[prompt: stars]
[notes: i could write about stars and gay couples for days. its what i do babey. written in xinyans pov. ]
Her hands are soft from spending all day cooking, and mine are rough from plucking the strings. Her hands are cold and mine are warm, and she twirls around me twice in a minute. She's brighter than any star in the sky above us, she's more precious than any item in all of Liyue. I'm taller than her just enough that she has to stand on her toes to kiss me, just enough that I can pick her up and show her the world.
She takes my hand and leads me through the streets, kissing me behind the trees and spinning me around until I'm dizzy. My name slips from her lips over and over, she drags me to all her favorite places. Places I've seen every day in the harbor, places that change as soon as she touches them. She turns everything to stardust and glitter, and I could never tire of the way her eyes sparkle.
I take her hands and pull her along for a change, dragging her down the stairs towards the docks. We've spent so many days down here, helping Beidou with errands or supply runs. The moon reflects on the water, ripples breaking it into pieces as the ocean laps at the wooden dock. Xiangling pulls me into her arms and we dance again, swaying back and forth. The wood creaks under our footsteps, she kisses my cheek, we tiptoe into an anchored boat.
I could run after her for hours. I could chase her smile, her lips, the way she greets me whenever we see each other. I would cross all of Teyvat for her, I tell her, kissing her hands.
She stands on the edge of the boat, leaning backwards until water splashes over the side and she drops into the waves. I follow her without thinking- leaving my shoes, jumping over the side in my clothes to join her. My eyes open under the water and I can see hers too, I can see her staring at the fish down below. They hide in the seaweed, scared away by our heavy movements, but she chases them anyway. I'll follow her down until my ears hurt from the pressure, until I can't keep my eyes open.
At the bottom of the harbor, the seaweed is thick and covered in algae. Xiangling will cook it anyway, she'll burn off all the toxins and season it so you'd never be able to tell. You can never tell what she might put in her next recipe. You never know what to expect from Xiangling in any situation, whether good or bad.
Breathing is impossible underwater and one person can only hold their breath for so long. Bubbles slip out of your mouth and you become a fish for just a moment, before it all disappears and you return to the surface. I pull her with me, kicking until we reach the top.
My clothes are soaked, dripping onto the dock. Her shoe is somewhere at the bottom of the sea, being inspected by fish. She holds seaweed in her hand and picks the bits off of it, setting the plants onto the dock. I've been staring at her for too long. My hands cup her face, pulling her close to me and I kiss her. She tastes like seawater, like salt and fish and the wind pushing the sails to keep you going. The stars are dancing for us, barefoot and soaking wet in the moonlight. Her head rests on my shoulder and I hold her, stepping in gentle circles. The wind picks up and it feels cold, the water splashes against the boats.
Tomorrow I'll be so tired.
I take her hands and she steps away from me, and we resume our dance. In our quiet corner we twirl and run, we never let go. Our eyes meet again and again, our steps guide the stars down to us until there's nothing left in the world. We're lost in the galaxy, we live on the moon, we sleep on the clouds. I pick her up and turn around with her in my arms, I trace her hand with my thumb, I walk her home when we're too tired to dance anymore.
I carry my shoes in my hand, and she holds my other. Up the steps and back towards the Wanmin Restaurant, where her house is above it. I kiss her one last time and let her go.
Too tired to return home, the stars come down and carry me. They take me home with them and I fall asleep in the grass, eyes closed before my head touches the ground. I dream of her again. Xiangling.
She must be the stars.
