Chapter Text
Beidou grasps the gearshift and pushes it into park, as her Range Rover rolls to a jerky stop into its designated space.
She flicks her hand, turning the car off, pulling the keys out of the ignition, and then leans forward to drape her arms over the steering wheel. All smiles and no cares in the world, she glances over at her passenger and cracks a cheeky grin.
“Well, we made it one piece, didn’t we?”
Ganyu removes her hands from her face when she finally registers that the car has stopped and slowly lets them drop down into her lap. She lets out a shaky breath as she slowly shakes her head and her eyes flicker toward Beidou.
“…Beidou. You nearly mowed down a stop sign. Never mind all of those red lights you ran on our way over here.”
Beidou shrugs as she pulls open the pocket of her bomber jacket and drops her car keys inside, “Red means speed up, didn’t you know?” She chooses to ignore Ganyu’s muttering about—how in the world did they give you a license—and hovers her hand over the door handle, “Now, then. Enough chitchat. Let’s get the rest of this stuff upstairs already.”
Ganyu doesn’t have to be told twice as she shakily presses the eject button for her seatbelt and opens the door to step out of the SUV. Beidou is already popping open the trunk and places her hands on her hips as she observes the numerous brown boxes stacked in the back of the vehicle. Ganyu folds her hands in front of her as she looks at Beidou and then at all the boxes in trepidation.
“Are… are we really going to be lifting all these boxes by ourselves? Are Kaeya and Diluc going to come over and help us out with the rest of these things?”
“Relax, Ganyu.” Beidou laughs, “I know you’d probably snap in two under the weight of half of this shit. I’m doing all the heavy lifting tonight.” She glances about the underground garage for a minute, before nodding her head over to the enclosed elevator area, “I think there should be some dolly’s over there that we can use in the meantime.”
“So… what would you have me do?” Ganyu questions.
Beidou turns away from her and begins walking away to go retrieve one of the aforementioned dollys, “Climb on in and start pushing boxes toward the edge. I’ll do the loading, don’t worry.”
Ganyu sighs again, looking down at the light blue miniskirt that she wore for the day and curses herself for not making better clothing decisions that morning. With resolve, she climbs into the trunk and slides her way through the densely packed boxes to begin moving them toward the back of the SUV like Beidou had requested. Upon returning with the dolly, Beidou snorts in vague amusement as she watches Ganyu struggling to move a box labeled—heavy shit—towards the edge of the trunk. Ganyu groans as she falls over the box and struggles to catch her breath.
“Why are you making things more difficult than you need to?” Beidou asks as she shrugs off her bomber jacket and drapes it over the railing of the dolly.
“I’m trying to help.” Ganyu answers as she feels the box shimmy slightly out from under her and sees Beidou bracing one foot against the back of the SUV as she pulls it toward her.
“I didn’t say to break your damn arms in the process.” Beidou chuckles. She grunts as she heaves the box out from the trunk and sets it down onto the dolly with a resounding thud. As she wipes her brow with the back of her hand, she reaches for another box and pulls it out with a little more ease, “…Which, speaking of. You losin’ a little weight there, Ganyu? Maybe I need to get you back down at the gym and bulk you up a little.
Ganyu quickly shakes her head, “I’m fine, Beidou. I’ve just been busy at work is all…”
“Ah, yes. You still working for that demon boss of yours? The one you once compared to a dragon trying to devour your very soul? Something about how she’s always smoking and whatever?”
“She… she has her ways.” Ganyu murmurs as she grunts, pushing a smaller box toward Beidou who accepts it and stacks it on top of another box on the dolly, “And I’m thankful to work for her considering the economy we’re in. But, there’s always so much work to be done. Not … not that I’m complaining.”
Beidou laughs again, “Ganyu. Relax. What? You afraid she’s lurking around the corner just waiting to snap your head off?”
Ganyu shakes her head as she rests her elbow on another box labeled more heavy shit, “No…” Even though she felt like she was lying to herself. …Just a little.
