dont know why people got so pissed when i included a title in the warning.. but here another short one for fun

Keqing sighed, her hands in her lap. She sat alone in a dim room on the outskirts of Liyue. The scent of silk flowers drifted in through the dirtied windows, causing Keqing to allow herself a slight smile. What if Aether doesn't come? A chill ran through her body as she considered various possibilities: it was entirely possible that she had made a mistake by misplacing her trust in the mysterious traveller.

Yet even when she was under pressure, Keqing was calm. Years of having people rely on her had taught her well. This is why I cleared my schedule in advance, she thought. Even if he doesn't show, I'll be fine with work. Everything is under control. But part of her, the part of her that kept glancing through the miniature windows of the small house with repeated glimmers of hope, felt strangely on edge. Keqing didn't understand why this meeting was different. She didn't understand why her heart beat a bit faster whenever Aether was around, his otherworldly amber eyes always piercing hers. She was always a little flustered, a little nervous.

Aether stepped in through the door, closing it gently behind him. Keqing almost jumped, knocking her chair backwards abruptly. She clutched her chest. "Aether?! You almost gave me a heart attack!" she exclaimed. By the Seven, how did I get lost in my thoughts again?

"Sorry, m'lady," Aether replied playfully, "Didn't realize you were so easy to startle, being the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing and all that."

"I'm not-" Keqing began to protest. Did he just say m'lady? Does he say that to every girl he meets?

"It's all good, Keqing. Anyways, you wanted to talk business?"

Keqing closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Yes. I gave what you said the other day some thought, and I've decided that it would be best to negotiate some sort of economic compromise in order to neutralize the various factions involved," Keqing made sure Aether was listening before continuing. "All of the factions, in fact. I have a plan I created, and I'll need your help."

"So in other words, we don't have to go to war."

Keqing rolled her eyes. "Yes. In other words, we don't have to go to war."

"Well, I suppose that's a relief. Paimon will be glad to hear that too," Aether chuckled. "And I'll be glad to help you out, Keqing. I've grown pretty fond of Liyue."

Now that Keqing had presented what she needed to, and had convinced Aether to help her with much less resistance than she had prepared herself for, she began to feel the butterflies in her stomach again. She suddenly realized that Aether felt much more… accessible when Paimon wasn't around.

"Hey, where is Paimon, by the way?" Keqing asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

"Oh, she got involved with some… shenanigans," Aether looked sheepishly at the floor and scratched his hair, looking extremely guilty for no apparent reason. "I'm sure you wouldn't want to know."

"I'm sure I wouldn't."

Aether cleared his throat, looking directly into Keqing's eyes. She blinked, startled. It was a complete change in tone: the dim room suddenly felt very quiet.

"Hey, Keqing," he began quietly, "I've been meaning to ask you something."

His tone was innocent and yet Keqing couldn't stop herself from breathing faster, lighter. I shouldn't assume he's going to say what I want him to say. Stop being optimistic, Keqing. But there was something about this boy standing in front of her. She couldn't quite place it- the playful way his hair danced when he was in action, his blade lightly swinging through the air.

His strength, his humour, the way he smiled humbly but knowingly when he talked to her, not like the men in Liyue who either feared her or leered over her body. The way he appeared in her dreams before they'd even formally met, this traveller from a distant planet.

Keqing looked up at his beautiful face and gave in to her feelings. The way his lips might taste. Is it so wrong to want to love someone?

"Do you know Candice?" Aether asked.

Keqing tried to hide her disappointment. Who the fuck is Candice?

"No, who's Candice?"

"Candice dick fit in your mouth? Lol.'