Chapter Text
Albedo is deep in thought as the summer sun dawns on this day. His recent experiment has been turning out better than he originally thought. Sucrose had suggested a change in temperature and when Albedo tested it out it worked better than his starting hypothesis. He is so submerged in formulas and mathematical problems that he doesn't notice the slightly burnt smell welling up from the hot pan in his hand. The voice of his younger sister snaps him out of his daze.
"Watch out brother! You're gonna burn the toast!" Klee tugs on his shirt clearly used to the situation. Albedo lightly shakes his head as he comes back to reality. He looks down at the now half-burnt toast in the frying pan.
"Ah... Sorry about that." He says as he tries to amend his mistake. Klee doesn't seem to mind, as she happily skips over to her seat at the table.
After redoing the toast, he plates it before handing it to Klee, before he turns to make himself some coffee. It is clearly needed. As the water warms up, he turns back to Klee. She's wiggling happily in her seat, eating and humming to herself. Albedo smiles at her actions. He always enjoys seeing his little sister happy.
"You're in a good mood today Klee," Albedo says as he pours coffee into a mug. "What's the occasion?"
"Miss Y/N said we would go fish watching today!" Klee says with a mouth full of toast.
"Fish watching?" He takes a seat beside her, placing the cup on the table in front of him.
"Yeah!" She nods "Y/N said she is going to teach me about the different types of fishies and then we're having a picnic!" She articulates her words with wide gestures, almost knocking Albedos' mug over. "So you're not going to blow them up this time?" He manages to save his happy bean juice in time and places it down a bit further away from Klee.
"Nope!" She pops the 'P' loudly before shoving another bite of toast in her mouth. "At least not today!"
As Klee continues eating, ALbedo can't help but think back on the last couple of weeks. Ever since he hired Y/N, he had gotten much more work done. He also saw a change in Klee. Not only was she taken care of during the day, but she seemed happier too. Like the time where ALbedo accidentally slept in one morning and awoke to Klee helping Y/N cook breakfast for him. She had given him a plate of her special Fish Flavored Toas with the biggest smile on her face.
Or like the day where they visited him at his laboratory. He had been surprised, to say the least when Klee started reading the titles of books out loud. Turns out that Y/N was teaching her how to read. Albedo had wanted to raise her pay at this since she was practically homeschooling Klee at this point. But she had refused. She insisted that it was nothing special and that Klee really enjoyed learning.
One really warm day, Y/N had taken Klee to the beach to cool off and look at crabs. Klee had come home, bathing suit still on, sand between her toes, and lots more freckles on her nose and shoulders. During dinner, she told him everything in detail. How the water tasted salty, how they caught crabs, and about the sandcastle she'd built. It warmed ALbedos heart to see her so full of joy day after day.
His thoughts were interrupted for the second time this morning, but this time by a knock on the door. Klee shoots up from her chair, her small feet carrying her towards the hallway.
"I'll get it!!" Klee shouts back at him. A second later he hears her fling the door open. "Y/N!" She exclaims as she sees the person on the other side. He hears Y/N lovable laughter echo down the hallway as the door closes again. "Good morning Klee!" Y/N greets the girl.
"I'm almost finished with breakfast. We need to hurry!" Klee comes back to the kitchen, pulling Y/N behind her. She resumes her place at the table and continues eating, this time twice as fast. "Slow down Klee, we don't have to rush that much!" Y/N smiles at the eager girl in front of her, before turning to him. "Good morning Mister Albedo!" She greets him. Albedo feels his heart flutter.
"Just-" Albedo starts but Y/N cuts him off.
"Just Albedo, I know" She smiles at him. Just then Klee stands up, mouth still full of toast, to carry her plate to the sink.
"I'll go get Dodoco then we can leave!" She says as she finishes chewing. Albedo looks down at her red PJs.
"You need to get dressed too." He reminds her. She looks down, seemingly unaware of her attire before rushing off to get changed. A comfortable silence settles over the kitchen. Albedo takes a sip of his coffee when Y/N speaks up.
"So how's work going?" She asks, genuine interest in her voice. He looks up and meets her gaze. "Better now that I don't have to worry about Klee." He answers truthfully. He may hate that he can't spend as much time with Klee anymore, but knowing she is in good hands is enough for him. He takes another sip.
"You really love her." Y/N takes a seat across from him. "She talks about you very often, you know?" She looks at him with a smile. Albedo mirrors it as he looks over to the door to Klee's room. "I'm honored." He muses as Klees door opens. Said girl enters the kitchen, now dressed in a brilliant red summer dress and sandals with her backpack on her back. She runs up to Y/Ns side and takes her hand.
