#eulas writing

“Xiao, c’monnn! I was only teasing,” Venti yelled, a slight pout on his face as he watched Xiao continue to walk away from him. He was aware that his energy could be a bit much sometimes, especially for someone like Xiao who had almost no relationship experience when the two confessed their feelings, but still... Upon realising that his apologies were getting him nowhere, Venti thrust himself a few feet ahead of his partner on a wind current, folding his arms to block Xiao’s path.

“Xiaoooo... I know I shouldn’t have done it, I’m sorryyy! It’s just- you act really cute whenever I hug or even touch you, but I’ll stop if it makes you uncomfortable, I mean it. I know you’re not a huge fan of PDA.” The Anemo Archon trailed off, twiddling his thumbs like a cartoon character caught in the middle of a crime.

Xiao flinched, coughing sharply behind his hand to distract from the the light pink hue overtaking his cheeks. “Barbatos, what have I said about you calling me cu-... that?” He huffs quietly, glaring at the man stood before him. He quickly averted his gaze at the sight of Venti’s puppy eyes, choosing to focus on a patch of flowers nearby instead.

“Nooo! Don’t start calling me Barbatos again, I already said I was sorry!” Venti whined, latching onto one of Xiao’s sleeves and making a show of wiping his faux tears on it. He giggled playfully when Xiao pulled his arm back in disgust, trying to wipe away the wet patch on his usually pristine vest.

“Besides, you do get all cute whenever I try show you any affection! Just yesterday, you yelped and jumped about 3 foot in the air because I poked you to get your attention. I know that I sometimes forget how ticklish you are, and I admit that maaay be my fault, but you can’t say that wasn’t at least the slightest bit endearing.”

Xiao tensed up at the memory, a shiver making it’s way up his spine as he furrowed his brows. “It wasn’t,” he said, though he still refused to look his partner in the eye’s.

Looking back on it, Venti was aware he should’ve quit while he was ahead. Xiao had a short temper, and Venti’s wallet was far too dry for him to buy the Adepti more bowls of Almond Tofu as a peace offering. But still, Venti wouldn’t be a very good bard if he kept all of his quick-wittedness and sharp tongued retorts to himself, would he?

“Oh my god, you’re blushing. That’s precious.” He giggled, reaching up to brush his thumbs across the warmth of Xiao’s face.

“I am not!” Xiao hissed, taking a step backwards and embarrassing himself further when he had to steady himself, having tripped over a small rock that he hadn’t noticed just moments before.

“You totally are- ahhh! Xiao- oof!” Venti gasped, finding himself lying flat on his back with Xiao straddling his waist, the Adepti’s hands grasping at the grass surrounding the sides of the bard’s head. “That could’ve hurt, you know!” Venti frowned, bottom lip jutted out comically.

“You fell on grass, there’s no way that wo- stop changing the subject!” Xiao growls, leaning down so he was nose-to-nose with his partner.

“Your eyes are really beautiful from down here.”

Xiao glared down at the bard, fists clenching. “I’m not cute, not beautiful, so stop saying it- oh...” He looked down, his face turning almost as red as a strawberry as he realised the position they were in. He had meant to get his point across, not stra- Well, not whatever this was.

“Aww, cat got your tongue, love?” Venti cooed. It was mean, he knew it was- but not taking advantage of how flustered Xiao was would surely be a lot meaner, he concluded.

‘L-love?!’ The pet name echoed in Xiao’s head, and he let out a quiet noise akin to a whine, making Venti swoon. He squirmed in embarrassment as he felt a pair of hands creep up to his sides, their thumbs trailing back and forth in a way that only Venti knew could get to him.

“You have to use your words, Xiao. What was it you were trying to say, hmm?” Venti smirked, his tone sickeningly sweet as he watched the other struggle to stay still.

“Barba- Venti! Mmh-hhah...! Quit it! Let me speak,” Xiao managed to get out through his huffs, biting his lip in an attempt to hold back the laughter bubbling up in his throat. “Mmh-hmm-hm! Nooo- this isn’t fahair...!”

