A/N: Logged in and found out about Keqing's bday so I NEEDED to get this out today. Also, anything I say in this about the game that isn't actually in the game is made-up, nothing is taken from the manga aside. The cities don't count. I've searched everywhere in Liyue for a place that Keqing could've lived in, but there wasn't any—aside from Gentry Maocai's place but it didn't feel right for her to live there.


Chapter 5 - The Traveler's Request


"So, Keqing."

"Mm?"

"You know that request thing you said a few hours ago?"

"Mhm."

"I've got an idea."

The day after the Lantern Rite, Aether met Childe, who then introduced him to Zhongli. It was lucky, kind of, even if Childe was really just after Morax's gnosis like when Signora went after Venti's, because he actually managed to meet Morax himself. He should've seen it coming. Zhongli always seemed to stare at those statues like art pieces, hearing him mutter, "Not bad," whilst he was doing something a distance away. What, was he judging the work of humans and how good they depicted him? Comparing his face to the statue, the hair was the same, and he had to wonder.

Did Zhongli ever change his haircut before? After all, how could someone's taste never change after several millennia?

But it was all just a random thought to keep him occupied whilst he subconsciously played with Keqing's hair, wrapped in a blanket with her on the sofa as she read a book. He had to admit, fleece was very good for blankets. He could stay there all day long if only there was something to actually do besides staring into nowhere or just reading a book. Sadly, Genshin Impact didn't exist here. He wasn't bored... maybe...

Three weeks had passed ever since the festival, and the progress of their relationship was going quite smoothly. Once people found out about it, it spread like wildfire, with journalists coming from every possible area to hunt them down and get a good, juicy story at the new 'Star Couple of Liyue'. It had made her more stressed, and Aether hoped that there would be a chance where he could make her feel relaxed, and tonight was the perfect opportunity. He'd make her feel so good, and maybe he could get her really wet when he played with her.

It was cooking! What else?

Hopefully his cooking skills were up to the test—he'd been practicing with Xiangling whenever he had time, and it wasn't half-bad, save the slime jus and everything, especially about Paimon. Besides, he'd been cooking Sweet Madames for half a year that he was at least bound to be decent at whipping something up. There were also the mushroom skewers, and the meat rolls, and so, so many fried eggs. Scrambled would be the better choice, in his opinion. He could treat her to dinner today, and maybe some breakfast tomorrow if he woke up earlier than her. That would mean 4am if he included the cooking time... Aether had stopped counting the amount of times he told her to get a healthy amount of sleep, yet find that she still continued to sleep for only 5 or 6 hours.

Whatever! It's been a while since he saw her sleeping face, anyway!

Aether vowed to make the best use of this request, given that it was a rare chance. She did say anything he wanted, didn't she? Sure, he could've used it for missing people posters, but—sorry, sis—he really wanted to spend more time with Keqing. He did note that he had become somewhat clingy the past few days, but that was most probably just a phase, especially the part where he felt like the happiest guy in the world whenever she simply smiled at him. The only time they saw each other was at a far distance when their eyes happened to meet while she was working, or at night when she finally finished working, but was too sleepy to talk to him. It was basically the relationship of a long-time married couple. You work, sleep, then you work, and then sleep, and then BOOM! A holiday! Then you go back to work.

So, finally having sorted his thoughts for the past hour, he said, "Take the whole day off. That's what I want."

Keqing's whole body turned, her legs wrapping around his once more as she closed the book, eyes sparkling in wonder as if Aether was some sort of genius. Only 2 days have passed ever since they jumped over the hurdle that was sleeping in the same bed, but she had oddly gotten comfortable rather quick—not that he didn't like it, of course. At least now he never needed to sleep on the couch whenever he stayed over. It looked like she really wanted it, but then again, Keqing would most likely deny it, her made-up guilt about abandoning Liyue overpowering her other feelings, even if it was only temporarily if that was really the case. She really looked like a child who had just received their dream toy on Christmas day.

"I couldn't possibly..." she looked away, having realised that her face had practically exploded.

"C'mon... you did say that I could do anything, right? I'll get the Tianquan to do it so it isn't that embarrassing for you. You know, having to send in my request about your day off and... yeah."

She didn't know whether handing Aether's request concerning her day off was more embarrassing than getting the Tianquan to tease her about it. Ningguang always gave her those knowing smirks, and Aether had seen on some occasions, not thinking too much about it. She was still looking away. Keqing always tended to do that whenever she was hiding what she actually wanted. For example, a degenerate kid looking away when they said they didn't want an actual physical copy of Barb*ra Star! Dush! If you don't know what it is, you don't need to know...

