have been under the effect of these damn suppressants for quite a long time. And that worried him.
“That… that is none of your business!” She answered back. The Qixing didn’t trust her legs to keep her standing, so she scurried using the bed’s structure as support and faced him the best she could.
“Answer me, Keqing” His command came out in an unnatural voice, and her body trembled without her consent from something different than fear. The woman found herself obeying before she could ever think.
“Four years”
“Without interruption?” She nodded, unable to talk or resist, retreating this time to sit on the bed behind her. His eyes flashed something dangerous. “Do you know what taking them for too long might do to your body? Do you understand the effects of it? They will inevitably bring you sickness. They will stop working, and when they do, your heat will be unbearable.”
Don’t tell me, she wanted to retort. But she couldn’t, the fire within still clouding her mind and burning her body. Unbearable was the word to describe it, indeed. Zhongli gave her almost a whole minute before frowning once again, being met only with silence.
“Answer” The archon demanded.
And it was the trigger that her body needed to act. Her mouth moved to work –to obey him–, but the filter of her brain did not. She should know better, should be more controlled, shouldn’t let her fury and frustration burst like that. But everything was too hot, too much, too weak, and she didn’t want to talk. The Yuheng knew that it was his doing, forcing her to speak with that commands of his. Very well then, let him deal with it!
“I know! I know, damn it. But I can not go through this. There is too much to do, so much work and fight and troubles to tend to! I can’t afford to be put down because my stupid body decided to be weak! I will not stop, will not put away everything I’ve worked for just for this!” She screamed, startling the consultant with her outburst. “If I have to take those stupid pills until they kill me, then so be it. It is my decision!”
While the archon remained calm through most of her argument, he lost his composure at the very end. Maybe it was the alpha, or the dragon, or maybe the god, or the consultant, or all of them at once refusing to let that ever happen to the Yuheng.
That was the woman he owned the most to. The one he most deeply respected. And now a very rare and precious omega. He wanted to protect her, not out of obligation as he did to Liyue and its people, but for his own selfish wish.
Something within him jumped when she mentioned the word kill.
So Zhongli growled, deep and audible, and the electro user trembled this time out of fear.
Everything crashed down in a moment. The atmosphere was suddenly so heavy, Keqing’s instincts screaming at her that this was dangerous, brain going from a clouded mess with no filter to an overworking disaster with that one single sound. She had never experienced something like this before. And while she didn’t understand at all, the omega within her did. There was no mistake, even if her mind refused to see it. She had lashed out to an alpha, while in heat. She had lashed out to an alpha and managed to anger him.
A part of her, the most rational one, thought that she had a right to do so. That she had a right to freely speak her mind as she had always done, that this was his fault for taking away the stupid pills and getting in her way, even if she had been a bit too harsh with her outburst.
And another part of her was scared out of her mind, ready to jump back to the floor and apologize and beg him for forgiveness because that was a mad alpha and it was her fault.
The archon noticed his mistake when her scent changed, its sweet essence now mixed with utter fear, and immediately stopped. He cursed inside, 6000 years should be more that enough to know how to avoid upsetting an omega in heat. He did know better.
It was not his intention to scare her or to growl at all. It had been so long such he allowed such a primal demeanor from himself, maybe just back on his dragon form. But the sudden understanding of the petite omega’s situation had his control slipping out. Because he was the reason behind Keqing’s abuse of the suppressants, he placing such a burden on her, letting her to drown on all the work that Liyue needed in order to stand.
All the work that should have been his.
She was willing to take whatever she had to in order to fulfill it. To risk her own health-
The last thing Zhongli wanted was to stir more anxiety on the Yuheng, and after his stupid mistake, he had to find a way and calm her down. So he did. The consultant sank a knee to the floor and lowered himself until he was her height, Keqing currently curled in the middle of the bed.
“Keqing, it is alright. I am not mad at you” He stated.
The woman wanted to answer and declare that she did not care, that she was not scared and the prideful Yuheng of Liyue would never be shaken by a little sound. But she couldn’t. Not when it was such a blatant lie and his demeanor did upset her so obviously, so badly in a single second.
“Keqing” The archon called her name again, almost tasting it, and the Qixing felt her heart slowing down. She wondered if he was using that voice again, the one she felt so compelled to obey, the one she couldn’t deny. “Listen to me, I am not angry. Not mad at you. Focus on it, you should feel it in my scent”
His scent? Keqing wanted to laugh. Like she was some type of animal! She couldn’t go around trying to smell-
A smirk flashed on the man’s lips when her eyes opened with surprise as a pleasant scent reached her without even trying, and she suddenly understood what he meant. It couldn’t be catalogued as a smell, it was something less… tangible. It was not the same as the aroma of a flower or the smell of warm food. This held a different feeling.