Beidou grasps a box, staggering slightly, and almost dropping it to the concrete floor, “Heh, never met her, but I guess I can’t fault her. It’s tough out here trying to be a girl boss. I should know.”
“Beidou. You’re still a girl boss.” Ganyu tries to reassure her.
“Aww, thanks Ganyu. So are you. In your own overworked, sleep deprived way.” Beidou pauses as a thought crosses her mind. She frowns slightly as she watches Ganyu pushing another small box her way, “…You’re eating enough, too, right?”
“Yes. Beidou.” Ganyu answers, not quite meeting her eyes. She wipes her forehead with her forearm as she pauses for a moment. When she sees Beidou staring at her with that look, Ganyu sighs, “…Beidou. I promise. I’m eating.”
“You know, maybe we should get some meat in your diet. All those plants and tree sticks you seem to like munching on can’t be doing much for your energy levels.” Beidou muses as she reaches for the smaller box and stacks in precariously on top of two larger boxes, “What about fish? I know you refuse to touch red meat, but sea chickens can’t be that bad, right?”
Sea chickens?—Ganyu thinks to herself. “I’m Buddhist, Beidou. I’ve been a vegetarian since I was a child.”
“Man, that doesn’t mean anything. I’m pretty sure the great ole bubble belly guy in the sky ate animals.”
“…Can we please focus on getting the rest of these boxes out of your car and up to your place instead of discussing my dietary requirements?” Ganyu asks.
“Sure, sure.” Beidou looks at the dolly, “I think this is good for now. We’ll make another trip for the rest. You can come on out for now.”
“Very well then.”
Ganyu crawls her way out of the trunk and hops down back to the ground. She glances at the rest of the boxes, thankful that the rest of them are smaller in comparison to the mess that Beidou was lugging around in the beginning. As Beidou closes the trunk, Ganyu glances about the garage and prickles slightly when she catches sight of the car parked a few spaces down from Beidou’s Range Rover. Her eyes barely have enough time to descend down to the license plate before Beidou is calling to get her attention again.
“Ganyu.” Beidou claps a heavy hand over Ganyu’s shoulder and shakes her gently, “Oi, are you in there? You’re spacing out on me more than usual.”
“So… sorry, Beidou.” Ganyu shakes her head, “I was just… it’s nothing.”
Beidou lifts her gaze in the direction of where Ganyu was staring and her eyebrows raise in mild interest, “What? You talkin’ about the Maserati over there? Taking in all the nauseating markers of wealth that surround us?” She laughs, “I told you this new place came with a hefty price tag. Don’t worry though. I won’t lose my head in the process.”
“I doubt that you would, Beidou… but it’s just that … that car…”
“What about it?”
Ganyu shakes her head and swallows. No, it’s nothing. She was going crazy. There was no possible way what she was thinking could be possible. After all, there were tons of rich people in this city that drove Maseratis. Right. Right?
She allows Beidou to drop the keys to the apartment building into her hand and they both turn around and start to advance toward the elevator. Her eyes narrow as she walks past the car with Beidou chattering nonsensically at her side—something about the gym and her excitement in getting settled into her place. Ganyu can only nod silently as her heartbeat seems to grow louder in her ears.
As they pass the Maserati in question, her eyes lower to the license plate in the back. There it was, against the backdrop of white. Below the bold red script of California—three numbers and four letters—OPUS826.
...Oh. Oh.
Ganyu feels her blood pressure take an immediate drop as the world spirals before her. Beidou’s arm is around her waist to catch her, as the keys slip from her hands and her legs give out from below.
Ningguang resists the urge to reach up through her hair and press the mute button on the bejeweled hearing aid in her ear. She glances down at her glass of red wine and tries to hone in on the sounds of Chopin filling the barren spaces of her walls and high vaulted ceilings.
