Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The first time Albedo saw him, he thought that he looked cold.

The hospital was quiet that night, children peacefully sleeping in their beds, no one scattered through the hallway—just silence accompanying him on his small walk.

He didn’t have anything else to do, all his work for the day was finished, and of course, like the workaholic he is, he had intended to do his work for tomorrow in advance.

If it wasn’t for Sucrose and Mona practically kicking him out of his own office. 

Groaning, he could hear them chewing his ears off if he went back, and Albedo doesn’t have the mental capacity to deal with any of that. 

So obviously, going back wasn’t an option for him. 

And that’s how he found himself on the hospital’s rooftop, after aimlessly wandering around the hospital, letting his legs carry him with absolutely no destination in mind, trying to find something to do besides work. 

Mondstadt’s night view never ceased to amaze him, the Barbatos statue standing tall in the heart of the city, the bright colourful city lights, and the hustle and bustle of its nightlife. It never bores him, despite the countless times he had spent sketching the sight, over and over again. 

It was a breezy night, the cool wind caressing his cheeks as he leaned on the railing. He loved moments like this. It was therapeutic, almost like a brief escape from his very busy life. Albedo exhaled, eyes shut, feeling the tension and exhaustion slowly lift from his shoulders.

He stood there for some time, at peace.

He was only snapped from his reverie when he heard the slightest sound of footsteps nearby. Then, the sound came to a halt. Tensing up, his eyes fluttered open.

From his peripheral, he could see long blue hair, flying wildly as the wind blew.

How curious , I thought I was all alone .

Thinking back, Albedo had regretted not bringing his sketchbook with him to work that day. 

There stood someone, a good few meters away from him, and he seemed to not have noticed Albedo. The person was tall, dressed in hospital wear, and was holding on to his IV pole, obviously a patient staying at the hospital. 

Only the side of his face was visible, as he stared front and unmoving, looking at the city view just as Albedo did earlier. 

He was blatantly staring at this point, but he couldn’t really care. The stranger entices him, though, for reasons he quite can’t pinpoint, and being the naturally inquisitive person he is, he can’t tear his eyes away. 

The longer he observed, it became clear to him as to why his curiosity peaked, to begin with. 

Cold. The man was eerily cold.

Albedo didn’t see him again after that. 

He didn’t particularly mind it. He stopped by the next day, and the next, then the next day, but the man was nowhere to be seen. There were no traces of him in the hospital building itself either.

Therefore, he just simply concluded that the person left the hospital. 

Sure, he would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little disappointed, but work proved to be a great distraction for him, which left him with little to no room left to think about anything else besides his job. 

He’s currently with a patient—Klee—for her weekly checkup. She was his last patient to see, and then he’s free to go back home, which is something he rarely does. 

“And we’re done,” Albedo smiled, hanging his stethoscope on his neck. The girl giggled, “Thank you, Albedo! I’m doing fine aren’t I?” He nodded, pulling out a red lollipop from the desk drawer. “Good job. If this keeps up I’ll let you go home soon.”

A frown appeared on her face. “But why not now?” she whined, frustrated. She buried her face in her stuffed animal, little hands clenching tightly onto the soft plush material.

Albedo sighed, Here we go again .

“Klee, we have to be careful this time around, you didn’t wake up for two days remember?” He tried to reason, “I promise you that you’ll get to go home soon, okay? I’ll even get you some of that grilled fish you like.” 

“I wanna go home.”

“Klee, you can’t yet. You’re sick.”

She slowly lifted her head, but slowly it fell forward, hanging low as she stared at her red sandals. “I knew that but…” She paused. “I just wanted to play with my friends,” she whispered the last part, and Albedo could only purse his lips together. 

It was heartbreaking to hear her say that, no matter how much he heard it. The fact that both of them knew that she couldn’t experience a normal life as a child, the longing in her eyes every time she sees children her age playing with each other—the things she should have been doing, instead of being trapped in a hospital since birth. It’s frustrating to see , he held back a sigh.

He rubbed her head again, trying to shove the thought to the back of his head. 

He can’t afford to be pessimistic right now, not when Klee needed his support the most. 

