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Kaeya looked over the Chief Alchemist's shoulder at his drawing of him and chuckled. "I look hot." He joked.
"You are," Albedo responded, not batting an eye as he turned the pages in his notebook to an empty one.
"What?" The captain did not expect such an answer from the usually deadpan alchemist. He could feel heat rising up his face and he pulled his shirt a little to let air in. He wasn't going to let himself get flustered this quick. "Oh, Albedo, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were flirting with me," he purred.
"And what if I am?" Albedo's pried his azure eyes from his sketchbook and stared at the taller man stood next to him. There's a glint in his eye akin to mischievousness. If the smug look on his face wasn't a challenge, then Kaeya doesn't know what is.
Kaeya chuckled again, using the shorter blond's shoulder as an armrest, much to his dismay. "My, my, how bold of you. In that case, then perhaps I should take you out sometime," the captain leaned in so that his breath tickled the alchemist's neck.
Albedo doesn't let the gesture faze him. He turned to look at him instead, their faces now inches away. "As in a date or an assassination?" he quizzed.
"You know which," Kaeya winked. He pulled his hand away from his shoulder. Then he turned around and waved at the Chief Alchemist as he walked away. "See you around."
Albedo doesn't wave back, because he knows he won't see it. "Likewise," is what he chooses to answer with, resuming his sketching.
The next day, he's summoned to the meeting room along with the others in position in the Knights of Favonius. He's one of the earliest to arrive, and much to his surprise, Kaeya is too. His face seemed solemn than usual though— he was probably nursing a hangover, if the ash blond had to guess.
Soon, people filled into the meeting room and took their seats. At the head of the table, Jean stood with Lisa beside her.
Jean began to explain the reason for their meeting, one being Cyprus's proposal for adventurers to climb up the mountain. Albedo had been asked to inform the knights about how the conditions were on Dragonspine periodically, and it was obvious that the expedition would be dangerous.
But of course Cyprus is thinking that it will be a good experience. Thus, Jean called them for a meeting to discuss possible accompaniments for the adventurers exploring the mountain. It was simple— there will be stations at certain points on the mountain that will be guarded by knights in case any of them were in immediate danger.
And it was just his luck that Jean had paired him up with Kaeya.
"Guess I'm stuck with you now." Kaeya patted him on the shoulder and smirked. "See you on the mountain, my prince."
The meeting was adjourned already, and Albedo didn't manage to fire back a retort at Kaeya before he was out the door. He left earlier than the rest as soon as it was over. Albedo wondered what exactly was he in a rush for.
Several days later, they were at the encampment next to Dragonspine, all geared up for their duty. After a briefing from Jean, they all split up into their respective pairs and trekked through the mountains to their spots. All the way there, Kaeya made idle chit chat with Albedo even if the ash blond wasn't much interested in what he had to say.
Can this man not take a hint or is he doing this on purpose?
He let him talk anyway. He would get worn out and stop talking sooner or later. Much to his dismay, however, the Captain had far too much stamina. Which meant he was able to keep up a conversation the whole way.
When they finally arrived at the camp, Kaeya made himself comfortable near the cooking pot. Albedo, on the other hand, went straight to the alchemy table to craft a potion to keep them warm. Although technically he wasn't that susceptible to cold, he figured Kaeya would need it.
"Are you hungry?"
"Not really. Are you?" Albedo finished making the potion and he made his way towards Kaeya.
"Nope," Kaeya shrugged. He took off his gloves and shook off the frost covering them. He looked up when the alchemist handed him a vial of the golden liquid. "Oh? You didn't have to, my prince."
"I'm not a prince," Albedo sat down next to him on the makeshift seats Timaeus had crafted from unused barrels. He then took out a sketchbook and began sketching, while Kaeya resigned to looking out for any adventurers.
Albedo doesn't have much to do besides wait. He couldn't do his usual experiments while they waited. He looked around for a subject to draw, anything that would catch his interest. Unfortunately, everything in the cavern was already familiar to him, except...Kaeya was here now.
He remembered the Captain had suggested that he drew him properly before. Maybe he should. And yet his hands defiantly draw out those three lines as he observed the captain wait.
A small smile made itself known on his face.
"Oh? What's so amusing?" Kaeya brought his attention from his book, his light coloured eyes staring into his deeper shade of blue.
"Nothing," Albedo's smile disappeared, replaced with his usual calm expression.