Instead, there’s Keqing—her younger cousin—on the rampage and rambling. She’s drunk, or well on her way to being there, given how long the two of them have haven engaged in the current topic of conversation. Ningguang knew this was a bad idea. Asking Keqing for advice on a matter such as this? What was she thinking? Ningguang takes another sip of her wine and ignores Keqing as she whips around and points her own empty glass in her older cousin’s direction.
“A baby.” Keqing begins as she snatches the bottle of high priced wine from off the surface of the kitchen bar and sloppily pours herself another glass. The red liquid sloshes noisily against the sides of her glass as she pours with zero discretion, “You want to have a baby, Ningguang? By yourself?”
“I’m almost thirty, Keqing.” Ningguang mutters, “Now would be the best time to do so, don’t you think?”
“No. I don’t think this is the right time to do so. I don’t think this is the right thing to do at all.” Keqing seethes as she slams the bottle back on the bar, “Have you talked with Zhongli about your madness? What are you going to tell your mother? That he got you knocked up?” Keqing laughs sharply as she swings her glass around, a bit of liquid spilling over the edge and spotless white floor.
“She still thinks us to be together. You of all people already know what the situation is like, Keqing.”
“A ruse you’ve kept up for how many years now?” Keqing says, crossing one arm under the other and swiveling her glass around some more. Ningguang chooses to ignore that she seems to be spilling more wine than drinking it, “And just what happens when she finds out you’re pregnant, Ningguang? You know what she’s going to insist you do—hello, shotgun marriage.”
“She would have no right.” Ningguang says as she moves her wine glass away from her and leans forward on the kitchen bar, “And … no. I haven’t spoken with Zhongli about my… intentions.”
“Oh, I could just see the gossiping aunties talking about this if they only knew the truth. Ningguang, the prodigal daughter, went and got herself knocked up with handsome Zhongli’s love child.” Keqing takes a sip from her glass, “Never mind the fact that neither of them are actually together!”
“I’m not saving face for the sake of a family name.”
“Oh, you’re not. But your mother would.”
“And what of you, Keqing? You speak as if you aren’t in a similar dilemma that matches my own.” Ningguang picks up her wine glass and brings it to her lips, “Hiding your own proclivity for women as I have. Or perhaps… needing me to further the lie to your mother and father about why you never come to family dinners anymore? What’s that, Keqing… still running around with that skating gang of yours, are you?”
“They’re not a gang.” Keqing points a finger at her in indignation, “It’s called roller derby.”
“Hm, if that is what you wish to call it.” Ningguang muses as she runs her finger along her wine glass, “Your objections to my wishes fall on deaf ears. …Quite literally.”
Keqing leans to the side and frowns as she notices Ningguang fiddling with her hearing aid again, “…Is that supposed to be a deaf joke or something?”
“I am known to be humorous when I wish to be.” Ningguang replies, cracking a sly smile.
“Yeah, like right now.” Keqing rolls her eyes as she reaches for the bottle of wine again, even though her glass is still half full.
“…Keqing, I do not see the problem with wanting a child.” Ningguang shakes her head, “I am more than financially sound. The child will be well provided for. I do not have many more years left until I become a barren woman.”
“Ningguang. You’re twenty eight.”
“And with age, it becomes harder to conceive. Or carry a healthy baby to term for that matter.”
“How are you even going to get pregnant to begin with, Ningguang?” Keqing winces as her thoughts go elsewhere, “You’re not… you’re not gonna… you know. Do the deed with Zhongli, are you?”
Ningguang’s nose wrinkles in pure disgust, “Absolutely not. Have you lost all of your senses? He is still currently enthralled with that blue-eyed artist of his. You know… the one with the name that sounds like a tarantula.”
“So… what? Are you going to ask him for his… man stuff and, you know, turkey baster it?”
“Keqing.”
“Look, I’m just confused about how you’re going to do this otherwise. If you’re not going to ask Zhongli to give you a little… donation, where else are you going to go? Who else would you ask?”