“You don’t have to play outside to have fun with friends, don’t you?” he smiled.“You have a lot of friends here. Didn’t you say you liked playing house with Razor and Bennett?” her head snapped up, and her eyes gleamed at the mention of her friends. She nodded slowly. “Yeah, I do.” 

“So that’s why,” he slowly unwrapped the lollipop he planned to give her, “you need to stay healthy so you can play outside again.” He handed the candy to her, to which he received a loud gasp in return. “Thank you, Albedo! You’re the best!”

It was truly amusing to Albedo how fast Klee could turn her mood right around.

After taking a quick glance at the clock, he turned back to her. “You can go back now, it’s almost lunchtime.”

“Y’know,” she said as Albedo helped her off the chair, voice muffled as she spoke with the cherry lollipop still in her mouth. “Albedo, you sounded like Kaeya today! He said the same thing to me.” He furrowed his eyebrows together at the mention of an unfamiliar name. 

“Klee, who’s Kaeya?” she grinned cheekily, already making her way to the door. 

“He’s my friend!” was all she said before darting to the exit, ignoring his words of caution. Albedo didn’t even bother to continue calling her name as soon as she left his sight, she wouldn’t listen to him anyway, as always. 

She really is quite lively for someone who would faint at the slightest physical activity. Though, Albedo can’t say that he doesn’t adore that part of her.

Turning the lights off, he walked back to his office, a little irritated that his question wasn’t answered. Was it a new child? Couldn’t have been, Albedo would’ve known if there was a new patient in the ward. 

Perhaps he had forgotten someone?

“Hey, Lisa?” He stopped by at the front desk of the paediatric department, deciding to ask from someone who definitely knew better than him. The said woman perked up at the mention of her name, smiling softly as her eyes landed on Albedo. 

“If it isn’t Doctor Albedo! How can I help you today, sweetie?” she stood up, towering over him—and he, of course, tried to ignore the size difference between them. “I was wondering if there was anyone called Kaeya in the children’s ward?” He cleared his throat, nervous.

Lisa hummed, thinking as she tapped her manicured fingers on the desk for a few seconds. “I don’t think there’s anyone but....I’ll go ahead and look it up for you,” she started to type into her computer. Albedo stood silently, his shoes making soft tapping noises as he waited. 

“And just as I thought,” she looked back up to him from the screen, “there’s no one named Kaeya in our ward.” Albedo sighed, he already knew of this, yet he still felt the pang of dissatisfaction in his chest. “Thanks, Lisa,” he huffed out. 

It was worth the shot.  

“Why are you looking for this person anyway?” She suddenly gasped, shock prevalent in her face as she covered her cherry-tinted lips with her hands. “Don’t tell me….did Klee mention a boy—is it her boyfriend?” 

Hearing the word ‘boyfriend’, he furiously shook his hands in denial. His ears heat up, the reaction forcing a laugh out of Lisa. 

She's enjoying this, she enjoys teasing me.

“It’s nothing like that, I promise you,” he clarified, and she waved him off with her hand, humming. “Sure, whatever you say. When you do find this ‘Kaeya’, tell him to visit this poor little nurse.” 

Albedo bid her a quick farewell, leaving before she finds another opportunity to fluster him. He could hear soft laughter behind him, slowly fading as he walked faster.

As soon as he was all alone, he could feel the fatigue finally sinking in. This is why he isn’t that fond of talking to people, they tire him out easily, and he’s not that socially adept, to begin with. 

That’s it. Coffee, I need coffee . 

He immediately turned left, making a quick detour to the vending machine near the oncology department, since the one near his office didn’t sell the kind of coffee that he likes. Strong and black, or ‘battery acid juice’ as Mona would call it. He didn’t mind the taste, as long as it did the job.

After inserting money in, his fingers pressed the dimly lit green button, crouching down as soon as he heard the sound of his coffee tumbling down. Grabbing the can, a faint smile on his lips as he felt the cool can in his hands. 

Losing his balance, he stumbled trying to stand back up, causing the coffee to slip from his hands and roll away from him. 

Shit , what is up with me today?

Quickly getting back to his feet, he trailed behind the coffee, trying to snatch it before it rolled too far.