Kaeya sees the drawing in his sketchbook and smirked. "So you drew me, again,"
"You're the easiest to draw," Albedo replied, tapping his fingers on the paper of his book.
"Why put it on paper when you have the real deal?" He rested his face in his palm as he spoke to him with a purr. Was Kaeya flirting with him? In the middle of work? "The date offer is still on the table you know."
Albedo couldn't help but roll his eyes. "This is hardly the time."
"I don't think you'll have a hard time multitasking," Kaeya puts his gloves back on. "But you're right, we have visitors."
True enough, a pair of adventurers stumbled into the cave. Bennett and Razor.
"Oh, hello!" Bennett greeted them cheerily despite the cuts and bruises on his body. How he got so injured, Kaeya could only imagine.
"Bennett...hurt. Razor gave wolfhook to stop bleeding." The other explained, earning a headpat from Kaeya.
"Good job, Razor," the blue haired man gave his seat to Bennett.
Albedo got up as well and took a first aid kit from one of his shelves. He gestured towards Razor to sit down while Kaeya inspected Bennett's wounds.
"How exactly did you...get this hurt again?"
"I slipped on ice and rolled down the mountain," Bennett answered, laughing nervously and rubbing the back of his head, before wincing.
"You're hurt there too?" Kaeya moved to check if his head was bleeding. It wasn't, much to his relief, but there was probably a bruise hidden by his hair.
Albedo found this side of him somewhat endearing to see. He's always known that Kaeya was good with children, but to see it upfront like this, it's a different experience of his own. He sets the first aid kit down beside the man.
"Thanks," Kaeya took out a bandage and used his Cryo vision to cool it, before placing it on the back of Bennett's head.
Albedo turned his attention to Razor, whose puppy like eyes looked up at him. The Chalk Prince gives him a smile, before asking him, "Are you hurt anywhere?"
Razor nodded and showed him his palm. There was a cut that stretched across his palm, it had stopped bleeding a while ago, from the looks of it.
Just as he reached for some bandage in the box, he accidentally brushed his hands against Kaeya's. He pulled back quickly. The momentary warmth was somewhat comforting on this cold mountain.
The cavalry captain didn't make anything of it, but rather focused on treating Bennett's wounds. "This might hurt a little," he warned the young boy.
"It's okay, I'm used to it," Bennett replied.
Albedo could've sworn he saw Kaeya smile sadly.
He resumed his task of tending to Razor's wounds. The boy winced when he applied medicine and washed the dried blood away with wet cloth.
"Does it hurt too much?"
Razor shook his head. "Razor is..brave. Can take it."
Albedo smiled at him again. "You are." he continued treating him. Suddenly, just as he was about to wrap bandage around the cut, a rumble makes itself known. The young adventurer was hungry.
"I'll cook," Kaeya spoke up before any of them could address the sound and chuckled softly. "Must be hungry after all that adventuring, huh?"
Albedo was not surprised to see how well he had patched up the other young adventurer. "I'll get the ingredients. What do you two want to have?"
"Some radish veggie soup would be nice," Bennett perked up at the mention of food. There was nothing like a satisfying meal after an adventure, after all.
"Razor would like some steak," His companion responded.
Albedo collected all the necessary ingredients for cooking and gave them to Kaeya.
"Do you need help?" Albedo asked while he watched him cook.
"Cut up some radish for me?" Kaeya suggested.
"Sure."
"Should.. Razor and Bennett help too?"
"No, just rest. It's alright," Albedo told them with another gentle smile to assure them. He was glad that at the very least these two were accommodating. The next few they encounter, may not be...as friendly.
After the two of them left, the two had a lot more work to do than before. As adventurers that required assistance with defeating hilichurls in that area were a plenty. And archon knows how some of those monsters even followed them to the camp.
Once the day was over, it was already dusk. Albedo was, needless to say, exhausted from the day's work. He never had to subject himself to that much fighting before. Even Kaeya was less talkative on their trek down the mountain towards the camp.
On the bright side,Albedo got to witness him at work that day for the first time, which was refreshing. Once or twice he had the urge to draw him, but he had to fight too, so he didn't have the luxury.
Kaeya was much better than people described, much more mesmerising to witness in person.
When Albedo finally fell asleep that night, the sketchbook by his pillow has a picture of Kaeya, sketched in earnest.
For once, he drew him with more than three lines.