“Asking Zhongli to comply with such a desire would complicate things.” Ningguang murmurs as she looks down into the red liquid of her glass, “…Honestly, I was considering seeking out a donor. An anonymous one at that.”
Keqing finds that it’s now her turn to be disgusted as she wrinkles her nose, “You’re not suggesting what I think you are, are you?”
“And just why not? I do not wish to bring a child into this world that harbors half of his biology. That only makes things worse, should I ever want to…” Ningguang allows her thoughts to trail off as she if doesn’t want to vocalize what she’s thinking.
“You really want to be a single mother?”
“My own mother was.”
Keqing’s face softens, “…There were reasons for that, Ningguang. It wasn’t something she chose.” Sometimes … sometimes life was shitty in that way. Certain things happened and no one could control them, no matter how hard they tired. Keqing glances up at the clock to check the time and then reaches for her glass of wine, “I just…”
“I do not understand why you’re objecting so strongly to this.” Ningguang says, a sense of finality creeping into her voice. She reaches for her pack of cloves at her side and proceeds to pull one from the pack and lights up. She exhales a stream of smoke in Keqing’s direction, “It’s not your life. It's mine. And this is my decision and I will live with it.”
“Why not just… wait until you have someone special in your life at least? You know, so there's someone else around to help with ...the baby."
"Someone else." Ningguang comments sardonically as she leans back and blows smoke into the air, "You speak as if I'm coming out anytime soon."
"Yeah, well... it's a thought." Keqing waves at the smoke that comes her way, “Whatever happened to that blonde? The one from Germany?”
“You speak of Jean Gunnhildr?” Ningguang asks, bringing the clove to her lips again and putting on her poker face, “Nothing more than a business associate.”
“Lies. You slept together.” Keqing counters, “I found a particular pair of cross shaped earrings that definitely aren’t yours in your bathroom when I—“
“She was nothing more than a business associate, Keqing.” Ningguang reaffirms, somewhat more strongly than before. The conversation enters into an uncomfortable lull as Ningguang scoffs and leans back in her chair, “How I tire of this life…”
Keqing downs the rest of her wine and sighs in agreement, “…Me too.”
Ningguang’s red eyes flicker up to Keqing, “…Do you intend on staying the night? Or will you return to your own abode and perhaps trouble some poor taxi man with your drunken stupor?”
“Tch, I’m not even that drunk.” Keqing replies as she rolls her eyes.
Ningguang leans forward and picks up the nearly empty bottle of wine, tilting it to the side in observation, “You drank half the bottle. …As well as the one before this.”
“You always have the best stuff, Ningguang. You know that.”
“I suppose I shall have to phone Baishi to up my reserves come morning.”
“Oh, Baishi.” Keqing giggles, almost mischievously, “What about her? She all but salivates over the ground you walk on, Ningguang. What more could you need in such a devoted partner?”
“The very thought drives me to a level of illness you cannot even fathom.” Ningguang replies dryly.
Keqing smirks, “Just imagine if she were a guy. Why, I bet she’d be willing to bend you over without a second thought and—“
Before Keqing can finish her salacious and unwanted commentary, something hard and heavy thuds against the door of Ningguang’s apartment. Both women stare at one another for a moment as a rather loud and brusque voice calls out—Fuck, Ganyu. Are you okay?!—followed by a rather familiar and small voice saying—I… I’m all right.
Ningguang’s eyes narrow in scrutiny as she steps down off her chair and sets her wine glass on the counter. She paces over to the front door and presses a button on an intercom to the side of it. The small panel comes to life and she’s greeted with the sight of a dark haired woman helping a smaller blue haired woman up to her feet. Keqing calls to her, but Ningguang holds out a hand to silence her as she observes what the two women outside her door are doing.
Jeez, Ganyu. We’ve gotta get you some time off at that job of yours. I’ve never seen you this loopy before. You’re further out in space than you usually are.
I… I’m fine, Beidou. Really, I’m okay.
