[TW: character death]
[notes: written in xinyan's pov first then switches to xiangling!! i'm sure you'll know when]
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.
The deeper you go, the colder the water gets and the heavier your ears feel. The longer you stay under, the less you can breathe, but I won't go back now.
I can see the outline of her body in front of me, looking for unique things to bring back and cook. She never stops looking for things to cook. I swear I'll never stop looking with her, fighting whatever monster she wants to make a new dish out of.
My lungs burn. I can't hold my breath much longer, but she's gotten out of my sight and I have to find her first. I have to find her first but I can't breathe and I'm swallowing water.
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-Xiangling-
I haven't had so much fun with Xinyan in ages. My hands are full of seaweeds, my clothes are soaked, they get the dock wet. The air is so much colder than the water!
And the air doesn't have Xinyan.
I drop the seaweed next to me and jump back in without thinking. She's down here somewhere. I tell myself I won't come back up without her. I tell myself over and over again.
I run out of air and have to go back up. There's only so much time I can waste in breathing. Go back down. Repeat. I can't get enough air in.
She's down near the bottom, near where I found the seaweed. She's so heavy. She's so heavy and she was the stronger one.
I lost my shoes. My feet thump against the street quietly. The Millelith still guard the city at night, don't they?
I don't even know what I'm telling him, but he drops his spear and follows me. I know where we jumped in because Xinyan left her shoes on the boat. I tell him she's down there, she's down there but I couldn't pull her up.
He's strong enough to pull her up.
He tells me I have to find Baizhu.
....
..
....
They told me she drowned.
Baizhu said it wasn't my fault.
The air is so much colder without her. Colder than the water.
The stars have lost their warmth.
