@frostwinds / beidou & ningguang.
every night, just before bed, ningguang watches the north star from atop her shining balcony. from above, she has a perfect view of the night ocean, dark and glimmering, full of smaller stars and city lights. she sits at the edge, not sure what she’s looking for, not sure what she expects to see, but she watches and waits anyway, scanning the horizon and enjoying the cool night breeze until her eyes grow heavy with sleep.
well, that’s not true now, is it? ningguang knows exactly who she hopes to see.
even as a distant dot across the vast ocean, ningguang would know. she knows that woman’s ship intimately like the back of her hand. she knows that woman intimately like the back of her hand. ( or does she? that woman surprises her every day — what an unpredictable storm ). thunder and lightning seems to follow her wherever she goes, cracking at her heels like obedient dogs as if nature’s storms are hers and hers only to wield.
( begrudgingly, ningguang admits she’s a little impressed and wonders if that woman dreams of her too ).
but there are no ships approaching her harbor tonight.
all is calm in her city. merchants sleep fitfully, dreaming of tomorrow’s deals and earnings. children sleep soundly, not a care in the world, dreaming of fantastic wonders only whimsical youth can provide. “sleep well, all,” ningguang whispers to her slumbering city below, eyes softening, impossibly fond before she turns away from her window to retire for the night too.
not at all concerned, she leaves the window slightly ajar to welcome the sweet breeze into her bedchambers. some fresh air is good for the skin, after all.
but hours after she falls prey to sleep, ningguang wakes up in the middle of the night, broad hand suddenly clapped over her mouth and she startles, quickly assessing the situation and discovering that her hands have not been bound. ready to counter, she prepares her cast, but the identity of her attacker soon dawns on her.
after all, she would recognize her calloused hands and the sea-salt scent of her hair anywhere.
“you,” ningguang gasps, ungracefully smacking away the pirate’s hand, “wait a moment.” her brow furrows — visible disapproval and exasperation. such is only typical when dealing with beidou. “what have you done with my guards, pirate?”
“you’ll find new ones,” beidou shrugs, not bothered in the slightest, vaguely amused by ningguang’s sour countenance more than anything.
ugh, of course. of course! why did she dream of seeing this insufferable woman again?
rolling her eyes, ningguang turns over, spitefully facing away from the pirate captain to try and catch at least a couple of hours of sleep if she’s lucky. tomorrow’s a big day. more mora to add to the pot, more deals, more —
“i’ve come all this way and you’re just going to ignore me?”
before she can reply, ningguang feels strong arms wrap around the little of her waist, but makes no move to move. obviously, she’s had a long day and she’s far too comfortable to move. it has very little to do with the fact that beidou is warm. very, very, very little.
“yes,” ningguang huffs, but she’s already melting into her, finally turning to face her to claim a kiss from the handsome captain, savoring the liquor on her tongue. “next time,” she breathes, her sigh sweet, “use the front door.”