His movement came to an abrupt stop, as he saw a hand picking up the black can from the floor. Looking up, he remained in place, a blank expression on his face as the stranger walked near him, invading his personal space.

“Dropped this?” his voice was sultry as he spoke. 

How can Albedo forget him?

The long blue hair, now in a neat ponytail, swept to one side over his shoulder. He could finally see the person’s features better now in the daylight. A white coloured eyepatch on his left eye, and a sharply defined face. He’s still dressed in hospital wear, gripping the same IV pole, proof that he probably never left the hospital.

A moment of silence passed between them. “Is there something on my face?” Albedo’s cheeks heated up, and the man chuckled, a mischievous look on his face. “No—there’s none,” he coughed, pretending to clear this throat. “Thank you, by the way.”

“No problem, doc,” he smiled, handing Albedo the coffee he dropped. “Heading back to work now?” Albedo nodded, heels already turning back to the way he had come from. “If you’ll excuse me.” he gave the other a small nod, before walking away from him.

“Wait.”

Albedo stopped to turn around, “Yes? Did I drop something again?” 

The man shook his head, keeping the same smile he had since earlier, “What’s your name?” 

A frown formed on his face. “Why do you need to know my name?” He asked, curious. It wasn’t like they were going to meet again anytime soon, so why even bother? 

“I simply want to know,” he immediately answered, the same smile still there. “But I do not think that there is a need for us to exchange names, no? We’re not acquaintances.” Albedo tapped his shoes, impatient. 

The other man laughed, “Well, it’s not like you’re wrong,” he trailed off, “but the way that you stared at me earlier....that had to mean something, right?” Albedo blushed, caught off guard. Thank heavens there was quite a distance between them, or else the man would’ve definitely seen his red face. 

“But that was—” he sighed, words dying in his throat. The man kept smiling, persistent, and it irritated him. There's no use going back and forth like this. “The name’s Albedo.” He caved. 

“Well, I’m Kaeya. Nice meeting you, Albedo.”

The rest of the day was a blur to Albedo. 

After the brief introduction, Kaeya simply gave him a tiny wave, before walking past a stunned Albedo. No matter how much coffee he drank, or work he tried to force himself to finish, it was in vain. He still can’t think of anything else but the encounter earlier. 

I mean, what are the odds that the person I met on a random night, is also ‘friends’ with Klee? Well, maybe Klee’s just talking about another Kaeya, not the… slightly annoying one that I met.

He groaned for the nth time, rubbing his face in frustration. He should’ve bought more of that damned coffee if he knew he was going to be like this for the rest of the day. 

“Mr Albedo?” He could feel soft taps on his shoulders, causing him to retract his palms from his face. “Is everything alright?” Sucrose asked with a soft shaky voice. He smiled, obviously a very forced one. 

“I’m fine, just,” he paused, “just a little exhausted today, that’s all,” he tried to dismiss her, waving her away with his palms. But she wasn’t budging, staying still though her hands trembled slightly. 

“Mr Albedo, please take a break. You shouldn’t push yourself like this.” This time she spoke with a stricter, more assertive tone, hands brought to her chest as she stared at him, almost as if she wanted to burn a hole right through him.  

“I’ll take a break after I finish my work so—” The door slammed open, shocking Sucrose so hard she almost lost her footing, if it wasn’t for Albedo’s fast reflexes grabbing onto her arms and saving her from a fall. 

What now? He wanted to groan, but held back, trying to stay cool-headed as usual.

“Now, what was that grand entrance for?” He quirked an eyebrow at the girl’s appearance. Sweating beading on her forehead, and her breath came in short gasps, leaning on the doorframe. There was an obvious panic in her eyes, and Albedo grew concerned. 

“Mona, what happened?” 

“Klee—” Mona gasped, holding an index finger up, silently telling them to wait as she gathered her breath. He stiffened at the mention of Klee’s name, growing more impatient every passing second. The air in the room was tense, as they waited for Mona’s answers in suspense.

“Klee, she—she ran away, for real this time.” 

Oh. Of-fucking-course she had to do that now . 

Whatever shred of composure he had left in him was thrown out of the window. 