Venti hummed contentedly, rolling his eyes. “You could just get off of me, you know? I’m not gonna chase y-“

“No!”

“Ouch, cutting me off was rude,” the bard pouted. “Suit yourself, though.” And with that, Venti raised his legs to better support Xiao’s back, noticing that he was struggling to balance. Thumbs were suddenly replaced with 5 nails on each side, gently scribbling up and down.

Xiao positively squealed, slapping a hand over his mouth to try and muffle the sounds, the other flying down to grab handfuls of grass to anchor himself.

Venti wasn’t too surprised, really. Xiao had always been a stubborn one, and it usually took a lot of persistence to crack him. But sitting in Venti’s lap, laughing? No, giggling, and hardly making a move to escape? That was new. He wasn’t complaining though, and as his nails wormed their way into his partner’s exposed underarms, scribbling playfully at the skin, he couldn’t find it in himself to care.

A shrill squeak filled the air, and the poor Adepti squeezed his eyes shut even tighter, refusing to give Venti the satisfaction of seeing the pleading look behind his eyelids. “Ple-eehe- mmh-hmmm! Not there, ahh!”

As precious as this was, the bard did want to hear some proper laughter. It’d only be fair, after all. “Why are you holding back, my love? You’re allowed to laugh, you know.”

And laugh he did.

The teasing lilt to the bard’s voice finally broke through Xiao’s resolve, and a wave of panicked giggles spilled from his lips as he squirmed from left to right, shaking his head. “Nooohoho- ahh! Ventieehee, it’s not fair, ahaha!” Xiao half-squealed, half-growled, his legs shaking with the effort of keeping himself upright. “I caha- no! No no noooo! Not thehere, pleaaase!”

“Not where, hmm? Venti cooed softly. “Right heeeere?” He made a point of flexing his fingers in Xiao’s underarms, being rewarded with an adorable cackle and a frantic nod. “Just lift your arms, I can’t do much if I’m trapped-“

Xiao frantically raised his arms, finding it almost impossible to feel embarrassed about how easy it was for his partner to get him to do just about anything in this state. He just needed Venti’s nails out of there. His relief was cut short as he felt the tickling return tenfold, helpless cackles bursting out of his chest like fireworks, leaning down to bury his red face in Venti’s shoulder.

“I wasn’t lying though, Xiao. You do look really beautiful from down here.” Venti mumbled, mostly to himself, unable to take his eyes off the squirming man in his lap. His hair was strewn all over the place, mouth wide open as giggles flowed out of him like honey, the grin on his face making the bard’s heart do cartwheels. It had been a while since he’d heard Xiao laugh like this, and he hoped to savour it for just a little while longer.

All good things must come to an end, of course, and Venti stopped his attack mere moments later, having noticed tiny tears pricking at the corners of Xiao’s eyes. He watched thoughtfully as his partner came down from his giggle-high, a smile tugging at his lips when Xiao finally calmed down enough to rub away the lingering sensations on his sides.

“Sorry, that was uncalled for. I didn’t mean to go so far,” Venti said, an apologetic expression on his face. He carefully propped himself up on his arms, using surrounding rocks for support as he sat up. The bard pressed a quick kiss to Xiao’s pink cheeks, and as he finally made a move to stand up, his partner spoke. So quietly that Venti couldn’t hear him, in fact. “What was that, dearest?”

Xiao placed a hand on Venti’s chest, swallowing thickly as he gently shoved the bard back down into the grass.

Childe tensed up, his lips wobbling into a nervous smile. “Erghh... maybe, but it’s really none of your business...” He pouted, squirming as Zhongli hummed out a faint reply, an unfairly teasing grin on his face. Moments passed, Childe holding his breath in anticipation of an attack, but none came. Instead, a firm hand rubbed ointment into some of the nastier bruises littered up and down Childe’s leg, a satisfied sigh escaping as the pain slowly lulled away.

“Hmph, you really should be more careful...” Zhongli commented some time later, tying a neat knot in the bandage he’d wrapped around Childe’s ankle to keep it protected. Hearing a sarcastic mumble, Zhongli narrowed his eyes.

