#I'LL TAG THIS WHEN I GET HOME. u guys plz be very niceys to me about this ok?

[theheroand]

Adrift in the Harbor

Claramay finds Ganyu at her most vulnerable.

Word count: 702

Tagging @kayakoto-enterprises and @serenadeofsunshine because they asked to be tagged in my writing :)

Claramay opened their eyes to find themselves alone in their bed. The other side of the mattress was cool to the touch, implying that they had been alone in their bed for quite some time. They gingerly stood up, the silken sheets rustling under their movement, and looked towards the balcony on the side of the room. They saw a figure there, bathed in the gentle light of the moon, resting against the rail of the terrace. They took a step towards the silhouette.

"Ganyu," their words left their mouth tentatively, "are you... okay?"

Their partner turned toward them, her cornflower blue hair flowing in the nighttime breeze. A lacy white nightgown draped across her elegant figure.

"What are you doing up so late?" She asked, as if she herself wasn't wide awake in the middle of the night.

"I could ask you the same question," they replied with a touch of humor, but concern seeped into their words.

"I was having a difficult time sleeping," she answered matter-of-factly. She turned back to face the outside, looking up at the crescent moon, and Claramay took a few steps forward to look at her closer. "The moonlight is an excellent place to think."

They joined her in her spot, leaning against the guardrail next to her. Her eyes almost seemed to glow in the dim setting, the violet and peach-pink hues sparkling with the light of the stars. And yet, there was something... else, that they could see on her face. Something distinctly familiar.

"You're homesick," they blurted out, "aren't you?" The two of them looked at each other for a moment, as if they were trying to figure out what was just said.

"I..."

"I'm so sorry, Ganyu," they interrupted, "I didn't mean to... I shouldn't have said that." She rested her fingertips delicately on the back of their knuckles. Her touch was ever so slightly warm.

"No, it was a rather astute observation." She smiled slightly, looking up at them. "To be quite honest... I haven't felt this strangely in a long time."

"About Jueyun Karst?"

She looked at them with a pained gaze for a moment, before the look in her eyes softened again.

"Among other things," she finally replied, looking down at the view below the balcony. "In truth, I am not sure if I've really ever had a home."

"Ganyu..."

"In Jueyun Karst," she continued, "there are very few means for company there. Being only half adeptus, I've never fully grown accustomed to the solitude."

"Is that why you came to Liyue Harbor?" Their hand clasped at the neckline of their shirt, wanting to reach out to her and comfort her but unsure how.

"Yes, and yet... I still do not belong. These people, they've lived here all their lives. They've been able to put down roots. And yet, I, who have been here since this region's infancy, still feel like an outsider. In neither companionship nor isolation do I feel welcomed."

There is silence, for a moment, only the sounds of the autumn breeze permeating the air.

"I'm sure it's not the same," Claramay admitted softly, "but I understand a bit of how you feel." She looked up at them, their eyes catching each other and this time, not averting. "Growing up in Mondstadt, with my family, was difficult. It never really felt like I was a part of it. That's one of the reasons I began traveling so much. I was looking for something I've... never quite had."

"Did you find it?" Ganyu asked, in an uncharacteristically tentative voice.

"I think so." They stepped a bit closer to her, and held out their hands. She placed her own gingerly in theirs. "In many ways, we are different. But there's one thing that I know, Ganyu. I know that I love you. And I would like to be your home, if you'd let me."

They watched as tears welled up in her eyes. Without a word, she lunged into them, arms tightly wrapped around their shoulders, face buried in their chest. They held her tight as her body trembled. They had never seen her cry before. "It's okay," they murmured, stroking her hair, "it's alright. You're home."