It felt powerful and imposing, but at the same time it was soothing. It reminded her of dust, of earth after a storm and a linger of silk flowers. But overall, whatever that scent was, it was filled with calm. She could feel a tiny spark of anger, but also a soothing overprotectiveness.
She gaped, unable to form any words.
“Yes, good. What you are feeling is my own scent, which I’ve been retaining until now, as it was not my wish to overwhelm you” He explained, carefully and very still, as if anything he did could upset her again. “I take it you are new to such… senses. It might not be the best moment to illustrate you, but I will gladly do so in the future, whenever you see fit.”
She wanted to laugh again. Not the best moment, he said! Why, because of her inability to think straight or the ridiculous temperature that invaded her body starting at her center, almost burning her alive? She was perplexed at the roller coaster of emotions that this man could stir within her in a single conversation.
But whatever he did, worked, and she felt no fear.
Only that motherfucking need-
“I won’t give them back to you”
She gasped, as if Zhongli just condemned her to the worst of suffers.
“You have no right. I need them”
They were both aware that he had a right, one way or the other. He had a right, both as the god who looked out and protected Liyue for so long, and as the only alpha in the room with her omega-self in heat. He could do whatever he pleased, and she would not be able to oppose.
That said, the former archon decided to overlook the fact and continued talking.
“If you keep taking the suppressants, you will fall even more sick. Suppressing an ongoing heat is also a terrible decision. Whenever they stop working on you, it will be unbearable. You need to go through a heat, Keqing”.
No. She refused, shaking her head and clasping her hands around the nearest pillow. She would never go through that again, gods be damned. She would find whatever excuse needed.
Keqing had her first heat at age 14, a very late one if she was to believe the information recorded on Liyue’s books. She had been told before that centuries ago omegas were a very rare treasure, one that humanity used to give away as an offering to the gods, knowing that all of them were on the alpha category.
But years before she was even born, an omega managed to infuriate a god beyond repair. The omega was kicked out with shame, and the humanity that had placed on it the hopes of pleasing their god started to hate him. Since then, opinions were divided, and many treated the omegas as if they were a pest.
That is, if one was ever to be found, of course.
So, she triggering a heat at age 14 didn’t seat very well with her family. She was forced to keep it quite and locked away whenever a heat arrived, as the daughter of such renowned family would not be seen laying with anyone out of such an improper need.
It was alright. She hated it as much as they did. And she would never go through it again, if she could help it. So she made one last effort to gather her thoughts and make coherent sentences, her eyes shining with plead instead of her usual determination. It was her last card.
“Please. I know what they do, but I truly need them. This is not the place nor the moment”
The consultant felt the distress, both on her words and her scent, and fell silent. His gaze fixed on her trembling form, as if studying her in detail. He noticed the speed of her breathing, the blush on her face while her hands clenched on the pillow, he could almost hear the erratic but fast rate of her heart.
Zhongli kept his amber eyes on her own, as if he was deciding, evaluating every option before him. Keqing had seen him do it many times before, though all of them developed on the battlefield. After a few minutes, the geo user sighed and the Qixing stopped her breathing.
“Very well, on one condition” He announced, and the Yuheng just wanted to scream and bite at him. “When you are on a better place, where you feel safe enough and prepared, you will interrupt the suppressants”
“You know I can’t do that” Not with her job, not with her life.
“They will stay with me, then” He was inflexible and the woman on the bed cursed him for it. It was just like fighting with a wall. It was clear on his tone that he would make no concessions there. “That said, if you decide to take up this contract, I also offer to teach you anything you would need in order to manage the heat. What will be your decision, Yuheng?”
She clenched her teeth.
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It took half an hour for the suppressants to work, and she had to take three at once. That bad was the state of her so called heat.
But Zhongli did not leave the room, refusing even when she asked him to. It was clear that he somehow knew the effects his presence and that his stupid scent did not help her at all –or maybe it did–, and still stood right by the door, watching her intently.
The only thing that Keqing dared to do was embrace the pillow as if she was strangling it. The Yuheng managed to refrain from everything else. Managed to keep her hips very still, instead of giving into the tantalizing friction that would ease the horrible heat of her center. Managed to keep the eyes on her hands, and her thoughts very away from the man in front of her and what her instincts screamed at her to do.
She focused only on her own breathing, ignoring Zhongli’s presence until her head was clear enough, and he seemed to perceive it.