“Care to repeat that?”

For the first time ever, Childe was at a loss for words. “Well- I was just-...” Unable to think of an excuse, his expression switched from a slight flush to a silent plea.

“You know,” Zhongli’s lips curled into a smirk, feeling uncharacteristically mischievous, “you’re awfully bold today. Especially for someone who, if I remember correctly, snorted when I was patching up your ankle.”

Childe paled, panicked giggles spilling from his lips from anticipation alone. “You dohon’t remember correhectly- aha! Zhongli, please, don’t do ihit!” He squealed, wincing in pain when his leg reflexively jerked at a single finger gently wiggling behind his knee before trailing down to settle at his ankle again. “I’m sohorry, lemme gooo-!! C’mohon, I sa- ahaha! I said I was sohorryyyy!”

Zhongli hummed thoughtfully. “Don’t do what, Childe?”

“Tickle me- wait!!” Childe gasped, realising he’d fallen for a trick.

“As you wish.”

“Zhonglieeehehe! Cut it ohout, I’m still injured- eek!” He yelped, rushing to hide his face when the embarrassing hiccups finally came pouring out. As unbearable as it was, Childe was surprised to find out that this was helping distract him. He was sure he would rather die than admit it.

“I guess you’ll just have to stay extra still then, won’t you?” Came Zhongli’s cheerful reply, only furthering Childe’s hysterics. It never failed to amuse him when Childe seemed to forget how easily he could protect himself. “This is rather endearing, actually. I think I’ll stay here for a while.”

Childe howled, torso twisting from left to right in desperation. “Oh c’mohohon, that’s juhust not fair! I can’t!” He complained. Childe would be shocked if he could think straight, really. His legs had never been that ticklish, only ever chuckling lightly if someone were to focus on them. And yet here he was, giggling like a schoolgirl. “I’m g- gahaha, please! I’m gonna gehet you b- back for thihis!”

Zhongli paused for a moment, tapping his chin thoughtfully. “I’m sure you will,” he said, a wicked smile appearing on his face, his fingers darting up to scribble at the sensitive undersides of his partner’s knees.

When Keqing found Ganyu, she almost couldn’t stop the fond chuckle escaping her lips. The sight of the emissary fast asleep on a pile of paperwork that had been scattered all over the floor, a mixture of dry drool and freshly smudged ink on her cheek, was simply too endearing. On any other day, under any other circumstance, Keqing would be content with leaving her dozing partner be, perhaps even cuddling up to her to ensure she was warm. 

But seeing the spilled ink pots, the unsigned legal documents, the Yuheng’s eyebrows furrowed in concern. While sleeping on the job wasn’t necessarily uncommon for Ganyu, it certainly wasn’t like her to leave a mess of either of her offices, at the pavilion or at home. With a wistful sigh, Keqing kneeled down next to her peacefully snoring girlfriend, a careful hand reaching out to play with her hair. She shuffled closer, delicately grazing her fingers further upwards, finally resting at the base of one of the Qilin’s horns. Keqing had always been rather fascinated with them, though she preferred to watch from afar, for her and Ganyu’s sake. She was more than aware of how easily the two of them grew flustered, especially around each other.

For the first time in a while, Keqing let herself fully admire the woman beneath her. And as a sudden, loud cough drew her back to reality, she couldn’t help but feel a little bit disappointed. 

“Ganyu, my love? It’s time to wake up,” Keqing started, quietly, so as not to startle her. Upon receiving no reply (or indication that her wake-up call had been heard, let alone acknowledged), she allowed her hands to wander to Ganyu’s cheeks, rubbing soothing circles into them as she leaned down to plant a kiss onto Ganyu’s forehead. 

“Mmhn...” Ganyu whined, shaking her head and nestling into the warm hands cupping her face. “Five... more minutes...” She mumbled, her forehead creasing in her slumber.

