Work Text:
Ainz wished he could swallow. It felt fitting if he could have. He wished he could’ve done something to express his anxiety.
Albedo sat in front of him, eyes closed, concentrating as he asked her to. He’d worked his abilities as best he could as well. And they’d done it.
The editing menu. The editing menu for Albedo had come up. The words that he had put burned into his eye sockets.
Now he wished he could close his eyes. All of Albedo’s loving care for him would disappear. She may even hate him. But...it wasn’t right to leave her like that, a slave to a set of words that he’d forced upon her.
As he deleted them, a sense of peace washed over him. It was the right thing to do.
The last of the letters were deleted. He saved and closed the menu. Waiting for a few moments for the changes to work, he settled a bony hand on Albedo’s shoulder. “Albedo. It’s done.” Ainz paused for a moment. “How do you feel?”
“How do I feel?” The words felt heavy to Ainz. He mentally prepared himself for a tongue lashing. “I feel…” Ainz gasped and nearly fell over as she looked up at him with the same slavish devotion as ever. “I love you even more now than I’ve ever done before!”
“What?! But…” Desperately, Ainz pulled the menu up again. The words he’d put were gone. The enormous paragraphs that Tabula had written were still there.
He skimmed, trying to figure out if he’d accidentally copy and pasted his words. He stumbled across ‘love’ and latched on.
Ainz read the paragraph once. Twice. Three times.
“Ainz-sama? What’s wrong?” Albedo asked.
“I...I…” If his throat could’ve been dry it would’ve been.
It was there in black and white. Albedo’s personality as dictated by her creator, his precious friend. A description of the one that she loves.
It was him. Ainz knew it was him. Tabula had made a little homage to Ainz, to Momonga, in what Albedo would love in a partner.
The reality hit him like a tidal wave as he closed the menu, falling back heavily into his throne.
“Ainz-sama? If it was anything I did, I apologize profusely!” Albedo said, looking up at him.
“Albedo.” Ainz felt...easy. Everything was easy, now. It was… Trying to clarify, he asked, “You still love me?”
“You’re a Supreme Being. One that has always cared about us all. And…” Her face flushed. “And I simply love you . I love everything about you. Even when you don’t believe you’re worthy. I don’t understand that thought because you’re the worthiest of all of us!”
Ainz leaned forward, pulling Albedo close. She let out a squeak of surprise, then delight as he rested a hand on her face.
“I’m, not good at this sort of thing,” Ainz haltingly admitted.
A squee erupted from Albedo as she wrapped her arms around his neck and, somehow, hopped up into his lap. And, mustering up what little dating experience he had, Ainz kissed Albedo. Or, at least, he tried. It was hard without lips.
He pulled away and they sat there together, just watching each other.
It felt right.