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I inhaled the salty sea breeze as I gazed down at the shoreline of Yaoguang Shoal, it was a warm night, the rush of the waves below a fine lullaby for all around. There was something comforting – serene, even – about this scene. The gentle whistle of the wind as it travelled inward with the tide, the quiet hum of the statue behind me and the soft, cerulean light it cast around itself and into the sky.
I retreated from the cliff edge and seated myself on a small group of rocks, leaning back to stare up at the dark sky and the stars littered amongst it, the twinkling light-show of the universe. They reminded me of the many other skies I’d gazed upon in other worlds before landing in Teyvat, the travels I’d shared with Lumine, so many so similar, yet unique in their own ways.
Remembering those adventures sent a stake of sorrow through my heart and my mind drifted back to my sister, wondering where she was now, what she was planning, and why she lead the abyss. I shook my head to discard such thoughts, just as Paimon said, there’s no use thinking about the questions we can’t yet answer and no matter how much I thought about it I couldn’t make sense of it.
But try as I might...
“Traveller.”
I turned toward the voice which interrupted my turbulent thoughts, the voice I had been waiting for all this time. “Albedo.” I replied as the alchemist strode over to me. “You can call me by name, you know?”
“Of course.” We shared a chuckle as he stopped beside me. “Sorry, Aether.”
Albedo was the reason I was here on this peak, we had agreed to meet tonight, but he never said why exactly he wanted to see me, nor why it was here in such a remote area, I supposed the man was nothing if not mysterious. “Your taste in scenery is great, I’ll give you that.”
The Alchemist laughed at my comment. “I have been told I have an eye for such things.”
“As if I’d expect anything less.” There was a silence between us for a moment. “Is there any particular reason you chose this place to meet?”
He glanced my way, brows furrowing in concern. “I hope it wasn’t a hassle getting here.”
“I’m used to travelling long distances, it was probably more of a hassle for you.”
“I’ve climbed Dragonspine, Aether, this journey was simple compared to that.”
“I can agree with that!” I barked a laugh that Albedo shared, I couldn’t help noticing how he trailed off into a sigh, his gaze downcast.
My gaze drifted to the snowy mountain towering over everything, Dragonspine, where Albedo and I had first met. A smile spread across my face as I recounted the day we’d caught him painting hilichurls, he seemed so odd at the time, but I felt that I understood him a little after working with him. I supposed when I really thought about it, I hadn’t known him for very long, yet something about all the time we spent together, the things we’d talked about, made it feel like I’d known him for far longer.
Long enough, at least, to be able to tell something wasn’t quite right with him tonight.
“You seem tense…” I inquired, he barely reacted, save for casting his gaze downward. There was a short pause before he finally looked my way.
“Ah, it’s nothing.” He waved his hand in dismissal, a half-hearted smile on his face. “I’m just tired.”
I had a feeling the journey had tired him, I patted a space beside me on the rock. “Why don’t you sit down?”
He stared at the space for a second as if hesitant to accept. After a moment he finally sighed and sat down behind me, our backs to each other. Despite being so close together, there was an odd sense of distance between us, it felt strangely uncomfortable. “Are you really just tired?”
He didn’t respond, I debated turning to him and pressing the matter, but the silence told me all I need to know. I leaned into him, a perhaps misguided attempt to remind him I was there and I would listen if something was indeed wrong. I expected him to recoil, perhaps even jump off the stone, but he returned the gesture, much to my surprise.
I felt a slight flare in my cheeks a little, there was something kind of intimate about the situation, but I didn’t mind it, in fact it was quite comforting, feeling his warmth on my back.
I took a breath. “If there’s something on your mind… I’ll listen to you.”
No response again, no sound from the Alchemist whatsoever actually, I almost suspected he’d indeed tired himself out and fallen asleep,
“Paimon isn’t present?” He asked suddenly.
“No, Paimon’s off collecting fruit or whatever it is she does when I’m not around.”
“I see… Good.” There was a slight shake in his voice as if he was cold or nervous, I turned a little to see him staring at his hands. I’d only then noticed that he held something within them.
As if feeling my eyes upon them, he brought his hands closer to himself, like he was hiding something. “Albedo…” I spoke softly, hesitantly placing my hand upon his shoulder, it seemed to startle him. “Is everything okay?”
Our eyes met, I noted how perfectly the moon reflected in his, it took my breath away. He sighed and stood up, pacing toward the cliff’s edge. “As silly as this may sound… I want to apologise.”
I blinked, confused. “For… What exactly?”
He stared at the item he held. “For my absence during Windblume.”
I blinked again, then chuckled. “No need to apologise for being busy.”