Keqing smiled apologetically, nudging at Ganyu’s shoulder. She chuckled to herself when she heard a whimper of ‘noooo...’, leaning back on her heels to get a better view as the sleepy woman blearily opened her eyes. “Hey, you.” 

Ganyu blinked slowly, rubbing away the sleep from her eyes with her knuckles. “Oh... Lady Keqing, it’s just you...” She said, a relieved tone seeping into her quiet voice. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to leave this room such a mess-“ 

“No need to apologise,” Keqing cut her off, offering a hand out to help her stand. “Give yourself a moment to shake it off, and then we can sort all of... this out.” She gestured to the mountains of paperwork on the floor, a victorious smile tugging at her lips. 

Ganyu bowed her head, though she couldn’t stop herself feeling a pang of guilt as she watched Keqing start sorting out her stray files. “I really am sorry, Lady Keqing, you should go home... I’ll meet you there later, once I’ve finished cleaning.”

“Oh dear, surely you aren’t implying you’ll clean all of this up by yourself?” Keqing asked, raising her eyebrows in alarm.

“It’s my job.”

“Well, let it be my job too. You’re clearly still tired, and I refuse to let you even try to deal with this by yourself. It really is no issue,” Keqing said, closing her eyes and pulling Ganyu into a sweet kiss. She grinned as the emissary sighed in defeat against her lips, relaxing against her body for a blissful moment before finally pulling away.

“Well, I suppose some help couldn’t hurt...” Ganyu admitted, albeit breathlessly, squeezing Keqing’s hand in her own to thank her.

A pure, excited flush overcame Keqing’s features as she put the last of the folders away, closing the drawer with her hip. “There, all done!” She said, unable to contain her pride. “I told you we would finish fast, didn’t I?” And with that, she linked her fingers with Ganyu’s, leading her out of the pavilion and into the warm sunset. She took in a deep breath, cracking her neck as she stretched. “Really, I have no idea how you can sleep there,” Keqing giggled, raising an eyebrow when Ganyu only blushed in response. “Just kneeling down for a few minutes had my legs going numb.”

As they continued their walk home, Keqing felt worry start to bubble up in her chest. Ganyu seemed more tired than before, and had begun to lay her head on the Yuheng’s shoulder for support, a yawn escaping moments later. Keqing fumbled around for the keys in her pocket, unlocking the door right as Ganyu lost her footing, tripping directly into their shared house with an embarrassed yelp. “Lady Keqing! I’m so sorry!” She yipped, covering her face with her hands.

“Hey, hey, let’s just get you to bed, alright?” Keqing said, watching Ganyu nod and carefully make her way into their bedroom, before heading to the kitchen to brew a pot of tea. Minutes later, Keqing followed the Qilin, two steaming cups in her hands. She placed them on the bedside table, laying down next to Ganyu and frowning when she noticed the paperwork in her lap. She sighed, plucking the quill out of Ganyu’s fingers, barely registering her complaints. “Ganyu, what’s going on?” She asked, cupping her face in her hands to get a better look at her, raising an eyebrow at the bags under her eyes. “Why have you been working so much recently? You’ve hardly given yourself time for a proper break.” 

Ganyu mumbled inaudibly, breaking eye contact, an abnormally sullen expression on her face.

“What was that?”

“I fell behind on an assignment,” She huffed, making Keqing desperately want to kiss the sadness away. “I managed to catch up, and I sent it away, but- I’d forgotten to sign my name. I know it’s not a big mistake, and can easily be fixed, I just... can’t help but feel stupid. I’ve been so out of it recently.” She finished, taking in a deep breath as Keqing worked to understand the quiet jumble of words. 

Keqing felt her heart soften. “That’s why you’ve been overworking yourself? Ganyu, you could’ve come to me for help. I would do anything to take some unneeded stress away from you. You really shouldn’t use this as an excuse to call yourself stupid, though! You’ve shown countless times just how bright you are, how intelligent you are, falling behind doesn’t negate that.” She argued, looking at the mess of horns and blue hair in her hands. Ganyu slowly looked back up at her, a soft pink staining her cheeks.

