★Twisted Wishes★ | Genshin x Twisted Wonderland

💚Ganyu x Malleus💚

Scenario: Ganyu is having a bad day.

It all started with that awful history test. Despite getting a full night's sleep, Ganyu fell asleep on Question #2. When she woke up, Professor Trein was already collecting the tests.

At breakfast, she was so nervous about failing that test that she started chewing on the flowers in the centerpiece, which invoked the wrath of Vil, her housewarden.

He started lecturing her about proper table manners, which made some of the nearby Pomefiore students snicker at Ganyu. Behind Vil's back, Ganyu heard someone call her an "old goat."

That was why she was presently sitting on the roof of the school. Hardly anyone was outside today because of the rain, and the stormy weather suited her gloomy mood perfectly.

Swinging her legs over the edge of the rooftop, Ganyu nibbled halfheartedly on a daisy. Daisies weren't as tasty as Qingxin flowers, but they helped cheer her up.

And right now, she needed a great deal of cheering up.

I don't belong at Pomefiore, Ganyu thought sadly. Everyone else was so graceful and beautiful. In contrast, Ganyu felt horribly out-of-place with her horns and Qilin heritage. Nothing she did seemed to please Vil, and she hadn't managed to make any friends.

Actually, she had one friend. She didn't know their name, their dorm, or even what they looked like. All she knew was that they'd left a note on her desk in class last week. She hadn't seen who it was, though.

She pulled the note out of her pocket, where she'd kept it safe all this time.

"You're beautiful," the note read simply, in neat cursive handwriting. It wasn't signed.

Ganyu brightened a little, as always, when she saw it. "Someone likes me," she reminded herself. "I just wish I could know who it is..."

As she wondered who it could be, a sudden gust of wind ripped the note out of her hands.

She made a desperate grab for it, but it was already too far out of reach. She could only watch as the precious note fluttered all the way down, down, down to the ground and landed in a puddle. Right when she was going to climb down and fetch it, a student's foot stepped on it.

The loss of the note was too much. Ganyu folded her head under her arms and cried. The rain battered her arms, but she was too miserable to even care.

At least in Liyue Harbor she was Ningguang's secretary. At least in Liyue Harbor she was useful for something.

Me, beautiful?

No, you're wrong. I'm not beautiful at all.

Abruptly, Ganyu felt the rain stop beating down on her. She looked up and saw that someone was holding a black umbrella over her head, shielding her from the rain. Through her tears, she vaguely made out the figure of a tall, imposing person with curving horns, sharper than her own.

"Morax?" Ganyu wiped away her tears, feeling utterly humiliated.

In response, the figure sat beside Ganyu and spoke in a deep, refined voice that was definitely not Morax's: "Are you alright, Miss Dragoness?"

Blinking, Ganyu looked into the concerned face of Malleus Draconia. Malleus Draconia! The most powerful sorcerer at this school, possibly in this entire region!

Her voice an octave higher than usual, Ganyu said, "Housewarden Draconia! Yes, everything's fine! I'm alright." How embarrassing! she thought.

"Really?" Malleus looked confused. "But I saw water coming from your eyes, and Lilia told me that happens when people feel sad." He sighed. "It seems I still have a lot to learn. I'm sorry."

Ganyu's mind was still spinning, trying to process the fact that Malleus Draconia was actually talking to her. Something that he'd said stood out to her. "W-wait a minute. Did you call me 'Miss Dragoness?'"

"I didn't know your name." Malleus hesitated and looked away. "I've only seen you around a few times, and I think you..." He made a series of vague hand gestures in an attempt to convey his meaning, gave up, and continued, "I've never seen another dragon fae around here before, so I just wanted to tell you that I... think you've put a curse on me."

Of all the things Malleus could have said, that was the absolute last thing Ganyu had expected. "A curse?"

"Whenever I'm around you, I can't think clearly. And when I look at you, my heartbeat speeds up. It must be a curse, or some kind of higher-level enchantment," Malleus reasoned thoughtfully. "The other day, I even felt compelled to write you a note saying how lovely you were. I slipped it onto your desk when you weren't there."

"H-huh?" Ganyu had never been so confused in her entire life. "But... that doesn't sound like a curse. It sounds like you..."

"Like I what?"

"Nothing."

"Tell me." Malleus was insistent.

Ganyu looked down at her hands. "It sounds like you're, well, in love." She peeked up at him and saw that he looked completely baffled.

"Explain this 'love' to me."

"It's how you feel about something, or someone, when you really care about them. It's a little bit like how you feel when you see a new sunrirse, or a whole field of Sweet Flowers in front of you. It makes you happy." Ganyu tried to think of a better way to explain it. "Like you want to treasure the moment forever because it's so precious. You can love your family, love your friends..."

Malleus's face relaxed into a soft smile that made her heart thump faster. "Ah, I see. In that case, I love you."

Ganyu blushed. "H-huh? No, you've got this all wrong. I'm not a dragon fae. Not like you."

"You mean to tell me you're not a dragoness?" Malleus tilted his head.

Ganyu shook her head. "I'm half Qilin. Where I come from, Qilin are illuminated beasts that bring rain to the people."

"Do you live amongst the Qilin?"

"For a time, I did. But in the end, I decided to stay among mortals. Even today, I struggle to fit in at my dorm."

"We aren't so different, then, Miss Qilin," Malleus observed.

They huddled together under the umbrella. "Perhaps we don't need to fit in. We can stand out together," Malleus suggested after a few moments. Shyly, he added, "That is, if you think... you can love me too?"

In response, Ganyu took his hand. "I already do." A sudden thought struck her, and she added, "I'm sorry I lost your note."

Malleus smiled tenderly at her and wiped a stray tear from her chin. "That's alright. I'll write you a new one every day from now on, if it makes you happy."

Later that day, when Malleus returned to Diasomnia, Lilia asked eagerly, "So, how did it go? Did you talk to her?"

Malleus tried to keep his face neutral, but he couldn't keep the smile off his face. "It was alright."

"Is that so?" Lilia grinned. "Your expression makes me think it was more than just 'alright.'" He paused for a moment, a mischievous smile on his face. "Can I expect grandchildren anytime soon?"

"Lilia!"

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