In any case, trying to convince her now would be hard, so he'd just do it himself when she was asleep, but for now Aether would need to plan out everything for tomorrow. Glancing at the clock, it was 10:30, and he knew Keqing slept at 11, so he could continue cuddling with Keqing, feeling her arms wrap around him like she was holding on for dear life, squirming in delight every so often whenever he kissed her forehead. It felt nice to have someone to hug, especially in the chilly temperature of the night. Even the heaters were on, but it still felt cold, but Keqing herself was as warm as, or even warmer than, the heater, even if she said she felt like freezing up. Keqing said the same for him. If they did this 3 days ago, they would've both been a stuttering, tomato-faced mess.

For a while, they talked about random trivial things such as how slimes actually tasted, what work she usually did, food they liked—there was an argument about pineapple on pizza, and Keqing had brought up the topic of coffee. Well, considering how much she worked, coffee must be an essential to keep her alive. Keqing was a coffee enthusiast, claiming to have travelled to other cities such as Fontaine and Sumeru, she loved Sumeru, to find more varieties of coffee beans around Teyvat. Whenever, they talked like this, it made Aether happy to know that he was at least making some sort of difference to her life. She was more polite to everyone—not that she wasn't, but you could sense that she was a bit more nicer, and she had started expressing herself more. Everyone didn't look at her like some intimidating person anymore, but instead someone the people admired.

A few days ago whilst walking, he saw a family taking a small stroll out in Guili Plains whilst he was out on a commission, and he heard the child, holding her parents' hands, tell her parents about a super cool lady they began to talk about in class. The lady was very strong and had lightning powers, and she wondered if she could ever be like the lady if she dreamed hard enough. It made him beam, because before, he heard some men talking about how the Yuheng had zipped all the people's mouths shut when she simply glared at them. Even he felt intimidated when he first met her, but looking at Keqing now, he wondered if anyone could ever be so endearing.

She purred, allowing his arms to take her, Aether cupping her cheek as he kissed her on her forehead, the sensation alone enough to curl her toes, her hand reaching for his face as she smiled, sleep taking her while she faintly cooed, "Aether~" a content sigh leaving her lips. Keqing hid deeper into her hoodie, nuzzling into his chest, her eyelids shutting close. Aether, having realised this, slowly took her book and threw it to the table, using anemo to soften the blow. He waited for a few minutes to make sure she was asleep before he began.

Carefully, his wariness even more than when he attempted to steal the Holy Lyre der Himmel, Aether released her arms from him, gradually getting out of the blanket and getting out of the couch. It was hard; his feet could've hit hers, or maybe the sound he might've made could've stirred her, or if he moved too much she might've woken up, but thankfully, Aether managed to carry her into the bedroom and tuck her in, pecking her cheek goodnight before jumping out the window, spreading his arms to activate his glider. Keqing had informed him that he could make the request at the Yuehai Pavilion

Getting to the location from where he was, it only took a few minutes. Keqing lived in a condominium in Chihu Rock, twice the size of the bell towers in the docks. There were 3 of them, all taller than the rest of the buildings, spiking high into the sky—and Keqing always felt proud whenever she looked at them. True, they were really pretty—especially the incredible view—and it accommodated many more people than before, increasing the population capacity and tourism. It was close enough to the docks to get a good look of the sea, but far enough to never smell seafood or the loud noises of the ships and the sailors. Of course, the chattering of the citizens was always present, but that was one of Liyue's charms.


The sun shone bright in the clear, blue skies, the curtains swaying lightly in the breeze, allowing some light to hit Keqing's eyelids. She grumbled, turning over whilst she heard the squawks of the seagulls, a distinct smell of bacon and eggs tingling her nose, but just a whiff of coffee had stirred her up, meeting face to face with a smiling Aether, his hair blowing freely. He had a red cup in one hand, and a tray of food in the other, her kitten apron tied around his waist. It was way too cute that she just couldn't help but express it with a delighted "Awww," bringing the pillow to her cheeks as she continued to glance at him, amused. Then, while Aether voiced a "Morning" while putting the food at the bedside table, she realised that the sun was high up in the sky.

"W-what time is it?! Oh shit, I—

Aether interrupted her with a kiss to the forehead. After the amount of times he'd kissed that specific spot, it was safe to say that he was obsessed with kissing her that way. Sitting at the edge of the bed. sipping a bit of the coffee, his hand squeezed hers reassuringly, "It's fine. I turned off your alarm since you don't have to work today. I told you already, it's my request." He handed the cup to Keqing, who took the cup whilst she was deep in her thoughts, like it was a habit she had honed her whole life. It must've taken a lot of coffee spilling and cup breaking to finally get such great accuracy. Yet another thing to add to his 'Things Keqing is Good At' list.

She brought the cup to her mouth, uttering a low "Thanks," cheeks taking on light-pink colour, "you didn't have to do that."

"Yeah, I did—and I wanted to." Aether tousled her hair, grinning, "Happy birthday, Keqing."


A/N: I've decided to make a new story that I hope will be way better than this, have an actual proper plot, and try to include Paimon more. It's just including a third wheel is pretty hard for me.