“Your scent is slowly going back to normal. Do you feel better?”
“…I do” She admitted, but didn’t dare look at him. The consultant didn’t mention it, instead taking a chair and placing it in front of the bed, at a very prudential distance that Keqing appreciated. He took seat on it before studying her.
“Are you able to think clearly?” She nodded, and he relaxed a bit. “Good. Though there are quite some things I would like to explain to you, I will first answer any question you have”
It was an open invitation to voice all those thoughts that rushed to her head when he arrived, catching her by surprise. Finally meeting his eyes, Keqing found the man with a somehow regretful expression. It was his way of apologizing, she guessed.
The Yuheng took a minute to decide on her priorities and formulate a question.
“How did you know?”
Zhongli smiled, as if expecting that particular one to be the first. “As I’ve said, I can feel your scent. It was subtle at first, but it is difficult to fool me, dear Yuheng. It became just so obvious after the battle today”
“But why on earth would you be able to do so?!”
“I believe you know the answer yourself” He spoke calmly, his amber eyes showing a dangerous spark for just one second, and Keqing clenched her teeth. Of course she knew. There weren’t many options, after all, but she still refused to believe it. “Should I voice it for you? As rare as omegas are their counterpart, the alphas. Those are the only categories able to pick up another’s scent. Though I admit, I have lived quite a lot and gained the ability to hide my own”
“You can’t be serious” She muttered, but deep inside Keqing had no doubt. She had sensed the consultant’s scent just an hour ago, after all. That man was a so called alpha. There was just one little problem with that. As the books on Liyue recorded, the alphas were always born as gods.
And so, everything fell into place.
His ridiculous knowledge and the power he exhibited on the battlefield. The only one who knew of the adepti’s rite of parting, she felt the need to laugh once more. The place where she had seen those familiar amber eyes before, years ago when she was the one channeling the rite of descension. All of the Qixing knew that Morax was still alive, but they were not told where or who he was.
“You- I’m furious at you”
“I know”
“You could have said something”
“I’m currently nothing but the man you see before you, my dear Yuheng” He smiled, and she snapped.
“As hell, you are Rex Lapis! You were all this damn time! I’ve been dealing with your disaster and you just stood there, mocking and then taking my suppressants. Do you find pleasure on making everything so difficult for me!?”
She didn’t hold in a single thing. The Yuheng should be wise enough to know better, but the almost-in-heat Keqing was pissed enough to not care. The nerve of this man! Instead of a growl, this time she was met with a soft laugh.
“I was. As far as both of us concern, Liyue does no longer have a god” He stated, and she wanted to throw the pillow right at his face, though she didn’t. “You were the cause, if you may know”.
“What?”
“The reason I decided to retire. Your words gave me the gift I desired the most, Keqing” The dragon stated, and smiled when her ears became red and she buried her face on the pillow, still strangling it. Not giving her a chance to answer back, he explained. “I’ve been looking for a rest for centuries now, but I never did believe humanity could take care of itself without my protection. Until you appeared, that is, claiming that you should be able to rely on yourself first, and my doubts dissipated just by looking at you”
Silence filled the room, but it was not uncomfortable at all. It was simply a needed pause on their conversation. He waited for everything to sink in and made no attempt to push it, giving her all the time she wanted to take.
He was a cruel man, Keqing decided. There was no reason to let her know that! That she had been the cause of- Wasn’t this just what she wanted? She shouldn’t be so furious, not at him and nor at herself for being fool enough to think she could handle everything just fine once the gods were gone.
She had known for a while now that she overestimated herself. That there was so much she still needed to learn. And though she was determinated to catch up, it didn’t make it any easier.
“…I’m still mad” The Yuheng couldn’t find more words.
“And I’m still grateful” He retorted.
“You? To me? You have a terrible sense of humor”
“While that might be true, I am truly grateful to you, Keqing. Though I placed such a heavy burden on you, I know it was the right decision. You keep proving it day after day. And for that, I’m thankful”
She was a grown woman, who should be able to handle a praise coming from the man who always left his wallet at home and had no clue of the troubles it took to raise all that Mora. But her face felt so hot that she feared that the heat had come back, and she could only mutter a bunch of nonsense before hiding her face on the pillow once again.
The prideful Yuheng of Liyue, reduced to an embarrassed youngling with a single praise.
Zhongli laughed softly.
“Now then, I hope that answers your questions, as I would like to move onto the next topic. How much have you been told about the alpha and omega categories?”
