Work Text:
As the cool air of Dragonspine grazes Albedo’s fingers, he drew yet another stroke across his canvas, almost finishing his piece. He took a step back, admiring his work in progress from afar. He loved painting the various landscapes Dragonspine had to offer. Every area he would pick on this mountain to create a new piece offered him a new look on his surroundings. He never got bored of it, unlike other topics of research he has lost interest in long ago.
He loved coming up to Dragonspine. He didn’t mind the cold as much as any adventurer would. He found it quite soothing, in fact. The mysteries the mountain held also drew him in, helping him find many new things to investigate. His lust for learning would never be satisfied, the complexity of these cold summits were proof of that.
Yet, there was another cold and mystifying subject that had enticed him just as much as Dragonspine.
Albedo paced back to his canvas, satisfied with what he’s produced so far. As he continued filling in the snowy peaks in the landscape ahead of him, he thought of said subject. A subject as enticing as the peculiar wonders of Dragonspine seems impossible to think of, yet it stuck to Albedo's mind. The mystery behind a certain Cryo user who loves to go around teasing and flirting with everyone he encounters on his way.
A subject just as peculiar as Dragonspine could be none other than the enigma behind Kaeya, the Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonious.
Albedo dipped his paintbrush into another shade of blue as he pondered about Kaeya some more. A man who disappears to Celestia knows where, it was only a matter of time for Albedo to find interest in him. What secrets does he hold? What is he hiding in plain sight? Might he be planning something dangerous? Why does he wear an eyepatch all the time? Why does every word he speaks baffle, yet still draw Albedo in further and further? All these questions were still a mystery to him, and he was willing to do whatever it takes to find the answers to them.
The chill in the area felt a lot colder now that Albedo had concluded his thoughts. He continued to paint, thinking that the change was just a brief gust of wind. However, the newfound feeling of a more chilling air around him lingered. Surely his fire didn’t go out, he could still feel the presence of the heat from behind him. However, there was another presence there, but not one of a campfire, or an object. It was a person.
“My, my, will you not even greet me with a simple ‘Hello’ or a ‘Nice seeing you here’?”
It is almost as if the Archons had heard Albedo’s thoughts and had brought to him the exact person on his mind. He turned to face Kaeya, a smile on the man’s face.
“And what brings you here to Dragonspine, Sir Kaeya?” Albedo asked, placing his paintbrush down, “It is quite cold up here, might I add.”
“Come on now, Albedo. There’s no need to be so formal,” Kaeya advanced towards him, particularly eyeing his artwork, “I just wanted to admire the scenery, the cold is barely a problem.”
Right, Kaeya did possess a Cryo vision after all. There isn’t a doubt that the cold wouldn’t nearly come close to affecting him. Albedo watched as Kaeya tried to get a peek at the canvas, though he was standing right in front of it, obscuring his vision. The smile still lingered on the Cavalry Captain’s face as he tried to look over Albedo’s shoulder, going from side to side as the alchemist followed his every movement. Typical of Kaeya to have such a childish nature, while still acting like an adult. Another captivating thing to note, Albedo thought.
“Oh please, won’t you let me have a look?” Kaeya asked, now standing still in front of Albedo.
“You should have just asked instead of going around me like some sort of child,” Albedo responded, looking up at Kaeya with a calm, yet irritated stare, “If I were painting in front of Klee, she would have done the same thing.”
Kaeya feigned an expression of hurt, putting his hand up to his chest, “You wound me, Chief Alchemist. May I see this wonderful painting of yours that you’re trying oh so hard to hide from me?”
Albedo nodded and took a step aside to reveal the piece he had worked on for Barbatos knows how long now. Kaeya hummed in satisfaction as he admired the work of art. It was of the snowy mountains of Dragonspine, of course, but it had such exquisite and fine detail, you wouldn’t be able to tell it apart from the real thing. The shades of blue and gray used were identical to the landscape. Kaeya looked up at the area in front of him, and then back down at the painting, humming once more.
“Such intricate detail as always,” Kaeya stepped back, looking at Albedo with a smile, “Truly another impressive feat of yours, how do you do it?”
Albedo appreciated Kaeya’s compliments, yet felt a wave of embarrassment overcome him. While praises certainly did feed into his pride, he couldn’t help but feel sheepish when receiving them. Especially when it came from Kaeya, it seems.
“It takes a lot of practice,” Albedo explained, ignoring his embarrassment with a cool expression on his face, “It’s taken a lot of time for my work to turn out like this.”
“Of course, of course,” Kaeya says in a genuine tone. He approached Albedo again, inspecting his art tools, “I wonder if I could do something as wonderful as this as well.”
“Would you like to try painting?” Albedo asks out of curiosity. Surely, it was what he was implying, but he still decided to ask. It was hard to tell what Kaeya meant at times, another reason why he disliked talking to and having relations with people. Kaeya simply laughed.
“I mean, it wouldn’t hurt to try,” Kaeya said, rubbing the back of his head, “However, I can assure you it won’t be a masterpiece like yours, prepare your eyes.”
