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Sometimes, Kaeya dreams.
It’s nothing special, really. But sometimes he will close his eye and go to sleep and it’s the same dream he’s seen hundreds of times before, ever since he first came to Mondstadt. It’s dark, and there’s no sound at all. Kaeya walks through the dream with hesitant steps, because he’s always afraid— that never changes. Shadows shift on the floor around him, disorienting enough that he can’t tell if he’s in an enclosed space or out in the open. Everything around him smells like the rotting of human flesh, and all he knows is that it’s dark, and he’s alone.
And then, just when Kaeya thinks he can’t take another step forward, whether it be exhaustion or fear, a hand will reach out from the darkness in front of him. Before, when he was younger, back when Kaeya had reason to fear the dark, the hand would aim straight for his neck or his good eye, nails sharp, fingers shaped into claws. Then, when he was a little bit older, the hand turned into one of welcome and of hospitality, leading to a body dressed in black and a head of bright red hair, the only splash color in this strange dream.
Now, though, Kaeya just wakes up.
---
Outrider Amber is leaving the building right when he arrives at the Favonius headquarters the next morning
“Good morning, Captain Kaeya!” She greets him brightly. Kaeya nods in reply. “There’s a package waiting for you in Jean’s office.”
Kaeya thanks her. “Have a good day.”
“You too!” She replies. Despite how piercing it first seemed to Kaeya, Amber’s voice now just rings with comfort and familiarity.
The sun outside is sticky hot, glaring harsher than it should be for the beginning of summer. Despite his short walk through the city to get to work, Kaeya can already feel the sweat pooling on his chest and dripping down his back. The air smells like sunshine and freshly cut grass, and if he squints, he thinks he might be able to see the crowd of pigeons entertaining the little boy on the bridge.
Thankfully, the inside of the headquarters is pleasantly cool. Jean’s office is on the first floor, right next to the door, so it’s easy to wave to the guards and knock on the door.
“Come in.” Comes the muffled reply.
Kaeya opens the door, only to crash face to face (chest to face?) with Albedo. It’s instinct, the way Kaeya’s arms immediately wrap around their prey, pressing Albedo’s face further into his sweaty neck (his boobs?), leading forwards slightly to balance the both of them out.
“Hey.” He says, unable to stop the sparks of ‘he’s back!’ and ‘I missed you’ that erupt somewhere in his stomach. “Are you my package?” He’s glad Albedo’s face is still pressed against his body (his tiddies?), so he can’t see the absolutely lecherous grin that takes over his face for a solid two seconds.
Jean, unfortunately, can. “No, I have your package here.” She says, and Kaeya mentally applauds the way her poker face never once changes. “Albedo was just the delivery man.”
“You’re back early.” Kaeya drops his arms, and Albedo gracefully steps out of them. Kaeya mourns the loss immediately. “How was Dragonspine? Research going okay? Need help with anything?”
Albedo smiles, and his hand reaches out to grab one of Kaeya’s in front of him, which. Yes. That is very good.
“Everything is fine. I finished what I needed to do ahead of schedule, and realized I could come back a little bit early.”
“And you brought me something?” Kaeya asks rhetorically, squeezing Albedo’s hand. “Man, you really are the best boyfriend ever.”
Albedo coughs lightly, but he squeezes Kaeya’s hand back, which means that Kaeya is the real winner here. “I would have delivered it personally to you, but I didn’t think you would get to the headquarters this early. Normally you spend most of your morning flirting with the old ladies who sit on their balconies waiting for a glimpse of your exposed chest.”
Kaeya laughs, and he can see Jean smile slightly from behind her desk. “You love my chest.” He knows it’s a weak argument, but. Well. Sometimes the old ladies give him candy.
“Yes, well, it really is sculpted quite well.” And, honestly, the fact that Kaeya blushes more at the compliment than Albedo does saying it isn’t really fair.
“We should let you get back to work.” Jean interrupts pointedly, eyebrow raised, but still smiling. “I have something I need to speak to Kaeya about.”
Albedo laughs, and it’s a beautiful sound. “That’s fine, I need to check on Klee anyway.” He drops Kaeya’s hand and nods once to Jean before leaving and closing the door behind him.
