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Albedo treated festivals like any other day. He spent them experimenting in his cave in Dragonspine. He was completely alone this time, however, since he had given Timaeus and Sucrose time away to enjoy the festival.
"But master, surely it wouldn't hurt to take part once in a while," Timaeus suggested.
"It's fine. I'm not interested," Albedo refuted as he observed the test tube in front of him with thick, purple red liquid.
Sucrose and Timaeus gave him a look as if they felt guilty that he was still working even though they weren't. In fact, the light green haired alchemist had planned to continue her experiment on sweet flowers, but Albedo insisted that they both took time off.
They have been nothing but hardworking as of late, so they deserved a break. And what about him, you ask? Well, homunculi don't require rest like humans do. He had no problem working for hours on end, although yes, he would feel fatigued, but it posed no threat to his wellbeing.
Day bled into night without him noticing in the cave. He only looked up from his experiment when he heard footsteps approaching him. The very sound bounced off the walls, so it was hard not to hear it even with his level of concentration.
"I thought I'd find you here," Kaeya sauntered over to the table to stand by his side. He observed the specimen and concoctions laid out on the table and near an open book with Albedo's handwriting.
"What brings you all the way up here?" Albedo turned. His lover greeted him with a peck on the lips before he turned back to his work. "It's a long way, you shouldn't trouble yourself."
"I'm your boyfriend, why wouldn't I visit you?" Kaeya hugged the blond from behind and rested his chin on his shoulder. He usually did it to annoy him while he did his work, but Albedo found it comforting instead.
"Did you miss me that much?" the latter brought his attention back to the Cavalry Captain resting his head on his shoulder.
"Not really," Kaeya released him and turned him around so that he was looking into his eyes. "Klee did, though." He added.
"You can bring her up here with you." Albedo raised a brow at him as if questioning why he couldn't do that.
"After last time? I'm afraid not," Kaeya chuckled as he recalled the memory. Klee running about in Dragonspine bombing things was not exactly a safe past time, in fact, it landed her into solitary confinement.
"Right," Albedo sighed. "I must admit, I rarely ever spend time with her."
"Then stop working and come back to Monstadt with me," Kaeya purred, tilting his head up with his finger. He smirked when he saw his ears turn pink.
"I'm in the middle of an experiment, in case you didn't notice," Albedo gave him a deadpan look, earning a soft laugh from the other. "What's so funny?"
"Oh nothing, I just think it's cute how dedicated you are."
The blond rolled his eyes.
"Will you consider joining us if I help you out?" Kaeya suggested.
"What exactly can you help with?"
"I can gather materials, kill monsters and.." he trailed off, before smirking, "provide stress relief." He slotted a leg in between Albedo's thighs.
Albedo had his back against the table now. He managed to keep his cool though, and spoke with clarity, "There is something I could use your help with."
"And what is that, my prince?"
"Starsilver," Albedo said, then he freed himself from Kaeya's embrace to walk to his crafting table. He crafted a potion to keep him warm and tossed it over to the captain.
The knight caught it with ease. "Sure thing. Consider it done," he was about to leave when he felt a tug on his arm.
Albedo pulled him into a tender kiss. When he pulled away, there's a small smile on his face that warmed Kaeya's cryo heart. He wouldn't need a potion to keep him warm with that smile in his memory.
"I'll be back."
Sure enough, he did return to the camp. He had run into some trouble on the way, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. He carried a bunch of starsilver in a satchel by his side. He passed them to Albedo, who continued on with his experiment.
The alchemist did tell Kaeya to return, but the man insisted on staying by his side. Albedo didn't mind, so he let him.
"Kaeya, it really is getting late, you—" the blond discovered that his sweetheart had fallen asleep next to a pile of books. He had one book open on his lap which had long been neglected.
Albedo couldn't help but smile at the sight. He looked so peaceful when he slept, and it's a good look on him compared to his usual masked demeanor.
He took off his jacket and draped it over him while he slept. While he kneeled down to put it over him, he noticed a flower poking out of his pocket. He picked it up to inspect it.
It was a Cecelia, his favorite flower. Did Kaeya intend to give it to him but forgot? No, his memory never failed him. Was he...shy? He pondered the possibility with a small hum as he twirled it between his fingers.
After covering him with his coat for warmth, Albedo placed the Cecelia into an empty test tube and filled it with water. He made sure to put it somewhere safe in case he accidentally added it to his experiment.
The flower lived for a long time, much to his surprise.