He’s already standing up, ignoring Sucrose’s yelps of surprise, dashing past a still exhausted Mona and out of the room. “I’ll go and find her, the both of you wait for her if she comes back.” He ran and ran, not being bothered to stay and listen to their reply. 

It’s not like she never escaped before—well, she always tried to but was caught every time by Jean. This was the first time she had actually succeeded, and if they had to come and tell Albedo, then the situation is very severe.

And added with her current condition, his anxiousness gradually grew to be more intense as time went on. 

Adrenaline coursed through his vein, as he sprinted around the floor, searching every nook and cranny in hopes to find the lost girl. His mind was cloudy, he couldn't think straight. No particular place popped in his mind—he didn’t know where to go and look, but still, he kept running.

Fuck, maybe I should start taking care of myself better , he panted, slowing down. It felt like his calves were on fire even though it had only been at least 5 minutes. But he pushed through, picking up his pace and ignoring the looks of strangers around him, sight locked forward. He couldn’t give a shit. 

“Isn’t that Albedo?” The sound was small, coming from behind him, slightly far away from where he stood, but he didn’t miss it. 

There was no mistaking it, the voice was Klee’s.

Turning his head quickly towards the source of the sound, he exhaled a breath of relief as he saw Klee, waving her tiny hands with vigour towards him. All his worries dispersed in a split second, as he jogged towards her, knees weak. 

“Klee,” he crouched down to her level, voice slightly shaky from running. “Where have you been?” She smiled innocently, showing off the small milk carton in her hands. As if Albedo didn’t almost go mad looking for her.

“I went and bought some strawberry milk!” 

“You’re so…” Albedo winced as he finally felt the sensation of his throbbing leg. Klee tilted her head, curious, as Albedo buried his face in the palm of his hand. 

Slowly, he raised his head up. “Klee,” voice more stern this time around, causing her lips to curl downwards. “You can’t just run off like that, it’s dangerous. What if someone was trying to take you away?” 

Visibly upset now, she whined. “It’s not dangerous! Kaeya was with me y’know!” Her fingers pointed to her side.  

Kaeya? His eyes snapped to the direction Klee was pointing at, and sure enough, he was greeted again by a familiar face. 

There was a small guilty smile on his face. 

“Well, I was waiting for you to notice me,” Kaeya laughed, crossing his arms together. Albedo stood up, silent. He didn’t know what to say, especially since he didn’t expect to meet Kaeya this soon.

“Thank you so much for finding Klee,” was all he could muster. 

Meeting him twice a day , Albedo pondered. What a strange coincidence. 

“No worries, I was about to send her back anyway,” he sighed, rubbing Klee’s head a little too rough. Albedo could hear a tiny ‘Hey!’ from below him. “I told her she can meet me anytime….but I didn’t mean it like this.” They both looked at her, a tired look on Albedo’s face.

She shifted around, uncomfortable with the eyes on her. “Klee, apologise to the nice doctor over here. You made him worried sick, y’know. Just look at his hair,” he cheekily added, causing Albedo’s hands to fly immediately to his head, cheeks warm. 

He pretended that he didn’t hear the small laugh from Klee, as he patted down his indeed messy hair. Clearing his throat, he stared at her. “That’s right. I believe you did owe me an apology, Klee,” his voice was flat, monotonous, but it was enough to make Klee feel the slightest tinge of guilt. 

“I’m sorry, Albedo. I won’t do it again,” she paused, looking at him with her puppy eyes, “I just really wanted to meet Kaeya today, so...don’t be mad anymore, okay?” Albedo gave up on the serious facade almost instantly and smiled. He can never win against her. 

“Alright, I forgive you.” She visibly brightens at the reply, immediately going to hug Albedo’s legs, causing him to wobble from the force. “Just, don’t do this again, okay? Apologise to Jean and the others today when we get back.”

She groaned, stomping her foot on the ground. “But Jean’s going to get really angry at me again…” 

“That’s your own fault, isn’t it?” She deflated, murmuring complaints into his black trousers.  

A cough could be heard from across them. He redirected his gaze towards the source, and there was a hopeful look on Kaeya’s face. Albedo chuckled, light and airy. “Thank you again, Kaeya,” he lifted Klee into his arms, “I don’t know what I would do without your help today. I owe you one.” 