Kaeya had seen the guard stationed outside of Klee’s solitary confinement room, so he figures Albedo has his work cut out for him. Still, there’s no point in worrying about a grown Knight who is fully capable of taking care of himself, even if Kaeya misses his presence already.
He turns back to Jean. “What’s up boss?”
Jean hands him a thin folder. “There’s been some sightings of slimes behind Dawn Winery.” She says. “It shouldn’t be too hard to wipe them out.”
Kaeya opens the folder. Inside are two pieces of paper, each a short testimony of where the slimes were seen and how many there were.
“Dawn Winery, huh.” Kaeya notes. “Surely our cute little Diluc is more than capable of taking care of them.”
Jean shakes her head and smiles slightly. “A pyro vision isn’t very useful against pyro slimes. Plus, if two people have come to us with the issue, that means Diluc either can’t or won’t take care of the problem himself.”
It’s probably the latter. The last Kaeya saw of Diluc, he was neck deep in legal paperwork regarding a vendor in Liyue stealing and reselling his wine. The Winery itself is protected enough, which means it’s not as much of a concern for Diluc or his employees, but the travelers passing through Stone Gate might have some issues.
“It shouldn’t take you longer than a couple hours.” Jean continues. “I’ll hold on to your gift until then, how about that?” She gestures towards a neatly wrapped packing sitting on the edge of her desk.
Kaeya laughs. “Sure, sure.” He says. “Giving me incentive to get the job done quickly, I see.”
Jean half-smiles. “I know how you can get. Try not to torture Master Diluc too much, please.”
“I make no promises.” Kaeya salutes, and takes his leave.
---
Jean was right. The slimes take almost no time at all to disperse, and he collects some decent quality slime concentrate to bring back to Albedo. In fact, taking care of the slimes goes so quickly that he spends more time arguing with Diluc than actually doing his job.
(Although, one could make the case that arguing with Diluc actually is his job. If they wanted.)
“I don’t need your help.” Diluc tells him. The bags under his eyes are approximately three feet deep, and he looks ready to pass out from where he sits in his office chair. “I can take care of it myself, you know.”
“Sure, sure.” Kaeya pats his shoulder. “Do you have anything to eat around here? I’m starving.” It’s lunch time, after all.
Diluc, being the cutest brother that he is, has his servants scrounge up something for the both of them to eat. They don’t speak much over the meal, but Kaeya finds comfort in the normalcy of sitting in his (second) childhood home and being able to eat with family, despite all that has transpired between them.
(Time doesn’t heal all wounds, but it sure as heck tries its best.)
Kaeya makes it back to the city sometime in the early afternoon, finally manages to take his gift from Jean, and locks himself in his office to open it. Inside the box is a card with messily scrawled on handwriting, and a palm-sized oval rock-like object that is entirely clear. It’s not any type of crystal that Kaeya has seen before, and it remains cold to the touch no matter how long Kaeya holds it in his hand.
Kaeya can’t quite figure out what it’s for, but it’s pretty, and it helps battle the oppressive heat of the day, so he sits it on his desk and watches as the light from the window refracts into thousands of tiny little rainbows.
---
K-
This made me think of you.
-A
---
The sun is just beginning to set when there’s a knock on his door.
“Come in.” Kaeya calls, packing up his work, because he knows exactly who it is.
“Hello.” Albedo greets him. “Would you like to get dinner together?”
The first few hours they spend together after Albedo comes back from Dragonspine are always awkward. There’s no getting around that. Albedo is the type of person to get buried in his work without regard for the outside world and his extracurricular socializations, and Kaeya has seen a few too many people walk away with no intent to return. Still, Kaeya laughs, and walks around his desk so he can press a soft kiss against Albedo’s cool cheek. “Of course.” He says. “I’d love to.”
He turns to survey the room one last time, just in case he forgot anything, but is interrupted by Albedo.
“Oh.” He sounds surprised. “Did you like my gift?”
Kaeya looks to where the crystal is still sitting on his desk. With the indirect light, it seems to almost glow by itself.
“Yeah, it’s pretty. Don’t know what it is, but it’s pretty. Like you.” He can’t help but add in at the end.
Albedo doesn’t roll his eyes, but Kaeya can feel the mild exasperation rolling off of him in waves. Someday, Kaeya knows, Albedo will be completely immune to his advances. Until then, however, Kaeya will get his entertainment where he can.
