Chapter Text
“My my, Yuheng. Falling asleep at your desk? How irresponsible.”
Keqing snaps awake, sitting up straight at her desk. She quickly blinks the sleep out of her eyes as she focuses on the figure in the doorway-the Tianquan of Liyue.
Ningguang smirks and takes another drag of her pipe, “Welcome back to the world of the living, Yuheng.”
“I was only resting my eyes!” Keqing quickly insists. She needed to get this report done and was going to stay as late as needed to finish it-but at a quarter to eleven she felt a headache coming on. She figured if she rested for a moment, she could get back to work . . . but did she fall asleep?
“Sure you were,” Ningguang rolls her eyes. “You didn’t move for ten minutes.”
Was she asleep for ten minutes? She glances over to the clock and is horrified that it’s a quarter past one. She was asleep for over two hours and Ningguang caught her. Rather than feel mortified, she tries to turn the tables, “Were you watching me sleep?”
Ningguang shrugs, “I had to make sure you didn’t work yourself to death.” She takes another long drag of her pipe and blows out the smoke. Before Keqing can lob another accusation at her, she says, “Did you know you talk in your sleep?”
Does she really? Or is Ningguang just trying to get a rise out of her? She sighs, trying to keep a level head, “No. I did not know. What did I say?”
Ningguang’s smirk seems to curl deeper, “Why, I heard you say my name.”
Yeah, this is just one of Ningguang’s ploys. Keqing narrows her eyes, “You’re lying.”
“Why would I lie?” Ningguang asks. “I certainly hope you had a good dream.”
Keqing can feel the heat rise to her cheeks, but clears her throat and attempts to get Ningguang off that train of thought, “I don’t remember the dream, if I did have one. Now, what are you still doing here so late?”
There’s a mischievous twinkle in Ningguang’s eye when she says, “Why don’t I show you?”
“Show me what?” Keqing asks.
“It’s a surprise.”
“A surprise,” Keqing leans back in her chair and raises an eyebrow. “Forgive me for not being overjoyed at the prospect of a surprise, but how do I know that this won’t be a waste of my time?”
“I promise I’ll make it worth your while,” Ningguang says. “And I’m surprised you don’t consider a nap a waste of time.”
Keqing bristles, “Sleep is never a waste of time, as it’s needed to survive. But this surprise of yours is.”
“Just trust me, Keqing,” Ningguang says. She never uses her real name-just her title. “I’m fairly certain that your paperwork can wait until tomorrow.”
Keqing still isn’t convinced, so she crosses her arms and stares at Ningguang. She doesn’t know why she’s being so insistent on this-especially since the only thing she can gain out of it is another opportunity to annoy her.
“Fine,” Ningguang sighs. “If you decide it was not worth your time, I will personally complete whatever paperwork you deem is important enough to stay here so late.”
“Deal,” Keqing agrees and launches out of her seat. Getting Ningguang to do her work after wasting her time is a guaranteed thing in her mind-since there’s no way she will enjoy this. “Let’s get this ‘surprise’ over with.”
Ningguang smirks, “Follow me.”
At this hour, Yuehai Pavilion is empty and dark. Ningguang’s and Keqing’s footsteps echo down the halls, the rest of the Pavilion utterly quiet. Keqing likes it at this hour-as she can work in peace without distraction (supposedly, she thinks as she glances at Ningguang) but she tends to like sleep more.
The two end up at Ningguang’s temporary office. It’s one of the larger rooms at the Pavilion, but it seems strangely empty. No, it’s not because Ningguang’s three secretaries aren’t buzzing around or the fact that her piles of paperwork have been locked away, deemed too important to leave out unattended. It’s because the plain office lacks the glamour of the Jade Chamber and everything that had Ningguang’s touch.
Ningguang makes a beeline towards a cabinet in the back of the room-not bothering to light any of the lamps on her way. Keqing’s not going to do her work for her so it can stay dark. In the darkness, Keqing can see the glint of the two crystal glasses Ningguang pulls out, followed by a bottle of wine.
“You brought me here,” Keqing says as she stalks over. “To have a drink.”
“A drink of the finest dandelion wine money can buy,” Ningguang insists.
“You came all the way to Yuehai Pavilion for a bottle of wine?” Keqing continues.
“I came all the way to Yuehai Pavilion for some damn good wine,” Ningguang corrects as she pours two glasses.
Ningguang passes her a glass, but Keqing doesn’t touch it. She just watches the Tianquan down half of her glass and asks, “Why?”
“Do you want to know the truth?” Ningguang asks.
“Uh, yes?” Keqing hates it when Ningguang speaks in flirtations and teasing-hiding her true meaning. The truth, for once, would be nice.
“I couldn’t sleep,” Ningguang says-and to Keqing’s surprise she is earnest. The smirk is gone from her face, and she won’t look Keqing in the eye. “And I wanted a drink, so I came here since I knew I had some saved.”
Keqing stares at Ningguang. She wonders if she’s sleep deprived and that’s why she’s being candid with her, “Oh. Awful lot of work for one drink.”
“Trust me,” Ningguang says, huffing into her glass. “It won’t be just one drink.”