A light-hearted laugh came out of him. “Well,” he suddenly stopped. Kaeya placed his hands under his chin, closing his eyes and humming in an exaggerated manner. Albedo gulped, somehow feeling like he got himself into a trap. Then, he snapped his eyes open, a playful smirk on his face. 

“I guess there is something you can do for me.”

Albedo raised his eyebrows. “And that is?” 

“Klee, since you can’t meet me by yourself, how about every time Doctor Albedo is free, he can bring you to me? What do you say?” Albedo almost dropped her from how strongly she jerked in his hold. 

“No, we won—” 

Kaeya chimed in, not letting Albedo refuse his proposition. “Oh, if you refuse—which I understand, I don’t mind,” he sniffled, wiping fake tears from his covered eye, “but if you do, I would be so so so lonely.” It was obviously exaggerated, anyone with common sense could see through him.

Well, any adult with common sense could see through him.

Klee bounced up and down in his hold, obviously falling for his honeyed words, and it didn’t help that Albedo’s limbs felt like they were disintegrating. At this rate, he’s going to drop her. 

“Klee, please stay still.” The movement finally stopped, letting Albedo relax for a moment. But now she stared intently at him instead, with her infamous pleading eyes and protruded lower lips, the ones she would use every time she tries to get her own way. He looked away, refusing to acknowledge it. 

“Albedo, can we? Pleaaaase? I don’t want Kaeya to be lonely,” she started to beg, rubbing her tiny hands together. 

Say no to her, Albedo, tell her you’re busy. You’re the adult here.  

He finally looked at her—big mistake. Somehow her pout intensified, hands never stopped rubbing each other. 

Say no. 

Reluctantly, he answered, “.....Fine.” He can never win against her, can he?

Almost instantly, he felt a pair of arms around his neck, squeezing it. “You’re the best Albedo!” she squealed, planting a damp kiss on his cheeks. He winced. It was uncomfortable, gross, yet it still brought a faint smile to his face. 

The corner of Kaeya’s lips curled up, forming a smirk, and Albedo didn’t miss the way he laughed quietly as the whole scene unfolds. That scheming prick.

He glared daggers at him, irritation brewing stronger in his guts as Kaeya pretended to not have noticed the anger in his eyes.

“I guess we’ll be meeting each other soon, won’t we, Kaeya?” he asked, each word laced with venom. Now he’s actually dreading his free time, secretly hoping that Klee won’t remember this anymore by the time she wakes up tomorrow. 

Kaeya shrugged, “Well, of course, Whenever you’re free, doctor.” Albedo huffed, not wanting to waste another minute with him. “Well, now it’s time for me to head back,” he readjusted Klee’s position before continuing, “See you….soon, Kaeya.” Klee waved at him, saying their goodbyes and promising him a drawing when they meet again. 

Albedo didn’t meet his eyes, he didn’t want to. Kaeya and his tongue-in-cheek remarks managed to break his composure, and he didn’t enjoy one bit of it. 

“I’ll see you around, doctor.” Kaeya strutted past him, the sound of the IV pole’s wheels scraping on the tiled floor. 

“Albedo,” Kaeya stopped, talking in a voice only the both of them could hear. “Your hair is still sticking up.” He chuckled deeply this time around. 

Before he could even reply, Kaeya had already walked away, leaving a flustered Albedo all alone. 

That evening, he went home early—a very rare occurrence—eyes shutting as soon as his head hit the pillows.

“C’mon Albedo!”

He stayed still, not budging from where he was. They’ve been going at it for 5 minutes, Klee pulling on his white coat, trying to move him so they can go and meet Kaeya, while Albedo stays glued on the floor.

Exactly a week has passed since their meeting with Kaeya, and he was relieved that Klee didn’t ask him about it the following day. He assumed that she had forgotten about it, exactly like he had wished since early on. 

Turns out, kids don’t actually have memories of a goldfish like he had previously thought, and he had to experience it the hard way today during Klee’s weekly checkup.

