"Wait, what? You're dating someone?"

Ganyu nodded, a shy smile forming on her lips. "It hasn't been very long and we haven't told anyone yet, but I'd like for you to meet her."

Beidou playfully winked at her friend, although she only had one visible eye. "Of course. What's her name? Do I know her?"

Ganyu's ears turned pink, and she awkwardly scratched the back of her head. "W-well, I haven't exactly asked her if she'd be OK with telling people that we're official. In fact, most people don't even know we were even friends." She let out a soft sigh and gently bit down on her bottom lip. She probably should have asked before bringing it up with Beidou.

"Hey, no worries! Tell you what, Ningguang and I are going to get dinner at Xinyue Kiosk tonight. If the two of you want, we could have a double date."

Ganyu blinked. "Would that really be OK? I don't want to intrude…"

Beidou dismissed her concern with a lazy wave. "It won't be a problem, trust me. Ningguang won't mind." Probably.

"I-if you say so. I'll talk to her about it when I see her. We're going on a walk later this evening." A small smile graced Ganyu's lips, and Beidou was happy to see that her friend found someone special. If anyone deserved to let loose, it was Ganyu.

Well, other than Ningguang and Keqing, but Ningguang was already pretty wild when she spent time alone with Beidou.

Beidou whistled, impressed. "Shit, Ganyu, I knew you and Keqing sorted out your differences, but I didn't think you guys would end up fucking each other."

Ningguang harshly jabbed her elbow into Beidou's arm with a chastising glare, otherwise unfazed by the pirate queen's forthright—and vulgar—comment. The other two, however, were absolutely mortified by it. Normally, Ganyu wouldn't be too fazed by Beidou's uncouth bluntness (and even welcomed it at times), but the situation was enough to turn her red as a beet.

"Beidou," Ningguang scolded. "Behave yourself, or you're sleeping on the couch tonight."

"Nah, you wouldn't do that. You usually punish me in a different way," Beidou responded with a shit-eating grin on her face.

Ningguang jabbed her even harder this time, refusing to look at Beidou with the faintest blush on her cheeks.

Beidou rubbed her sore arm with a smug smile, then turned her attention back to Ganyu and Keqing. "So, you two are together, huh? How'd that happen? One moment you two couldn't stand each other, and now you're making lovey-dovey eyes at each other."

"We are not!" Keqing exclaimed indignantly, face flushed from embarrassment. She didn't even bother to hide her disgust with Beidou (unsurprising, as the Yuheng was known for speaking her mind). Less than ten minutes into the evening, and she was already regretting her decision to agree to go on this double date. She wasn't particularly fond of spending even more time in Ningguang's company (or any, for that matter), but Ganyu looked so excited and happy when she asked her to come along. How could she have said no?

Well, if Keqing knew this was how the night would play out, she wouldn't have hesitated to shoot down the offer, Ganyu's precious smile be damned.

Beidou let out a hearty laugh, then waved her hand dismissively. "All right, I'll stop teasing now. I'll have mercy on you two. Ningguang, however, is still fair game." Her jest was met with a disapproving yet defeated expression from the Tianquan, clearly exhausted with her girlfriend's… well, everything, really.

"Why do I willingly choose to spend my precious time in your company?" she sighed under her breath, pinching the bridge of her nose. She was seriously rethinking all her life decisions.

"Well, I am incredibly sexy and charming. No one could resist me. You should feel honored I chose to be with you," Beidou said, draping her arm around Ningguang.

Ningguang simply rolled her eyes and ignored her girlfriend's attempts to push her buttons. "Well, I'm glad the two of you could join us for tonight. Even if it was a last minute decision," she said, her tone pointed.

"Aw, c'mon, Ning. You're the Tianquan. You can get a reservation here any time without a hitch. We already had a table, and they just had to add two more chairs for them."

"That's not what I—never mind." Ningguang was clearly in a foul mood. Although Beidou was used to it (since she was usually the reason Ningguang was irritated), Ganyu and Keqing weren't quite sure what to do, feeling like they had intruded on the other two's night out together.

"I apologize on her behalf," Ningguang said, adding a soft "as usual" under her breath. "But I too am curious as to how you two got together. For the longest time, you two were at odds with each other. It's unexpected to say the least."

Beidou snapped her fingers like she just got an idea. "Maybe it was like how we got together, Ning! Like how your frustration with me became sexual tension until—"

Ningguang sharply pushed Beidou on the shoulder, hard enough to topple her over. "Oh my, it seems the famous pirate queen of Liyue Harbor can't even do something as simple as keeping her balance on land. How embarrassing."