Albedo nodded, “Well, I suppose you already know the basics of painting, correct?”
“I’d say I do, it doesn’t seem too complex,” Kaeya said, swiftly picking up the paintbrush that Albedo had placed down, “Do you happen to have a spare canvas?”
“Of course I do, I wouldn’t go around with just one canvas to spare,” Albedo reached down into the bag placed at his feet and fished out a fresh new canvas. He grabbed a new paintbrush as well as a cloth, which wasn't as clean as one would expect. He took the brush Kaeya was twirling in his hands away from him, earning a confused and upset expression from the captain.
"Hey, I was going to use that," Kaeya frowned. Albedo traded the used paintbrush with the clean one he fetched from his bag.
"It's dirty," Albedo explained, swiftly and gracefully taking a step towards the fire. There was a cup of nearly frozen water placed right by it. If he hadn't left it there, it would've been as hard as the ice covering the ground all around him. He knelt down and picked up the cup, feeling how cold it was despite the fact that he was wearing gloves. He dipped the paintbrush in the water several times, before quickly wiping it dry with the help of his washcloth. Even if it may not have been the cleanest, it did its job quite well.
Albedo got back up, making his way towards Kaeya who had just been standing in front of the easel. He looked over his shoulder and smiled.
"Do you have something in mind that you'd like to paint? It's much better to have an idea of what you'd like to do rather than going in blind," Albedo asked, now standing next to Kaeya. He handed him the palette, which had all the colors needed for Kaeya to create whatever he wanted. Kaeya seemed to be lost in thought, going through the different options he had in mind.
"I suppose I have an idea," Kaeya says, looking down at the palette in his hands. Albedo expected him to explain what he was going to paint, but instead he said, "Could you stand in front of the canvas? I'd like for this piece to be a… surprise."
Albedo, shocked by the sudden request, stepped away from the canvas. He stood facing the captain, so that he could get a look at whatever he was planning on doing. He also just wanted to see Kaeya’s face shift as he tried painting for the first time.
Kaeya rested the hand that held the paintbrush against his chin, seemingly lost in thought. He scanned the blank canvas before him, then finally gasping and dipping his brush into a color Albedo couldn’t guess. He dragged the brush along, making what Albedo could only assume to be thick and broad lines.
The alchemist let his mind wander as Kaeya painted away, studying the Cavalry Captain intensely. He thought more about the man standing in front of him, trying to come to a conclusion for one of the many questions he had asked himself. Nothing particular came to mind as always.
Albedo seemed to think of Kaeya quite often, and not only just to wonder about his past. He found himself thinking of how charming he is to look at, with such admirable features. His skin was blemishless, being a smooth caramel color all around. He'd heard people around Mondstadt speculate that the skin under his eyepatch would be lighter, but he disregarded those comments.
Kaeya's hair was yet another distinct feature of his that Albedo found quite pleasant. Navy hair as silky and smooth as that seemed impossible to be kept that way, especially when considering he would always style it in a low ponytail. One would expect it to get in the way, but Kaeya didn't seem to mind it at all. This made him all the more intriguing to Albedo, getting the gears in his head turning faster and faster. These features happened to make his heart quicken too, which Albedo just couldn't seem to understand the reasoning behind.
Kaeya’s gaze met his, making Albedo turn away in a quick movement. Kaeya chuckled under his breath, his stare lingering on the alchemist’s figure. He seemed to be finishing up his piece, Kaeya taking a step back, and looking at it from different angles.
“It’s done, would you like to see it?” Kaeya asked, “It could be better, but that doesn’t matter now, does it?”
Albedo paced back towards the easel, surprised by what was presented to him.
It wasn’t a landscape like he thought it would be, nor was it a flower or a tree from the surrounding area. The colors were quite nice to look at, he had to admit. From different shades of yellow to blue, with a teal nearing the color of his eyes, he admired the piece before him. Of course, it wasn’t a spectacular painting, he expected that. What he didn’t expect was to be met with his own face on the canvas.
“It’s me,” Albedo remarked, “You decided to paint me?”
“Why yes,” Kaeya explained, putting down the brush and the palette before him, “You have quite the charming appearance, Chief Alchemist.”
Albedo could’ve sworn he felt the heat rise to his face, but he shook it off, “You’re not that bad of a painter yourself, Kaeya. The colors are quite nice. You could use a bit of work on refining your technique.”
“I expected that,” Kaeya said, putting his arms behind his head, “Say, why don’t you teach me how to paint just like you? Shouldn’t be too hard, coming to see each other between our duties.”
“I think that would be quite nice,” Albedo said, a faint smile on his face, “Why don’t we head back to Mondstadt now? It’s getting quite chilly up here. I suppose you don’t have any duties to attend to at the moment and neither do I, so it would be the perfect time to get properly started.”
“Yes, that would be lovely,” Kaeya replied, helping Albedo put his affairs away for their journey down the mountain.