Keqing walks over to Ningguang with her wine glass in hand and leans in to observe the spectacle on the monitor, “New neighbors?”
“Neighbor.” Ningguang answers as she hovers her clove before her lips, watching on with a vague sense of interest.
“Hm.” Keqing takes another sip of her wine, “…Ningguang.”
“Yes, Keqing.”
“Isn’t… that your secretary?”
“You mean the one that lied to me about needing time off because her little cousin was in the hospital with rabies?” Ningguang asks as she reaches for the handle of her apartment door, “It would seem so, apparently.”
Ningguang’s gaze is stone cold as she stares at the brown haired woman—her new supposed neighbor—and Ganyu—her perpetually frazzled and red-eyed secretary—standing in the hallway with an array of boxes surrounding them. The door to the apartment on the opposite side of the hallway is wide open. From within the depths of the apartment a loud and scratchy—HOLD UP, BIAAATTCCCHHH—erupts from the speakers of a Bluetooth stereo and Ningguang winces as the continuous thumps of indiscernible rap music leak out into the hallway.
“You should know that quiet hours begin at nine.” Ningguang begins, not even bothering with pleasantries. The brown haired woman turns around to look over her shoulder just as Ningguang looks down at her watch, “…And considering the time, that begins soon.”
Undeterred by Ningguang’s coldness, the brown haired woman turns around fully and smiles good-naturedly at her. She even has the audacity to laugh of all things. That laugh grates Ningguang’s ears and she really wants to rip her hearing aids out at that point from the sound of that stupid, goofy ass laugh. The brown haired woman doesn’t seem to notice the sheer terror that’s descended over Ganyu’s features as she realizes who’s standing on the opposite side of the hallway and the way that her red eyes are boring straight into Ganyu’s soul.
“Heh, sorry about that. We’ll try and keep quiet from here on out. Just trying to get the last bit of my things in the place before we call it quits for the night.” Her grin intensifies as she wipes her hand off on her joggers and extends it toward Ningguang in amicably greeting, “Name’s Beidou, nice to meet’cha.”
Ningguang looks down at the hand extended in greeting. She brings her clove to her lips and takes a long drag, before blowing smoke out in Beidou’s direction. Maybe she would get the hint that way.
Beidou tilts her head to the side and crosses her arms over chest, “Well, then. Thanks for informing me about that noise policy. Perhaps you can keep catch me up to speed about the smoking one?”
“Within ones abode and ensuring that the substance is in compliance with the law, I’m sure it is no worry to one such as yourself.”
“I’ll keep that in mind then. If there’s nothing else my dear neighbor, I’ll be sure to keep it down from here on out.” Beidou says as she rolls her eyes and turns back around to start pushing the remaining boxes back into her apartment.
“You would do well to do so.” Ningguang snaps as her gaze descends back to Ganyu, who seems intent on hurrying inside to Beidou’s apartment before she can say anything, “Ganyu.”
Ganyu slowly turns her head around just as she’s inside the threshold and Beidou’s about to close the door, “…Uh, uh, hi, Ms. Ningguang."
Ningguang tilts her head to the side, her voice dripping like honey tainted with poison, “I’ll expect you to be able to work overtime this week? And the next? It would seem that your cousin has gotten over her rabies quite quickly, did she not?”
“Y… yes. She made a miraculous recovery just this morning. I… I meant to call you and tell you I would be able to come in… into work after all, but I—“
“Very good, Ganyu. I will see you bright and early on Monday, then.”
Ganyu flinches as the door to Ningguang’s apartment closes with a resounding thud and the conversation is over before it even began. Beidou sticks her tongue out in the direction of Ningguang’s door and closes her door softly as Ganyu slowly walks back in, her head down and her eyes pointed toward the ground.
“Sheesh. So much for friendly neighbors, huh? What a cynical ass wipe.” Beidou rolls her eyes as she rakes her hand through her hair and puts her hands on her hips. She turns her attention toward Ganyu and then back at her door. It doesn’t take her long to put two and two together, before her eyes widen in realization. “…Wait a minute, Ganyu…”
“Yes.” Ganyu answers, her voice small and distant.
