Yanfei soaked in that salty ocean air and sighed in content. This was the life. No balance sheets, no civil lawsuits, no drawn-out custody battles, just a boat, a fishing rod, and her boyfriend. Aether crossed over the deck and handed her a Fonta. She guzzled down the refreshing beverage.
It had been a slow morning for her, but she didn't mind. Fishing wasn't always about catching, but about the company you kept.
Then Aether reeled in his fifth Golden Koi. He tossed the fish into the collection with the others. Yanfei studied his absurd haul. She whistled in amazement. "Is there anything you're not good at?"
"My singing attracts Whopper Flowers."
"That could be useful if you're hunting them," she retorted. "Seriously though, you ever think of putting together a résumé?"
"Maybe I will. Speaking of, how's the new client?"
"Oh, don't even get me started," she grumbled. "First, he wants to sue his ex-wife for taking the family dog, then he wants to sue the lawyer who oversaw their divorce, and now he wants to sue me because I won't sue the lawyer who oversaw his divorce! It's bureaucratic madness!"
Aether whistled. "Sounds rough."
"Yeah. Times like these make me wish I'd gone rapping instead of lawyering."
"Yeah? What'd be your rapper's name?"
"Pyroslinger."
"Sounds like a bandit."
"I'm workshopping it."
Aether was about to retort when his line tugged once again. He rushed to reel in his catch. She couldn't believe it. Not even a minute and he already caught another one.
Aether reeled in his sixth golden koi. Yanfei tried, and failed, to stifle the nugget of envy in her throat. Silly thing to get upset over, but still. Yanfei turned her gaze out to the sea. Why weren't these darn fishes biting her line?
To think, she'd been so confident that she even challenged him to a fishing contest. Oh well.
At least, she got to check out a shirtless Aether. His body shimmered in the sunlight. Golden hair trailed down his back down to his swimming trunks. He had a broad chest, muscular arms, and a delicious smile.
Better yet though, he was checking out her. Whenever he thought she wasn't looking, his eyes trailed up her bare legs. The bikini flaunted her thighs which melded seamlessly into her buttocks and hips. Aether ogled tops of her breasts peeking out from the triangle bikini. More than once, she saw his pants tighten with arousal.
This was doing wonders for her self-esteem. Not with fishing, mind you, but her own attractiveness.
Yanfei stretched her hands over her head and puffed out her chest. Long, laborious movements that caught Aether's attention. His eyes homed in on the cups, on her nipples straining against the cloth. He quickly looked away.
Adorable. This man must've been with a dozen women, and he still got bashful. No wonder Yae Miko loved teasing him. If she were a little more daring, Yanfei would've put her foot on his crotch and teased him. But not here. That kind of tomfoolery might cost her her lawyer license. The harbor wasn't exactly far off.
Her line tugged. Yanfei grabbed the rod and began reeling it in. The fish was strong, resisting her with all its might. And it was strong.
"Come on, you…" she growled between breaths.
The rod bent ominously. Yanfei could barely turn the handle. She dug her feet into the railing, pulling with her whole back.
"Yanfei," said Aether nervously. "I think you should let it go."
"No way," she said. "This sucker's mine!"
"Yanfei, it's carrying the boat!"
Turning around, Yanfei saw he was right. The harbor had vanished. All around them now, there was only water. They'd gone off course.
In her moment of hesitation, the fish tugged. Yanfei flew overboard and crashed into the water. She sunk, deeper into that crystal blue water of unfathomable depths. Yanfei released the rod. She kicked upwards towards the surface, but she couldn't hold her breath.
But she didn't drown. In fact, Yanfei discovered she could breathe just fine. Despite all the water, it wasn't any different from breathing actual air. What on earth?
"Yanfei!" She glanced upwards. Aether came swimming towards her like a torpedo.
"Aether, what's going on? How can we speak like this?"
"We're in Fontaine," he said. "Water's breathable here."
Before she could ask anything further, a roar echoed from behind them. Aether's eyes widened. Yanfei shivered as she felt the water stir. Something very large was coming up very quickly on them.
He swum around her and extended his arms in defense. Up from the depths came a glowing blue whale. No time to flee. Its jaw opened wide.
"Hello, Aether. Long time no see."
Yanfei blinked. Did that whale just … speak?
Aether scowled. "Scylla! Were you the one who pulled us off course?"
"Not by intention," said the whale. "I saw a rather delicious looking snack and thought I'd give it a taste. How was I to know it was a fishing line?"
"Um… Aether? Who is this?"
He sighed. "Right. Yanfei, this is Scylla. Scylla, this is Yanfei."
"Charmed," said the whale. "Sorry for the trouble."
"Don't," she stuttered, "Don't worry about it."
Scylla circled them, spinning about as she danced along the currents. Yanfei stared at the beautiful leviathan. To think, Aether was friends with something like this. Her boyfriend seriously got around.
She paused. "Hey, Scylla? Could we… ride you?"
"Certainly."
The whale swum beneath them, its long dorsal fins brushing their legs. Aether grabbed hold of the fin and directed Yanfei to do the same. The giant whale cruised along the ocean.
They flew across a kingdom of bright corals where Blubberbeasts sang and seahorses played. More creatures than she could imagine. Schools of fish circled in thick clusters. Giant crabs scurried about the sand. Rainbow rays shimmered across the fish that swum alongside them. Gorgeous. But it all paled in comparison, to the sensation of Aether's hand upon hers.
Scylla dropped them off beside a Statue of the Seven, promising to return once she found a real snack. The whale swam away, leaving them behind.
"Sorry about that," said Aether.
"You kidding? This was incredible!"
"Well, you know what this means," said Aether.
"What's that?" she said.
"You won our fishing contest."
"Huh, I guess so." She smirked. "Then as the winner, you have to do what I say."
"What'd you have in mind?"
Yanfei got a very lewd grin. "Tell me something. Have you ever made love underwater?"
"Can't say I have, no."
"Me neither. Let's fix that."
Two bodies entwined. The fishing buddies made love again and again.
When at last Scylla returned for them, Yanfei napped in his embrace. The whale escorted them back to their boat and pushed them back to Liyue Harbor.
Aether carried Yanfei to the Serenitea Pot and laid her onto a bed. He kissed her cheek and whispered, "Good night." Then, he lay down beside her. Giggling, Yanfei rolled into his arms and kissed him back.
"Good night, my fishing buddy."