“Thank you... I just- I’m really, really tired, but… I don’t think I can sleep again, not yet,” Ganyu said. “I wouldn’t mind if you did- did the, ermm... thing...?” She continued, biting her lip nervously. “Obviously, only if you want to, I’m sure I could sleep eve-“ 

Before Ganyu could continue rambling, Keqing pressed a finger to her lips. “Of course I want to,” She said, an uncharacteristically teasing lilt to her voice that sent shivers down the emissary’s spine. “Same as usual?” 

Ganyu whined at the question, trying to hide her face in Keqing’s shoulder as she nodded, chirping in surprise when she was suddenly pulled into the Yuheng’s lap. “Ack- Lady Keheqing!” She squealed, already giggling in anticipation at the sight of wiggling fingers hovering over her sides. 

“Yes, my love?” Keqing cooed, pressing a kiss to the top of Ganyu’s pointed ears, smiling as she watched her shake her head. “Is something wrong?” 

Ganyu kicked her legs in delight. “P-Pleheheaseee, Lady KeqaaAHH!” A giggly shriek escaped her lips as she felt a raspberry against her neck, one so sudden and unbearable that she had no hope of resisting her laughter for even a second. 

Keqing chuckled along with her. “Oh, I forgot how sensitive you are to those! It’s so sweet.” She planted another raspberry square on Ganyu’s jawline, relishing in the panicked gasps and happy cackles. 

“Noo- No no nohoho! Please!” Ganyu pleaded, twisting and turning in an adorable attempt to escape and stay within the reach of Keqing’s wiggling fingers at the same time. Feeling two hands begin rapidly pinching at her lower stomach, Ganyu howled, snorts beginning to litter her laughter like poorly placed punctuation. “EEP- Nohohooo, not my tuhummy-!!”

 Keqing’s own face started to turn pink, unable to cope with how precious Ganyu could be. Leaning down to press a loving kiss to her squirming girlfriend’s forehead, she said, “Gods, you really are just too cute...” Despite the loud laughter, she knew Ganyu had heard her, if the increased squirming was anything to go by. 

Not wanting to wear her out too quickly, Keqing slowed down to gentle clawing over the expanse of her soft tummy, leaving no spot untouched as the emissary babbled and squealed and jolted in pure mirth. Her stomach had always been a weak spot, one that rendered her almost defenceless if Keqing focused on the right spots. Almost. 

They both knew that despite her pleading, Ganyu could make Keqing stop at any time. She could turn the tables if she really wanted to, even if it made her endlessly flustered, and just thinking about it made Keqing weak at the knees. 

As Ganyu’s giggles began to slow down, she took the opportunity to turn around in Keqing’s lap, still shivering with barely restrained laughter. She nestled her face into Keqing’s chest, cackling sweetly, her shoulders bouncing when Keqing’s fingers returned to their previous routine, even daring to skitter up into her armpits and wiggle despite her trying her hardest to protect her sensitive pits. 

“Ganyuuuu~ My hands are stuck,” Keqing cooed, flexing her nails as if to prove her point, only drawing out more shy laughter. Ganyu whimpered through her giggles, slowly raising her arms before slamming them back down when Keqing’s evil fingers started squeezing instead. 

“NO! No nohohohoHOHO! Lady Ke-kehe- I can’t, it tihickles so muhuHUCH!” Her halfhearted plea trailed off into another fit of desperate titters. 

“Really? I had no idea.” Keqing teased, rolling her eyes fondly when the squirming girl only laughed even harder. She continued for a few more seconds, reaching down to squeeze at Ganyu’s thighs (another spot she knew drove her nuts) before slowing to a stop. 

Ganyu greedily sucked in air, a tickled-silly smile on her face. “Th-thahank you...” She said, shyly tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. 

“I love your laugh, you don’t need to thank me.” Keqing said, pressing their foreheads together. “Though, I have to ask... Grand finale?” 

Ganyu squeaked at the question, but nodded nonetheless. “J-juhust one, please.” She mumbled timidly, leaning forward on her knees so Keqing could have better access to her tummy. 