“Nothing at all” She answered, prying from her pillow-cover. “Only what I’ve read on books and my own experience, which was more than enough”
“Heats might be difficult to handle for an omega itself without the proper information or preparation. I take it that it was a bad experience?”
How did he manage to talk about that like it was an usual topic was beyond her. The consultant remained calm and spoke casually, like he would if they were discussing the weather. Like it was natural and not something to be ashamed.
And so, Keqing forced herself to raise her chin and speak, despite the burning of her cheeks.
“Bad is a very light word to describe it. Having an omega on the family is not exactly a reason to be proud. When I manifested as such, I had to face both the fury of my relatives and the struggles of this… condition. Surviving a heat locked away was difficult at best”
“What do you mean, locked away? In lack of a partner, you should be kept safe and fed, at the very least” Zhongli spoke, a hint of anger on his tone while he frowned. The silence he met was enough for him to clench his teeth. “Omegas are such a rare gem, they should be a reason of pride. Though I knew some people did not share this point of view, I was not aware of the… extent of it”
“And what pride could there be? There is nothing wort-”
“Don’t” He cut, and she shut her mouth immediately. Zhongli had used that voice to command her again, whether consciously or not. “That, I disagree with. But right now I still need to explain a couple of things, so I suggest we continue this topic at other time. Maybe on Liyue, with some tea on hand”
Keqing nodded, understanding that the former archon was trying to control his anger when she noticed the clenching on his fists.
“I am sorry that you faced such a terrible situation, but I assure you, heats should not be a negative experience if properly taken care of. Even without an alpha-partner. They should develop on a safe space, ideally on a nest that omegas build as they see fit. The heat will drain your energy, so it would be recommended to have someone able to help feed you and to keep you hydrated”
The Yuheng felt like she was receiving the talk that parents would give to any teenager, but she was never instructed on anything related to her nature before. Everything felt unnatural, shameful, but Zhongli made it sound so casual and normal and right.
And while part of her wanted to run away and never look him in the eye again, another part knew that this was important. Specially now that she agreed to his terms in order to get the suppressants. While still scared and unwilling, Keqing was the prideful Yuheng of Liyue, and she would never break a contract.
There was no avoiding it now, so she carefully listened to every piece of information.
“As far as I know, in the past many omegas were not willing to go through heats with a partner, neither an alpha nor a beta –what you would call average people. Though it was too hard at first, they created some… devices, specially crafted to fit their needs while on heat” He explained, making a subtle pause while looking for the best word. The woman felt the blood rush to her face, blushing again, but made her best to ignore it.
“So they could survive without a partner? As if, not almost dying on the attempt?” Her personal experience said otherwise. Dealing with 6 years of unsuppressed heats before she found the pills was not pleasant at all, no matter what she tried.
“…They could, with average heats. After taking suppressants for so long, I do think your heat might be difficult to handle, both in intensity and duration. Going through it alone might be bad, at best. You should have someone with you able to supply for aid and safety”
She should have suppressants for a lifetime, Keqing thought, more and more unwilling to go through it by the moment. Though the embarrassment had died down a bit –maybe from overload–, she cursed at her body once again and immediately discarded the consultant’s idea.
The Yuheng of Liyue would allow no one to see her in such state if she could help it, and damn she could.
“I might know what you are thinking, and it is not a good idea” Did this man read minds as well now? The Qixing didn’t know what to expect anymore. “Do not go through that by yourself”
“I refuse to ask anyone”
“Then don’t. What if I offered to aid you?”
“I won— you what!?”
She almost choked, her mind taking a while to process the Geo user words. Offer to aid. Did he mean…? This conversation was difficult enough to handle, did this god really enjoy making her suffer? The Yuheng felt so startled that she finally let go of the pillow.
“Only if you would allow me to, of course” The consultant clarified, gaze fixed on her with an amused but unwavering light. “Though I tend to mask my scent, I am an alpha after all, gnosis or not. An alpha is designed to take care of an omega on heat. I would be able to help you better than any other partner, while keeping you safe and as healthy as possible, in terms of food and hydration—”
“Okay, okay! I understand!” She screamed, unable to bear with it. Did she finally lose her sanity, or was Morax just asking to lay with her? Her former god? “I- can’t, and won’t, ask that of you”
“Good, as you did not. It is my very own offer, Keqing” There it was. That tone again that made something within her tremble. “Believe me when I say, and pardon me if I sound bold, that it would be my pleasure. While I might seem composed at the moment, it’s only because of years of experience. If your heat hadn’t receded with the suppressants, I wouldn’t be this calm while asking you”