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❥ 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳: 𝘕𝘦𝘶𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭
❥ 𝘞𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴: 𝘕𝘰𝘯𝘦
❥ 𝘊𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘳𝘺: 𝘍𝘭𝘶𝘧𝘧
❥ 𝘈𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦: 𝘕𝘰𝘯𝘦
❥ 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘦: 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦'𝘴 𝘋𝘢𝘺 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭
❥ 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵: 930
╰──➤ 𝙑𝘼𝙇𝙀𝙉𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙀𝙎 𝙉𝙄𝙂𝙃𝙏
You knew Shenhe wasn't quite familiar with the traditions of mortals, so you used the opportunity of Valentine's Day to indirectly confess your love for her. You were too embarrassed to say it directly, but you'd at least give her chocolates. You hoped she'd enjoy them.
It was night by the time you arrived in the mountains, at your usual meetup spot. The climb upward was a pain, but it was always worth it as long as you got to see Shenhe. With all your work in the city, you rarely had the chance to visit her for at least a month or two. You noticed her sitting in a meditating position and quietly sat beside her, alerting her as the grass shuffled beneath you. She slowly opened her eyes and turned her head to look at you. Your grip on the box in your lap tightened immensely.
"Hello, Y/n," she greeted.
"Hey, Shenhe," you smiled crookedly, shaken by your nervousness. "How are you?"
"I'm the same as always," she said softly, glancing up at the starry sky. "I'm glad you asked to meet here. I've been missing you."
"I missed you, too," you sighed. "It's a shame I have so much work to do..."
"You seem flooded with it recently."
"Yeah, it's not easy."
I wish I could stay here with you...
"...What do you think of when you look at the stars, Y/n?" She suddenly asked.
You were a bit startled by her question, but you gazed up and observed the balls of light floating above. You hummed as you mentally flipped through all the answers you could give. None of them seemed right except one.
"I think of you," you answered, trying your best to remain calm as you felt her staring in your direction.
"Why's that?"
You took a deep breath, fixing your eyes on the brightest star you could find, "Well, we've had many talks under the stars. I mean, it was even nighttime when you first saved my life! So, when you think about it... I have no choice but to associate the stars with you, right?"
"I suppose so."
"What about you? What do you think of?" You queried, finally meeting her eyes.
"I don't think I associate them with anything at all," she admitted. "But... If it had to be something, then it would be your eyes."
"Huh?" You chirped, surprised by her abrupt statement. "Why?"
"Your irises always seem to glisten whenever I see you. In that way, they closely resemble stars."
"T-They do?" You stammered.
Oh god, maybe I've been too obvious...
"Yes. It's... rather charming."
"Ah- Thank you?"
She flashed you a quick smile and you mentally prepared yourself to hand her the box of chocolates. She noticed your flustered state and gave a questioning look, to which you responded with an anxious grin.
"Um, I brought something for you," you whispered, though loud enough for her to barely grasp your words.
"Oh? What is it?"
"They're chocolates," you said, gifting her the box. "I just thought... Since we haven't seen each other in a while, it would be nice to bring you a present! Plus, I realized I haven't given you much ever since we became friends... I just wanna show I care about you. A lot, ahah..."
She raised her eyebrows and took the top off. She gracefully picked out one of the chocolates and ate it. She savored the flavor on her tongue and assessed it before looking back to you.
"It's delicious," she smiled. "Thank you, Y/n."
"No problem! I mean, what are friends for, right?" You laughed awkwardly. "Sorry, I'm being weird, aren't I?"
"Yes," she replied. "But I find it comforting."
"Huh? How?"
"It's nice not being the one acting strange for a change."
"O-Oh! That makes sense... I don't think you're strange, though, considering how you grew up... Your life is just different from everyone in the harbor."
"That's exactly what makes it strange."
"Well, I know, but I mean... Everyone's lives are strange, y'know? Like, you don't know much about daily life in the harbor, so all of it is weird to you. No matter who you are, someone will always find you unusual."
"I suppose," she shrugged. "I know you're trying to make me feel better, Y/n, but there's no point to what you're saying."
"Sorry, heh..." You apologized. "At least I tried."
"I appreciate it," she stated, eating another chocolate as she gazed to the stars. "I don't mind it much anymore. You don't find my lifestyle unusual, and recently, that's all I need."
"Really...?" You asked.
"Of course. Your worth to me is more than you know, I'm sure," she nodded. "I relish my time with you."
"I'm glad," you blushed. "I'll try to visit whenever I have time in the near future."
"Thank you."
"Of course."
Perhaps you'd find the courage to confess on one of your future visits. But at the time, you only wished to savor the moment with her and make it last as long as possible. You wanted to look into her eyes and see the beauty beyond all galaxies. You hoped to tell her someday.
But in actuality, Shenhe already knew of what day it was since the traveler informed her. So her approval of your gift was her silent acceptance of your confession. She also planned to explicitly explain that to you eventually, but she decided to simply sit under the stars with you for the moment.