“Alright... three, two, oneeeee...” Keqing counted down, taking in a deep breath and blowing a playful raspberry against the Qilin’s stomach, her heart melting when she heard her start cheeping like a baby bird. Frantic giggles filled the air for a few seconds longer, before Ganyu finally grasped at Keqing’s ponytails, gently pulling her away. 

“Kehe-hehehe... I love you, I think I can sleep now...” Ganyu said, trailing off into a yawn and rubbing at her eyes. She wriggled out of Keqing’s lap, hiccupy giggles bursting out of her as she reached for the blankets that had fallen to the floor during their game before nuzzling into Keqing’s chest. A hand came to play with her hair, and before she knew it, she was fast asleep, loud snores seeping out of her. 

Keqing glanced over at the cold cups of tea on the nightstand, smiling against Ganyu’s hair and turning the lamp off. 

“I’m not sulking!”

“Are ya sure?”

“I’m not.” Ningguang hissed, glaring daggers at Beidou. If looks could kill, the pirate captain would already be six feet under.

Beidou sighed. As much as she loved being able to see the snarky side of Ningguang, she wished that her girlfriend would just give her a small hint of how she was feeling and what caused it. “I’m not a mindreader, sugar. Ya gotta tell me what’s up-“

Ningguang visibly bristled at the nickname, though the captain was able to catch a faint blush on her cheeks before she instantaneously returned to her sour mood. “Nothing’s wrong! Nothing at all. And ‘sugar’, really?!” She said, throwing her arms up in the air in exasperation.

“Ningguang.”

“…”

“Ningguang.”

The woman in question inhaled deeply, turning to look at her girlfriend. “Yes, Beidou?” She asked, yelping in surprise when a strong hand grabbed her upper arm, pressing her down onto the captain’s bed faster than she could process it. “This is impro-!!”

Beidou growled, covering Ningguang’s mouth with her hand so she could speak. A warm chuckle bubbled up in her chest when the woman underneath her quickly averted her gaze, a pink blush settling sweetly on her cheeks like melted cotton candy. “Enough. We are going to settle this like grownups, or I can toss you out as shark bait. The choice is yours.”

There was a slight pause before Ningguang sighed defeatedly. She knew Beidou was mostly joking, but she couldn’t stop feeling guilty over how childish she had been acting. “… Fine.” She said, refusing to make eye contact with her girlfriend. The compromising position was already terribly flustering by itself, but the feeling of Beidou so easily pinning her down had her on the verge of just about combusting.

“A’ight, good. Now are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” The pirate captain asked, raising a thick eyebrow when she was met with a shaking head, an almost playful expression, and pursed lips. Normally, she would leave her girlfriend alone to calm down before bugging her to tell her what had happened to make her so irritable, but… something was strangely different.

Ningguang was challenging her. Moreso than usual. And Beidou could never back down from a challenge.

“Is that your final answer?”

“… Mhm.”

“Well, don’t say I didn’t warn ya.” Beidou rolled her eyes, pinning Ningguang’s arms above her head in one swift motion, her free hand beginning to trail up her girlfriend’s side in a horrifically ticklish spidering motion. A nervous gasp escaped Ningguang’s mouth, and her lips wobbled in a fruitless attempt to contain her own giggles.

“Mm-mmhm! Nooo- Beheidou! Get off of me, this is childish, shihit!!” Ningguang whined, tugging at her arms and coughing pathetically in the hopes of muffling her mirth.

“Ya know what? I don’t think I will,” Beidou said, continuing to converse normally, as if she wasn’t pinching so erratically up and down Ningguang’s waist that she barely had a chance to catch her breath before she was holding it again, desperate to keep her reactions at bay, desperate to win. “I gave you plenty of time to tell me what was up, you little shitstirrer. This is on you.”

She was right, and Ningguang knew it, though she would rather spend insane amounts of money on worthless little trinkets and luxury meals that she despised than ever admit to it.

