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“Hey Sucrose.” A voice made her jolt, she turned around to see the pirate-looking man right behind her.
”Oh, hi Captain Kaeya.” She turned back to her research as she didn’t hear any footsteps. Was Kaeya still here?
”What do you need?—”
”Ahem.” Kaeya leaned on the wall with his arms crossed, one shoulder on the wall as he looked at Sucrose, clearing his throat. “Do you happen to know where Albedo went?”
”Oh? Albedo? He went to Dragonspine for research or leisure.” Sucrose shrugged as Kaeya’s eyes widened.
”Dragonspine? Does he not know how cold it is? It’s winter!” Kaeya pulled his fluffy coat to hold him tighter.
”Go find him, please?” She asked as Kaeya nodded, running off.
Kaeya was determined to find his boyfriend, Albedo, oh that boy, is he not aware of how cold it is? Not to mention that Dragonspine is already freezing cold, Kaeya muttered under his breath, “God, I love that boy.”
He wrapped his heavy-duty coat around his neck before entering the god-foresaken Dragonspine. The place of all tales and mysteries, also somewhere his boyfriend would frequent.
As he trudged up to the path of Albedo’s research center, he saw the mountain in the distance. Talking to his research buddies who were on their camp outside of Dragonspine.
”Hey guys, where’s Albedo?”
”Oh? He went in to take a closer look at the hilichurls and how the mitachurls reform their ice shields.”
Strange thing to research, but that’s Albedo for you. Sounded exactly like him, Kaeya couldn’t help but smile a little. “Thank you guys, see ya!” He waved with his index and middle finger, turning towards the Dragonspine area and dashing in.
The moment he rushed in to Dragonspine, the cold air slapped him across the face. Kaeya almost got whiplash at the dramatic temperature change, he only gripped the ends of the coat, furrowing his brows in determination.
Then he had decided to call out Albedo’s name, he shouldn’t be far, right?
Albedo had his easel out, taking quick glances away from his easel to look at the mitachurls. They seemed only to be aggressive when provoked, so he should be fine. He flicked his wrist with his oil pastel, creating marks across the easel that should resemble the mitachurl.
With the fire close by him, Albedo should be fine with his too-secret research. Which isn’t top-secret or as mysterious as the other members of his research team make it out to be. He just doesn’t know how to control the sudden pang of warmth in his chest when he sees a certain Cavalry Captain.
So what better place to go than the coldest place in Teyvat? (minus Snezhnaya of course)
“Albedooo?” His ears perked at the faint calling of his name. Was that Kaeya? Albedo could recognize the other’s slight raspy tone in his voice from anywhere.
He placed down the oil pastel on the holder of his easel. Whipping his head around to catch his silly boyfriend Kaeya with about three heavy coats on him. Albedo knew the knight wasn’t as used to the cold as him. So with the frequent visits to Dragonspine, Albedo did set up a little station he would call the ‘Kaeya Station’ for when his boyfriend would make unexpected trips.
Kaeya’s eye widened once he caught sight of Albedo, running towards him with open arms and enveloping him in a hug of warmth. Albedo suddenly felt too hot, not like he was in Dragonspine. His heart kept banging against his ribcage as his hand patted Kaeya’s shoulder blade.
”What are you doing here, Kae?” Albedo questioned, Kaeya scanning Albedo’s place with his eye as he spotted the easel near the mitachurls.
”What is your easel doing near the mitachurls? Way too close!” Kaeya ran past him to sneakily grab the easel and bring it in to Albedo’s small cave hideout. “Oh, I’m here because, I miss you. My smart researcher boyfriend.” Kaeya turned his head towards Albedo as they took a seat next to each other.
They were sitting in front of the small fire, barely giving Kaeya warmth. Except for his three coats, Kaeya looked over at his blonde-headed boyfriend to see him shiver every once a while in their comfortable silence.
The thing was, Kaeya loved to talk, he could take up someone’s whole day with talking their ear off. With Albedo, he enjoys the silence. With time (of course), Kaeya has learned to do the same. He admires the moments they shared where the only sounds were their slight breathing.
“Why’d you say that?” Albedo muttered, breaking the mutual silence as Kaeya raised a brow in puzzlement.
”Say what?”