"Let's go find fishies now!!" She says, excitement gleaming in her ruby eyes. Before Y/N can even open her mouth, Klee has already dragged her over to the front door.
"Have fun" Albedo says just as the door slams shut. He chuckles as he takes another sip of his coffee. The cheerful morning filling him up with new energy, he rises from his chair to get ready for work.
---
"Master Albedo!" He looks up from the lab report he's currently writing. "It's very late! Shouldn't you be home by now?" Sucrose, his assistant, lightly scolds him. He looks down at his wristwatch and Sucrose was right. He should have been home over 4 hours ago.
"It seems I got too swept up in my work again." He says as he starts hurriedly packing up. "I shall take my leave now." He bids his assistant good night then rushes home, fully expecting Y/N to have left and that Klee would be all alone once again.
But when he enters his house, the kitchen is lit up, there are dishes in the sink and the door to Klees bedroom is only slightly ajar. As quietly as possible, he sneaks past the kitchen and up to the door, listening for clues as to what Klee could be up to. But all he hears is soft humming. He dares push the door open a little more, and now he can see the source of the sound. In the armchair Albedo would sit and read to Klee, now Y/N is sitting, with Klee cradled in her lap, humming softly to the sleeping child as she caresses her hair.
Albedo catches himself listening intensely. The melody feels familiar to him somehow. It reminds him of the trips his master used to take him on. He feels himself relax at the sound. No wonder Klee is sound asleep. As Y/N opens her mouth and starts singing softly, the memory clicks into place. He had heard it when his master had taken him to meet Inazuman travelers. As the group was sitting around the fire, the elders started to sing a lullaby to the kids. He's pulled back from his memories by movement inside the room. He quickly backs away, back into the kitchen. He starts washing the dishes that were just sitting in the sink.
He hears the door creak as Y/N steps out, having put Klee in bed. She turns and jumps slightly as she makes eye contact with Albedo. "Oh, Mister Albedo! Welcome back. I put Klee to bed already." Y/N greets him, smoothing out her clothes.
"Thank you. I got caught up in my work by mistake." Albedo gives her a small smile as he turns back to the dishes. "Thank you for staying to take care of Klee. I'll pay you extra."
Y/N leans her back against the counter beside him. "Oh no don't worry about it! I didn't even notice it was getting late until Klee started getting worried." He looks up at her, silently asking her to elaborate. "She was worried you had gone out and gotten hurt. I managed to calm her down enough to fall asleep by singing to her." She continues. He nods, turning back to the sink as he continues scrubbing a plate.
"Inazuman lullabies are very beautiful, aren't they?" He inquires. He can feel her stiffen beside him. "W-what?" She stammers, straightening up from the counter. He looks up to meet her eyes only to find them full of dread. "I heard you singing to Klee. It was Inazuman, was it not?" His question is followed by a heavy silence. She fidgets with her finger, picking at the nails. She takes a few deep breaths before responding.
"I... Yes, it is..." She takes a shuddering breath, not meeting his gaze. "It's my homeland. I am one of the few who has managed to escape its claws... "Albedo's eyes widen. He realizes the impact his words must have had on her and he immediately regrets everything he said. He puts down the plate he was washing, albeit a bit hurried. The noise of it hitting the counter startles Y/N, making her jump back. He turns to her and opens his mouth to comfort her, but the words get stuck in his throat.
"I'll take my leave now..." Y/N turns her back to him, but not before he can spot the tears escaping her beautiful eyes. She scrambles to collect her things. Albedo realizes that she's slipping through his fingers. He can't afford to lose her, both for Klees' sake but also for his. He's grown dependent on Y/N presence in their life. "Wait" He manages to grab her hand "This doesn't change our arrangement does it? Klee adores you." Albedo scrambles for words, trying to fix the mess he created.
"Really?" She turns her head towards him, tears staining her cheeks. "I thought- I don't wanna put the two of you in danger." Albedos heart clenches. She looks so hurt and vulnerable. He decides then and there that her will do anything to never see that look on her face again.
"You won't. This is not Inazuma. Mondstadt is the city of freedom." He takes a small step forward and when she doesn't react he slowly wraps an arm around her shoulder, giving her ample time to pull away "You are safe here. I promise." She leans into him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He doesn't try to talk to her, he just lets her cry silently into his shoulder. He cards his fingers through her hair, comforting her until her quiet sobs have almost completely died down.
She steps back, wiping under her eyes. "Are you feeling better now?" He asks her to which she nods. "I'm sorry for breaking down like that. I was just so scared that if people found out they would send me back..." She says as she collects her things, calmly this time. "Thank you, mister Albedo," Y/N says as she meets his gaze again, pulling on her coat. She gives him a shy smile, making his heart flutter.
"Just Albedo, please"