“That… wasn’t…”
“My boss?”
“Yeah...” Beidou exhales, “Well, shit. Out of all the places to move. Out of all the apartments to be in…” She watches at Ganyu makes her way over to one of the boxes in the middle of the living room and starts fiddling with the tape on one of the corners, “…Rabies, Ganyu?”
“It’s … nothing.” Ganyu mutters again as she pulls at the tape and starts trying to pry the box open.
“Hey, let’s just … call it a night.” Beidou says, walking over to Ganyu and placing a soft hand over Ganyu’s own, “We don’t need to deal with all this crap right now. I’ll get the blow up mattresses set up and we can order some take out or whatever.” She raises a hand and starts massaging the top of Ganyu’s head in the way that she knows will calm her down, “Wanna watch that Rex Lapis cartoon you love so much? I know that’ll cheer you up.”
“But, Beidou, you hate The Magnificent Rex Lapis and the Seven Holy Yaksha Avengers. The last time I asked you to marathon it with me you fell asleep on me within five minutes of the show starting.”
“I… can tolerate it for the night if it’ll cheer you up.”
“…Promise you won’t fall asleep this time?”
“I can try.”
That seems to do the trick, because Ganyu perks up and smiles softly as she massages the corner of her eye, “Can… can we do takeout from that new vegan place that just opened up downtown? I hear their qingxin stir fry is to die for.”
Beidou hides the wince that comes to her face with a forced smile, “Sure, Ganyu.”
“Oh, thank you.” Ganyu throws her arms around Beidou and proceeds to hug her. She clasps her hands together as she pulls away, the previous interaction with boss already forgotten. She wanders over to the kitchen to retrieve her handbag from the counter and pulls out her phone, “I’ll get started on the order right now. Is there anything you want in particular?”
“Heh, surprise me.” Beidou answers as she sets about trying to find the box where she stuffed the air mattresses into.
Ganyu merely beams at her as she begins typing into her phone and murmuring to herself about what she should order. Beidou in return just shakes her head and chuckles to herself. In the moments where Ganyu is distracted, Beidou takes it upon herself to do a full three sixty of her apartment, taking in the new place that she was about to officially call her home. Spartan walls she would have to fill up—or destroy. Unpacking was going to be annoying. It would be some time before she could call this place her own.
Beidou ends her assessment with a stern viewing of the front door and frowns. That woman. With her cigarette and haughty disposition. Beidou had been well aware of the reputation of the place she was currently moving to, but who’s to say that those on the higher echelons of society had to live up to that reputation as well? Besides, Beidou was just as rich—and somewhat famous—in her own right. What gave her—this Ningguang—the right to act in such a manner? Beidou rolls her eyes. Nope, not going to let it bother her. Maybe Beidou had just caught her on an off day and she would be nice and cheerful and apologize for her rudeness during the next time they met.
…Then again. With the way that Ganyu spoke about her, Beidou wasn’t quite so sure of that.
Ganyu calls to her, distracting Beidou from her thoughts, and lets her know that the food was on its way. Beidou grins in response, forgetting the previous encounter and motions for Ganyu to come over to where she’s standing. She proceeds to pull her phone out, halting her Spotify playlist, and pulls up a video streaming service app to find Ganyu’s … cartoon. Beidou hands her phone off to Ganyu, tells her to pick whatever she wants to watch for the night, while she sets off to find the blow up mattress for the two of them and some blankets to wrap themselves in while they wait for the food.
As Ganyu giddily grabs the phone and sets about wondering if they should watch—Rex Lapis and the Demise of Osial the Evil Fish Lord or Rex Lapis and Barbatos, Songs of the “Spirited” Bard—Beidou’s gaze lingers on the front door for one more moment.
….So much for first introductions.