“It’s ice.” Albedo explains. “I was working on creating a substance that would remain cold for as long as needed until it could be melted again on command. Ice, of course, was one of the most promising starting points, but this particular subject refused to melt no matter the conditions. Since it wasn’t useful to me anymore, I thought it might make a suitable gift. It reminds me of your vision.”
Kaeya smirks. “You gave me a failed experiment, then?”
“Do you not like it?” Albedo blinks, before frowning slightly. “I believe it’s only a failure in a manner of speaking. Something like this does have it’s uses, since it will forever remain cold and never melt. You could use it to keep things cold when traveling, or even to cool down warm objects, I suppose.”
“I was kidding.” Kaeya laughs, wrapping an arm around Albedo for a few seconds before he can get too absorbed in his own brain. “Thank you for the gift. I’ll be sure to use it well.”
They get dinner at Good Hunter. Now that the sun is setting, the air has cooled down somewhat, and a light breeze flowing through the city fills Kaeya with a certain kind of contentment that only comes with being with someone familiar in a city he loves.
“How was Klee?” He asks, watching the shadows of people walking by shift across Albedo’s face. Kaeya is hit in this moment with the reminder of just how delicate and graceful Albedo is in everything he does, whether it be walking or eating or working.
Albedo laughs, and takes a bite of his dessert. Kaeya wonders what it will taste like on his lips. “She was a menace, as usual.” Despite his words, there is a look of fondness on Albedo’s face that doesn’t go away.
“It’s a good thing you came back early, then.” Kaeya notes. “You’re better at calming her down than anyone else here.”
“Hm. If you insist.” It’s a debate they’ve had a hundred times before, and it’s comforting in its rhythm. Kaeya knows this script well, as does Albedo, and it helps bridge the gap between the weeks they spent without each other.
“I do. Insist, that is.” Kaeya says. He watches Albedo’s shoulders unclench the tiniest bit, and feels a part of his soul he didn’t even know had a jagged edge smooth itself over.
They’ll be fine. They always are. Kaeya takes a deep breath, and uses his foot to nudge Albedo’s under the table. He’s got to make the most out of this date, after all.
---
It’s strange, sleeping with someone else there. Despite how infrequently it occurs, getting ready for bed feels like a well rehearsed dance. There’s a rhythm to it, from changing out of his Captain’s uniform to crawling into the left side of his bed, because if there’s one person he trusts to guard his blindspot, it would be the man next to him.
Tonight, they tuck themselves into bed just to sleep. They never have sex on these nights, when it’s been so long since they’ve even seen each other face to face. Instead, Albedo rests his head against Kaeya’s chest, both of them ignoring how brutal it makes the summer heat, the rhythm of their breaths perfectly matched. Albedo once told him he does it to listen to his heartbeat, which Kaeya finds ridiculously adorable. His fingers creep into Albedo’s hair, tangling themselves in the loosened braids.
Albedo naturally runs cold, and he smells like freshly fallen snow on a winter’s day, when every breath turns into vapor in the air and icy winds dry out already-chapped lips. Every beat of Kaeya’s heart echoes through Albedo’s body, reaching back to where they’re pressed together, like a song only the two of them know.
“Goodnight.” Albedo’s words are barely coherent, muffled by Kaeya’s bare skin. His breath is warm, but Kaeya doesn’t mind at all. “Sleep well, and may your dreams be kind.”
Sometimes, Kaeya dreams.
It’s nothing special, really. But sometimes he will close his eye and go to sleep and it’s the same dream he’s seen hundreds of times before, ever since he first came to Mondstadt. It’s dark, and there’s no sound at all. Kaeya walks through the dream with hesitant steps, because he’s always afraid— that never changes. Shadows shift on the floor around him, disorienting enough that he can’t tell if he’s in an enclosed space or out in the open. Everything around him smells like the rotting of human flesh, and all he knows is that it’s dark, and he’s alone.
And then, just when Kaeya thinks he can’t take another step forward, whether it be exhaustion or fear, a hand will reach out from the darkness in front of him. This time, however, Kaeya knows exactly whose face he will see when he takes that hand. It’s the exact same face he will wake up to tomorrow morning, when the sun is out and the birds are chirping once more. There’s nothing to be afraid of. Not this time.
Kaeya falls asleep to a comforting weight pressed against his heart, and to the feeling of coming home once again.