He turned to look at me, something like uncertainty or even fear in his eyes. “I know, but I…” He trailed off as if searching for the right words. “Admittedly, I miss having your company while I work.”
I couldn’t help but be taken aback, unsure whether I should admit that I felt a similar way. “Well, work usually is more bearable with company.”
“Indeed, but…” He trailed off once more, turning toward me. I couldn’t help but stare through the silence, the moonlight framing him perfectly, that twinge of fear still present in his eyes. He took a deep breath before continuing. “Aether… You won’t think poorly of me if I… Admit something, will you?”
I could make out nothing in his tone, in the words he chose. I rose from my rock slowly, eyes still locked with his. “I would never.”
He began approaching me with slow, hesitant steps, the item he held clutched to his chest still out of my sight. “I arranged for us to meet here because I wanted to see you again before you set sail for Inazuma... Because I’d heard that you would leave within the next couple of days.”
Something about his words stung, the accentuation on leaving, yet until now I hadn’t fully thought about that fact. The journey to Inazuma, the next stage in my adventure, my mission, I realised it would be a while before I returned. I took a step toward him, an overwhelming urge to reach out to him. “Albedo…”
“I know this is something you want – need to do even.” He stared down at his hands. “But when I heard the news I feared that…” He seemed to struggle finishing his sentence. “I wanted to see you once more, for fear that I may not see you again for a while... Or even at all.”
My heart sank, it was strange to see Albedo baring his feelings like this, it was true that during the whole ordeal with the cursed sword up on Dragonspine, we’d grown fairly close, shared quite a lot during those cold, sleepless nights, but knowing he felt so strongly about my departure… My heart ached too at the thought, and at the sight of him now.
I took another step toward him. “You’ll see me again.” A brief silence. I took the chance to close the distance, my hand instinctively landing on his shoulder in reassurance. “I wouldn’t leave you.”
Our eyes met once again, his shimmering with a tumultuous mess of emotions. Hope, fear, and something like longing. He finally thrust his hand into my chest without so much as a word, offering the item he held, which was most unexpected.
A tulip, red in colour.
I didn’t know a great deal about the customs of Mondstadt, but I knew tulips – depending on their colour – held many different meanings.
And I knew that red suggested someone deep in love.
My gaze drifted back up to Albedo, he had not looked away from me for a second, waiting, reading my reaction. I was at a loss, what could I say to such a suggestion, such a wordless confession?
“Promise me.” He said, voice barely more than a whisper. “...That you’ll return.”
I looked at the tulip once more, closing my hand around it, around his hand which held it. “I promise you.”
He appeared to relax as I said that, even allowing a small, genuine smile to creep onto his features. He gasped in surprise as I embraced him without warning, finally closing the distance between us, uniting with him and returning his affection.
In that moment, no one else existed in our world, just the two of us. The statue, stars, and moon as the only witness to this special moment between us. The way he nuzzled into my shoulder, gripping me as if he was afraid of letting go, a fear I shared. It was pleasant, relieving in a way, finally crossing this bridge that had hung between us for a while now, to know we felt the same.
I pulled away to see his face, those turquoise eyes having regained their lustre, that glimmer of fear stifled by the pure joy and relief, but above all they held hope within them. My heart staggered at his beauty, at his radiance. Before I knew it, I’d leaned closer, his breath tickling my face, my lips. My hand trailed up his body and towards his face to brush a stray hair out of it, cupping his cheek.
I saw many things in those eyes of his, but in this moment I saw longing, expectancy, the discreet parting of his lips betraying what it was he wanted.
I met that longing with my own as I kissed him.
The softness of his lips surprised me, I had imagined what they would feel like before, but none of that lived up to the reality. His grip on me tightened, sheer passion driving us as our breaths mingled between kisses. I swore I heard him whine a little as I pulled away, meeting his gaze once more. I smiled as I brought the tulip up to my mouth kissing it as well. “I’ll hold onto this, as a reminder of what I have to return to.”
He smiled back, seeming reassured by the gesture. He pushed his forehead to mine a comfortable silence falling between us. He stroked my cheek with gentle fingers. “Aether…” His voice was soft, quiet, our eyes met as he continued. “I love you.”
My heart fluttered at the words, his voice music to my ears, I hugged him tight, basking in the warmth we shared as I matched his declaration. “I love you too.”
I could practically feel the happiness that washed over him, the way he melted into me and I into him. I knew that this was a moment I would always cherish, that I wouldn’t trade for anything.
And as I stared out at the ocean, beyond Guyun, beyond the horizon to the land barely visible in the distance, I held that tulip tight.
A reminder of what I had to return to, no matter what.
