*Disclaimer* - I do not own the copyright to Genshin Impact

*A/N* - Salutations! And right off the bat, I'd like to apologize to those following my writing for over two years. I'd been keeping up a steady schedule of updating this story on Ningguang's birthday. However, this year has been quite the change. Life being unpredictable is what I blame. Not me! Either way, this birthday shot will be somewhat inspired by Ningguang's birthday letter this year (2024). Thanks again for checking this chapter out whether you're a new viewer or a returning one. And I hope you'll enjoy the chapter!

*P.S.* - *Correlates with Ningguang's Birthday Letter 2024*

Staring out at the brilliant sky before her, the Tianquan of the Qixing couldn't help but carelessly smile at the sight before her.

Not only was today a beautiful one, but the fact was that it was her very special day. The one time she could truly claim that one day she was entitled to her own without facing any repercussions. Moreover, it was a day that she would be greeted by others in a pleasant mood along with her morale being boosted.

However, there was also another reason for the positive news.

Sitting at her desk, Ningguang picked up what appeared to be a fancy letter addressed directly to her. And it came from a very special someone in her life. Someone who had managed to help her many times now and even gotten to see the real her and not the Tianquan side of her. That special someone also managed to make time for her even with as busy as he usually was.

Aether.

Better known as the Traveler. Going around each of the regions in Teyvat and finding clues about his long-lost sister. And with what she had come to learn of his adventure, he and his traveling companion, Paimon, were about ready to head to Natlan. Another adventure awaited them.

Alas, there was a small part deep within her that wanted to see him. Desired to see him one last time before he continued his journey. Wish him the best of luck and give him a few words of inspiration to continue his quest. If only…

*Knock*

*Knock*

*Knock*

The sound of knocking could be heard coming from the Jade Chamber's front entrance. Following this, small murmurs could be heard but it was unclear what was being said. A moment later, one of her secretaries could be seen coming to her desk.

"Lady Ningguang. You have a visitor."

"Oh? And who might it be?"

A sly smile appeared on the secretary's face.

"Someone you're quite familiar with."

"That's not a very astute deduction on who it might be. I'm familiar with a great number of people. Especially with my latest trade dealing with Fontaine" Ningguang answered back.

Shaking her head, the secretary smiled once more.

"You'll see what I mean. I'll send them in."

"Them?"

Before Ningguang could question her secretary again, the sound of footsteps walking toward her could be heard and before long the sight of a familiar blonde-haired man could be seen. The very someone that she was desiring to see today.

"Happy Birthday!"

"Happy Birthday!"

The Traveler and Paimon were now here and holding a gift in each of their hands.

"Aether! Paimon! I didn't expect you two to show up today."

"What are you talking about? How could you think that we'd miss your birthday?" Paimon asked while casually floating up to the Tianquan.

"We always manage to make time for our friends' birthdays. Especially yours" Aether replied while smiling brightly.

Seeing that smile in person again caused Ningguang's heart to spike up and be filled with warmth. Just knowing that he had made time in his adventure to see her again was enough for her to do something that might have seemed quite odd to her.

In one swift move, Ningguang pulled Aether into a tight hug while nuzzling her head in his neck. The move surprised both Paimon and Aether but then they relaxed and simply smiled at the birthday girl. Comparing Ningguang from now to when they first met her was quite a staggering difference. However, in the time they got to hang out with her, the traveling duo managed to see the real Ningguang.

The Ningguang who would risk every single Mora of her to make sure her friends were taken care of along with helping those who needed it most. Additionally, the real Ningguang was someone who would walk headfirst with you into a fight and not back down. That was only one of many things that made her special.

"Really? Word is that you two were about ready to head to Natlan."

"Yeah. We're actually about ready to head on out. But we couldn't do that until we stopped by and wished you a Happy Birthday" the Traveler reasoned with a smile.

"Hm. Always the go-getter."

"Is that a bad thing?"

Staring at the blonde-haired boy with a warm and affectionate smile, Ningguang smiled gracefully at him.

"No, not at all. Thank you for sparing some time to see me. A letter would have- "

"Would have not been enough" Aether interrupted while staring right into her eyes. "We owed you some time and we wish we could give you some more."

"That's right! At the next Lantern Rite Festival, we're going to stick with you like glue!" Paimon exclaimed while smiling brightly. "We'll even help set some things up this time around."

"That would be wonderful. I see you also brought some gifts."

Smirking at her comment, Aether and Paimon grabbed their presents and glanced at one another.

"You wanna go first, Paimon?"

"Sure! Here you go, Ningguang. Happy Birthday!"

Graciously taking the gift from the small girl, Ningguang opened her box to find an assortment of macarons all decorated in various colors as well as one spelling out "Happy Birthday."

"These look delicious! Thank you, Paimon."

"Aww. You're welcome! Heehee!"

Seeing the happy look on his significant other's face, Aether decided to add to that positivity.

"My turn. Happy Birthday, Ning!"

Gently handing her his gift, Aether watched as Ningguang opened the gift and went wide-eyed.

