#/ nuances to consider esp of an ask with this theme. vitriolic. reconciliation. banter. disgust. irritation. aries and a scorpio. every1 LO

[prodigiousvisions]

💋 hi

FIRST FIVE ASKS TO SEND 💋 GET A KISS. (2/5) - specified xiao or [albedo] in dms for keqing. - accepting, but only one more is available. | @lightsmartyr

━━ ˟ ⊰ ♡  a kiss that defines.

HOW MANY TIMES WAS IT THAT KEQING CROSSED THE BORDER ABOUND THE SNOWY TRAILS TO MEET ALBEDO IN THIS FASHION? The experiences the two shared over the tides of time were abound a myriad of lights and circumstances. Research ━ more educational suited purposes, formal dispositions. Traveling ━ shedding any means of inactivity and seeking stimulation. Informal, soaking in the other's essence and cultivating their best qualities innately. Stiff, near clinical regarding; unintended, yet welcomed playfulness. Each disparity shift had its place in suiting the occasion or mood appropriately. Yet, it dealt Keqing a significant amount of internalized uncertainty with the notable lack of establishing a more concrete middle ground outright.

(Could it truly be called middle?)

The blizzard this time around is one of particularly dangerous nature to traverse. She's forced into a situation where she has to spend the night in his own space, lest she wish to be buried six feet under with the onslaught of white sheets. Thus, there Keqing sat at the bench of the crafting table in his workspace, pulling the borrowed blanket closer to her skin as she stared down at the wood surface, disgruntled, yet, spoke not as he poured over a clipboard full of notes of some kind. A quilt pen resounds against the paper he'd been entirely engrossed in monetarily, then ceases altogether. Her lips part to speak ━ to address the source of her dissatisfaction in the dead of the night, but before she's given the chance to do so, he's already back to shuffling the pages of his transcription work. She frowns deeply, and her hands curl around the blanket tighter. Keqing was by no means an expert at navigating human connections, but wasn't this too much? To not sit down and properly talk about the evident elephant in the room?

She can't take it anymore.

"Albedo, please don't liken me to just another test subject." Stern sentiment cuts through the silence of the snowstorm and the crackling fire of surrounding torches and spills out haphazardously, blanket dropping off her shoulders as she rises to a stand and turns to face him directly. Magenta hues glimmer with a sense of sincerity and urgency. Her words didn't come off the way she would have liked; she knows Albedo better than that, but the knot tying in her chest is much more prevalent to focus on than stumbling over even more estranged apologies. Where words failed her currently - taking charge would not. She needed confirmation of where they stood.

"Push me away if this is too audacious," the Yuheng mutters quietly, words lowering to a near whisper while plucking away his clipboard and setting it aside, "If I am being too presumptuous."

Hands now free for her taking, she interlaces her own with his. Frigid air danced on her skin ━ a reminder to act quickly; even if she failed and was met with rejection, it would be a moment sooner to return to the warmth of the surrounding fires. Leveraging this vantage point with an ample mix of determination and worry, she closes the distance. In seconds that felt like an eternity, she kissed him. All she can do is rely on herself to convey her newfound realization of her cast-aside feelings properly. She wants to think she understands him and that reciprocation is the next rational step forward - yet at the same time, she has a harder time reading his mind than most. Her kiss lingers for just a moment as a plethora of raised thoughts fly through her mind, then is swiftly ended.

Despite what he may tell her next, she can't find the courage to let go of his hands just yet.