”That you’re here because you miss me.” Albedo’s face was right in front of Kaeya’s and he had the urge to just savor his lips right then and there.
”But I’m not lying, right? So why shouldn’t I say it?”
”Because..” Albedo licked his frozen dry lips, warming them up as he pressed his lip together in to a flat line. “You make my heart feel like it’s about to have fireworks set inside of them.”
Kaeya’s eyes softened at his boyfriend, Albedo wasn’t as good with words as he was with research, but he made an effort. That’s what he adored about the shorter. In between the moments of silence and when Albedo would inform him about the inevitable world destruction, he would inform Kaeya about his feelings.
”Oh? What happened to your heart?” Kaeya knew exactly how Albedo was feleing in his chest, like he was going to burn up and become a firework himself. Kaeya was familiar with the feeling.
”I think it’s heart palpitations—” The taller pulled Albedo into his chest, letting him breathe in Kaeya’s shoulder as he encased Albedo in the muscle of his arms. Like Albedo should be protected at all costs. Special, Albedo feels special. Like when he was made to do research and was sent to Mondstadt to meet Alice.
”No no, you’re just in love with me.” Kaeya mumbled as he inhaled in Albedo’s tuffs of ash-blonde hair. Caressing Albedo’s nape as he witnessed the tips of his ears go from his neutral pale shade to a pretty pink.
He just gazed at Albedo’s head of hair until the other pulled away from him. “I need to do research on this topic. This is very fascinating.” Albedo grabbed his very trusty notebook and started to scribble in it.
Kaeya just fondly watched him scribble with his tongue poking out the corner of his mouth, a habit he noticed that Albedo had when he was focused. He slung himself over Albedo as the othe squeaked, before putting down his notebook to give Kaeya attention.
Kaeya was definitely not a clingy person. Albedo just brought out the clinginess in him somehow.
”It’s getting late Kae, I don’t think you can trek back to Dragonspine alone. Just stay here with me, okay?” Albedo held his shoulders while smoothing them over with the pads of his thumbs.
Kaeya nodded and hummed, feeling his hum resonate in his soul as Albedo stood up, holding Kaeya. “Albedo, do you know that I love you?” He looked up at the shorter, seeing Albedo’s face completely red. All down to his neck, he was flushed, it was obvious that he was flustered.
”Ye-yes.” Albedo held up Kaeya to the best of his ability until he paused. “Oh, I forgot to bring along an extra sleeping bag. You don’t sleep over, at all.”
”This is a first! That’s okay my darling, we can share.” Kaeya pressed a surprise kiss on Albedo’s lips as the other jolted in surprise.
“You, surprised me.” Albedo breathed as he covered his lips with a slight smile behind his hand.
Kaeya just chuckled as he grabbed Albedo’s hand and caressed the skin, humming a song from Mondstadt that he’d hear while passing by.
Albedo led him to the small ‘Kaeya section’ of the cave. It was filled with drawings, eyepatches, and coats that were tossed in to the corner of the place. He knew how Kaeya didn’t like the cold much.
”This is my section?” Kaeya’s eye sparkled while seeing his ‘room’ in the cave as Albedo prompted a nod. He cooed while ruffling the other’s hair, messing his ponytail up a little.
Albedo protested at his hair being ruffled with a small whine as he crouched down to open his sleeping bag. He opened the zip fully so it could fit the both of them. “Come in.” Albedo shimmied into more comfortable outerwear as he wiggling into the sleeping bag.
Kaeya’s eye softened as he did the same, copying Albedo as he laid next to Albedo. The skin of his arm touching the other’s with how close in proximity they were. Albedo froze up at the contact as Kaeya wrapped Albedo like a bear. The researcher then melted into Kaeya’s arms as he sighed. “I missed you too Kaeya.”
Kaeya hummed as he snuggled into Albedo’s nape. “You’re the most precious, my Chalk Prince.” He whispered as Albedo’s ears perked up at the name.
He turned his head to see Kaeya’s resting face, seeming so at peace with life. Albedo wanted to be like that at least one time in his life. Albedo pressed a warm kiss onto his forehead as he held Kaeya closer, holding onto him like a baby with a blanket.
Between Albedo’s constant cold hands and Kaeya’s warm heart, they mixed a blend of the both with their souls intertwined.
Albedo thought before he drifted off into a peaceful dream.