Inside the box was a flower bouquet that was made with an assortment of various flowers that Ningguang knew were not originally from Liyue. One of the flowers she could easily notice was a Lakelight Lily with the blue sphere being a giveaway. There were two other flowers that she was not quite as familiar with a first glance, however, there was no denying that they were beautiful.

"This is…"

"Ugly?" Aether asked while wincing.

"Haha. Not at all. This is beautiful. Thank you. I recognize a Lakelight Lily but… I'm not familiar with the others."

"The pink-looking one is a Rainbow Rose. And the other with the blue and purple color is a Romaritime Flower."

"I see. They're very beautiful."

"See! Paimon knows what she's talking about."

Curious about the reasoning for that comment, Ningguang looked over at Aether for an explanation.

"Care to explain?"

"Well… I was kind of stumped on what to get you. I spent a good week coming up with nothing" Aether said while scratching his cheek. "I mean, what do you get someone that has practically everything? Or has the power to get anything that catches her eye?"

With a huff of air leaving her mouth, Ningguang couldn't help but look at the man she so valiantly loved. She then looked over at Paimon who simply shrugged her shoulders.

"Paimon specifically told him that no matter what you get for Ningguang, she will love it. If a gift has heart put into it, then there's nothing wrong with your present."

A warm smile now appeared along Ningguang's face as she felt appreciated.

"Mm. Thank you for that, Paimon."

"You're welcome!"

Shaking his head with a small blush, Aether laughed it off and addressed the two.

"Haha. Yeah, I guess I was worried about what gift would be best. I thought about it too hard when I should have just stayed true to myself. For a second there, I even thought about getting you some kind of gems to make up for the jade that you sent us in your letter."

"Who knows? Perhaps if you hadn't gone with this gift, then I would have disliked your other gift?" Ningguang said to the boy in a teasing tone.

"Ha. Very funny, Ning."

A giggle escaped the Tianquan's lips as her teasing demeanor broke so easily.

"True. But in all honesty, thank you for this gift. I can tell that it took time to pick these flowers along with rearranging them to form a beautiful pattern. I shall cherish these for as long as they wish to stay with me."

Happy that she accepted and liked his gift, Aether smiled brightly before glancing over at Paimon.

"Want to go find some plates for the macarons?" he asked the floating girl.

"Yep! I'll be right back! One of the secretaries should be able to help me."

And with that, Paimon began to float away and head to another spot in the Jade Chamber leaving Aether and Ningguang alone with each other.

Seeing this opportunity present itself, Ningguang sprung to action.

"I'm glad that you liked- "

"…"

"…"

The blonde's lips had been easily claimed by the birthday girl as she brought her hand up to gently caress his cheek. The sensation of being so close to one another as well as feeling the careful pushback from him indicated that they both wanted this. What seemed like a few seconds soon turned into a whole minute of them connected on an intimate level.

"…"

The two then slowly broke apart but were close enough that if they wished to kiss again, then that would be no problem at all.

"…Heh…"

"Mm…"

"Ningguang… "

"Aether…"

"I…lov- "

"I do too…"

A look of fondness and contentment relished on each of their faces as they fully understood one another. Before one of them could even finish saying what, they wanted, the other already knew what was being said and finished it for them. The bond between them was true and honest.

"Thank you for coming."

"Of course! There was no way that I'd miss your birthday."

"Even with your upcoming journey…"

Nodding at her response, Aether countered it with his own.

"Even with Natlan on the horizon. We always make sure to visit our friends. Especially if they're more than just a friend…"

Hearing the tone he used for the word friend, Ningguang couldn't help but look at him endearingly. Perhaps with it being her birthday… she would give into one of her more private and carnal desires.

"Is that an invit- "

"I found some plates! And I managed to get some napkins. Now we can eat!" Paimon suddenly shouted down the hall of the Jade Chamber as she floated over to the two.

Seeing the young girl returning, the two shared another intimate look that conveyed the simple message of "next time".

"Alright! I'm looking forward to the macarons" Aether happily responded. "Make sure to save some for Ningguang, Paimon."

"Hey! Paimon will obviously save some for her!"

"If I didn't say anything, would you have?"

"Of course, I would have! Paimon may eat a lot, but she makes sure that everyone has had enough food to eat and enjoy themselves!"

"And me?"

"Well, you… that's different!"

"How is that different!?"

"You can cook!"

"And?"

"You can make yourself anything you want."

"So, why don't you learn how to cook?"

"Gah! Paimon can't cook! Wait, that's a lie. Paimon can cook. But she can't lift the heavy pans that cook the delicious meat that we come across."

Watching as the Traveler and Paimon argued with one another, Ningguang reached down and grabbed one of the macarons and took a bite of it. The deliciousness of the treat was just what she needed. And knowing that she was surrounded by two of her close friends was a comforting feeling.

Along with her special someone being one of those two friends, Ningguang couldn't have asked for a better birthday. She even got to indulge in one of her desires. And that alone was worth it.

*A/N* - And that's a wrap. Thanks again for checking this story out. Again, I apologize for not getting this done and publishing it right on her birthday. Life happened and the story got pushed back a bit.