Beidou got up with a hiss of pain as she rubbed her backside. "Fuck, Ning, I get it already. I'll stop now."

Ganyu spoke up, seeing how Keqing was not at all interested in what was happening, trying to shut out the rest of the world as she ate. "Well, as I'm sure you already know, we both take our work very seriously. Oftentimes, we'd be the only two left working overtime. At first, we worked on things separately, but then we found it to be more efficient to work together when she asked for help on a particularly busy night. We just started spending more time together, and we didn't need to feel the need to hold back since we were alone."

"All alone together at night, huh?" Beidou grinned, waggling her one visible eyebrow. "Did you guys fu—" Beidou stopped herself, nervously glancing over at Ningguang, who was visibly less than pleased with her outburst. Luckily for her, she caught herself before Ningguang needed to forcibly put a stop to the captain's impulsiveness.

Ganyu continued as if Beidou didn't say anything, although her ears were pink now, and Keqing was hiding her face in her hands (as she had already been doing the entire time).

"That's how we started getting over our differences. We didn't talk much at first, just making small talk if anything while we worked. We became more comfortable around each other, and began to talk more naturally, and, well—"

"I asked her out," Keqing interrupted, fed up with the other two prying into her private life. "The rest is history. Can we just order the food now?"

Ningguang nodded, then called over a server. The rest of the night was relatively uneventful with Beidou not shutting up (as usual) while the other three ate in relative silence.

"Sorry about that," Ganyu apologized, sheepishly twiddling her thumbs as they got back to Keqing's place.

The Yuheng shook her head, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Don't apologize. It was actually kind of entertaining, seeing Ningguang like that. It usually takes a lot to get a rise out of her."

"But still, I feel bad. You were so uncomfortable the entire time."

Keqing shook her head, trying to dismiss her girlfriend's worries. "The food alone was worth it, especially since Ningguang paid for everything," she said with a smirk. "Plus, not all of the company was bad. It was nice to see you enjoying yourself without having to hold back. You're like a completely different person when you're with friends. Plus, I like being able to spend time with you since we're always so busy with work. Although I would have preferred it to be just the two of us, I'm glad we got to go on another date together."

Ganyu was silent for a moment, lost in thought, then approached Keqing with an uncharacteristic boldness.

"Then let me make it up to you," she said, gently cupping Keqing's face with a hand to turn her girlfriend's head toward her, affectionately running her thumb over her cheek. She reached for Keqing's hand with her other one and held it as she lovingly stared into her girlfriend's eyes.

Keqing hummed happily, a content smile on her lips as she put her free hand over Ganyu's. "Well, if you insist. What do you have in mind?"

Ganyu blushed. "A lot of things, actually. I have a list, if you'd like to choose for yourself."

Keqing laughed, amused by how serious the secretary took everything. "Oh, Ganyu. There's no need for all that. Although, I must admit I am rather curious about this list. Mind telling me about it?"

The half-qilin planted a soft kiss on Keqing's lips, squeezing her hand. "I would love nothing more."

"So, Lady Ningguang, the almighty Tianquan of Liyue, how are you going to punish me for my behavior tonight?"

Ningguang let out a loud sigh as Beidou dramatically bowed before her, but the exasperated look on her face was suddenly replaced with a mischievous smirk, one that made Beidou feel hot all over. Although she wanted the night for themselves, and among her other wants, there was something that came to mind that would be even more satisfying—for her at least.

"Actually, I just got an idea. It's something new, like you've been asking for."

Beidou arched her visible brow at her, her interest piqued. "Oh? Tell me more."

Ningguang lazily twirled a lock of white hair around her finger. "Well, let me go get something from my room first. You'll see what it is soon enough."

"Oh?" Beidou regarded her curiously. "We're not going to the bedroom for this?"

Ningguang hummed not so innocently, her devious smile sending a shiver down Beidou's spine. "No, I told you it'll be something different. Just wait right here and make yourself comfortable."

There was a sparkle in her eye, clearly excited for what was to come. "Damn, how mysterious. You've already got me all hot and bothered, Ning."

Ningguang let out a small laugh, then left the pirate all alone in the living room.

Beidou wasn't sure what to expect when she finally came back, but it wasn't this.

Ningguang tossed a pair of silk pajamas haphazardly onto her lap, then turned away to walk back to her room. "You're sleeping on the couch tonight."

Beidou jumped to her feet and followed the Tianquan. "W-wait, you're not actually serious are you?"

Ningguang giggled before closing the door in Beidou's shocked face, locking her out with a soft click. "Sweet dreams, stupid."