Usually, Keqing tries to keep out of the affairs of the Tianquan-despite how Ningguang always finds a way to meddle in hers. But right now, here in the dark, Ningguang seems . . . vulnerable. She’s managed to keep up a facade throughout the death of Rex Lapis and the fall of the Jade Chamber. Keqing thinks she’s seeing behind the mask for the first time. Against her better judgement, she asks, “Ningguang, are you doing okay?”
Ningguang finishes her first drink and begins to pour the second, “I’ll have to have another drink before I answer that,” she eyes Keqing’s still-full glass, “Now, come on Keqing, don’t let me drink alone.”
With a sigh, Keqing takes the first sip of her drink. She’s not really . . . an alcohol person in general, but the dandelion wine is sweet enough that she can drink it.
“Is your drink satisfactory?” Ningguang asks.
“It’s fine,” Keqing says. She glances at Ningguang’s glass-which is almost empty, so she asks again. “How have you been doing, Ningguang?”
Ningguang starts pouring another drink.
“Ningguang,” Keqing repeats. “Have you been getting enough sleep, or do you often visit your office to get drunk?”
“I don’t always come here to get drunk. Sometimes I work,” Ningguang says.
“And what about sleep?” Keqing stresses.
“It’s been hard to sleep,” Ningguang admits. “My current lodgings don’t feel like home. And when I close my eyes . . . I see it fall again.”
“I’m sorry that you had to sacrifice the Jade-” Keqing begins.
“I don’t regret my actions. It was for Liyue,” Ningguang says.
“Just because you don’t regret it doesn’t mean it won’t hurt,” Keqing says. “And it’s okay to hurt. You sacrificed your home.”
Ningguang pauses, but softly smiles, “Thank-you, Keqing.”
Keqing quickly turns away, the genuine sentiment from the Tianquan bringing a blush to her cheeks. Hopefully, Ningguang doesn’t see it in the dark-but knowing her she probably does and will use it to tease her later. So, Keqing tries to hide it by quickly downing the rest of her glass of wine.
“So,” Ningguang says. “Was the surprise worth it?”
Keqing doesn’t care for the wine, but what she does care for is seeing Ningguang without her walls up for once. She swallows her own pride and admits, “Yes. It was.”
“Good,” Ningguang smiles, but it doesn’t curve into its usual smirk. “Would you care for another glass?”
“No, thank-you,” Keqing sighs, but it turns into a yawn. She glances at the clock in the office and it’s getting closer to two. Four more hours until she usually wakes up for work, but she still has paperwork to do . . .
“Go home, Keqing,” Ningguang says. “I’ll take care of your paperwork. Get some sleep.”
“No, it’s fine. I took a nap earlier, remember?” Keqing says, fighting back another yawn. “It’s hardly appropriate for me to sleep while the Tianquan does my work for me.”
“Trust me, Keqing, I wouldn’t be sleeping anyways,” Ningguang insists.
Keqing doesn’t know if she’s just sleep deprived, or if she’s just crazy, as she says without thinking, “Come home with me.”
“Oh?” the smirk finally returns to Ningguang’s face. “How forward of you, Yuheng-and we haven’t even been on a date yet.”
“Not like that!” Keqing hisses. “I just thought . . . my house is closer, and I have a spare bedroom . . . and it’s no Jade Chamber but . . .”
“Keqing,” Ningguang cuts her ramblings off. “I think I’ll take you up on your offer.”
“Really?” Keqing checks.
“Yes,” Ningguang collects the glasses and puts them and the wine away. “Of course, in thanks I insist on doing the work mentioned in the original deal.”
“You don’t have to,” Keqing says. “Really.”
“I already said I insist, Yuheng,” Ningguang says. “Now, shall we get going?”
Even at 2 AM, Liyue Harbor is filled with light-but the people that fill the streets during the day are all asleep. Keqing and Ningguang walk side by side, with the former leading the way.
While her family does own a grand manor elsewhere in the city, Keqing owns a smaller apartment near Yuehai Pavilion for the convenience of it all. She opens the door and says, “Make yourself at home.”
If she’s being honest-she doesn’t spend much time at home. She eats a quick breakfast here, goes to work, comes home, and goes to sleep. When she does have time to relax, she often spends it shopping and will dump her purchases off at her apartment. So, her place can be seen as . . . cluttered, sometimes.
Ningguang looks around, her face collected, “Are you sure you live here? This isn’t a warehouse you use to store your surplus purchases?”
“Yes. I know. I need to organize,” Keqing sighs. “Now, is there anything I can get for you? I have a spare set of nightclothes.”
“I would appreciate that,” Ningguang nods. “Thank-you, Keqing. Truly.”
Keqing pauses, feeling the blush rise to her cheeks again, “No problem, Ningguang.”
“Is that a blush, dear Yuheng?”
“No! Go the fuck to sleep!”
“Without you to keep me warm?”
“Yes, obviously!”
She quickly goes to get Ningguang her nightclothes so this conversation can’t continue, and basically throws them at her head, “Good night, Ningguang.”
“Good night, Keqing,” Ningguang replies. “Sweet dreams.”
“Thank-you. You too.”
“And hopefully that’ll mean that you’ll see me in your dreams again,” Ningguang teases.
“Uhg, you’ve ruined the moment!” Keqing claims as she marches off.
“You didn’t deny it!”