A well-placed scribble, right at the sides of her bellybutton, had Ningguang choking back a squeal. She held out for a few moments longer, before her resolve finally crumbled, her laughter spilling out from behind the dams soon after. It was times like this where she almost regretted her choice in attire, the loose silk of her dress offering her almost no protection against Beidou’s evil nails.

The pirate captain chuckled affectionately, the sight of the squirming woman underneath her warming her heart. “You know what to do to get me to stop,” She hummed, a playful smirk overtaking her face when Ningguang stubbornly shook her head, her eyes desperately squeezed shut as seemingly endless, hysterical and screechy giggles tumbled out of her like a broken sprinkler.

At the feeling of Beidou’s fingers trailing up to her ribs, an agonisingly weak spot, Ningguang shrieked. “WAIT! WAaha- Wahait, please?! I’ll tell you, plehehease, Beidou- NAHAHA!”

Her fingers forming a claw, Beidou vibrated her hand directly against Ningguang’s ribcage, paying special attention to the spaces in between, relishing in the gales of cackles that it brought out. She stopped seconds later, smiling fondly as she brushed Ningguang’s hair out of her face, giving her a chance to catch her breath.

“Sooo… What was up with ya today?” Beidou questioned.

Ningguang averted her gaze, swallowing the lump in her throat. “Well… It’s juvenile, really,” She started, pausing momentarily, a grateful smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as Beidou patted her shoulder in encouragement. “I think you’ll laugh- No, I know you’ll laugh, but… We had a date yesterday. It was amazing, really, but your crew… Would it kill them to let us have some alone time? They’re good people, I know, even if I do antagonise them sometimes- emphasis on sometimes.”

“More like all the time, but continue.”

“Right. I was hoping we could possibly head to your private quarters below deck, just the two of us. But then your crew followed, wanting to throw a party, and even without such a rude interruption, I’m… not the biggest fan of alcoholic drinks, as you’re aware. I can’t stand the smell.” Ningguang huffed, though she couldn’t help stealing a glance at Beidou, just to see how she would react to her snide comment. “I suppose I was feeling left out, like you preferred their company over mine.”

“Oh.” Beidou said, processing what her girlfriend had just said. “Oh… Oh my Gods. Don’t tell me- Miss Ningguang, The esteemed Lady of the Jade Chamber, was jealous?” She asked incredulously, bursting into a barely restrained round of snorts when Ningguang started blushing all the way to the very tips of her ears.

“What, no! I mean- yes, but- I said you would laugh at me.” She grumbled, narrowing her eyes, turning her head to avoid Beidou’s stare.

“Hey! No turning away. Sugarcube, I’m not laughing at you. It’s precious, really,” Beidou cooed. “I just had no idea that was possible. But really, ya should’ve said something! I would have bailed, heh. Maybe put a ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door.” She said with a suggestive wiggle of her brows.

“You are insufferable, but I suppose you’re right.” Ningguang sighed. “Now can you let my arms go? They’re sore, and I believe I deserve a nice kiss for that. Especially after such a brutal attack.”

Beidou chuckled at her dramatics, placing her hands next to her girlfriend’s head as she leaned down to catch her lips in a kiss. “Well, we’re alone now. Just the two of us.” She said, raising an eyebrow. “We can do something, if ya would like that?”

Ningguang pondered for a minute. “Hmm… I do want to do something, actually. I want revenge.” With her now freed hands, she scribbled harshly against Beidou’s sides, her blood running cold when she was met with an amused chuckle rather than hysterical giggles like her own.

…

“Did you really think that would work?” Beidou asked, a devilish smirk on her face. She would be the biggest liar in the world if she said she didn’t adore how high-strung Ningguang acted in public. She adored being the only one allowed to see her in such private moments, whether she was starting another playful argument, talking Beidou’s ears off with complaints, or like now, when she tried (and failed) at concealing her excitement over yet another attempt at ticklish revenge backfiring on her.

“Can’t we- Cahan’t we talk about this?!” Ningguang pleaded, giggling frantically in anticipation when her arms were pinned above her head once again, no chance to protect herself, a pair of hands raised in intimidating claws hovering just above her now exposed armpits.