The checkup went smoothly, Klee’s health is splendid and she was a chatterbox as per usual, telling him about how angry Jean got with her after the fiasco last week. To which Albedo replied with, “You deserved it.” She didn’t say anything, but Albedo could tell that she was sulking, offended.

Klee sat patiently, eating her lollipop, waiting for Albedo to finish packing his things so they could head out together. “Alright,” he looked up, throwing her a smile, “let’s head out, shall we?” 

Nodding, she jumped off the chair, rushing to Albedo’s side to hold his hands. The mood was pleasant, filled with Klee’s stories and occasionally Albedo chirping in, as he walked her back to her room. 

“...And then, Bennett fell! It was really scary too, I almost thought he was going to have to stay in bed again.” Albedo hummed, not really listening to her. He couldn’t quite understand Klee’s stories, most of the time she would be all too excited, causing her to jumble her words together. 

They almost made it to her ward, she was in the middle of talking about Razor until she stopped dead in her tracks, mouth gaping as if she had forgotten something. 

“Klee, why’d you stop?” The girl stared at him, mouth still agape. 

“I forgot!” Sweat started to form on the back of his neck. Forgot what exactly? His throat tightened.

She clenched his hands. “Albedo, can we go and meet Kaeya?” Finally, the dreaded question came. He grunted, unenthusiastic. 

“No.” He answered straight away, not wanting to talk about the topic anymore. His eyes met with Klee’s. She was squinting, her eyebrows were brought close together in a frown. Angry, she was most definitely angry.

“Why not? You’re always free after checking me,” he bit his lips, trying to form another excuse besides being busy. Klee’s eyes were still on him, hands on her hips as she waited for his answer. 

He rubbed the back of his head. “I just… can we not go today?” He tried to persuade her, but by the looks of it, she’s not backing down. “But you promised, didn't you? That means we have to go!” She exclaimed, starting to pull on his coat.

And that’s how they ended up like this, still where they were from five minutes ago. Klee never gave up, often switching between pushing and pulling him, despite knowing that she can’t actually physically move him.  

“Klee, why do you want to meet him that bad?” Albedo asked. Her grip on Albedo’s coat loosened as she stopped to think. 

“Well,” she placed her finger under her lips. “That’s because Kaeya’s my friend, and he’s the best!” She laughed. Her answer was simple, with no actual logic behind it, yet Albedo could feel his resolve falter. 

He’s whipped for a 7-year-old, how shameful.

“Fine,” he gave in. She cheered at this, contrasting Albedo’s loud sigh. “We’ll only visit him for a while, okay? You can’t go out for long.” She didn’t reply to this, instead grabbing his hands, pulling him with her as she ran towards the escalator nearby.

“Wait—Klee,” he panted. “Do you even know where Kaeya is?” They got on the escalator going down, where Albedo could finally catch his breath.

I should really start working on my stamina.

Klee giggled, turning around to face him. “I do! He told me that,” she covered one of her eyes, imitating the man. “ If you want to find me, then just come to the garden. I’ll be there whenever you miss me ,” she spoke an octave lower. “That’s what he said.”     

Albedo caught himself almost letting out a laugh at Klee’s poor impersonation. Realising this, he coughed, trying to keep a straight face. 

“Wait. You went down all the way to the garden last week?” She froze, nervously stammering as she evaded Albedo’s gaze. 

He eyed her, unimpressed. “But, that’s last week’s story, isn’t it,” she cheerily laughed it off, ignoring the disappointment in Albedo’s voice. “Ah, we’re here!” They finally got off the escalator, now slowly walking outside towards the garden.

The sun burned bright outside, almost blinding him. He inhaled slowly, the air was refreshing. Albedo isn’t the type to go outside that much, and the change of scenery was very much welcomed.

Klee jogged on the trail, while he followed from behind, carefully observing so she doesn’t overexert herself. 

A lot of people were there, nurses bringing their elderly patients out on a stroll, patients chatting up on the bench, there were kids Klee’s age around too, presumably some patients’ family members.

“Albedo, there he is,” she pointed at one of the more secluded areas of the garden, where there was someone sitting on the bench alone, under the shade of a cedar tree. 

He exhaled slowly, before flashing a quick grin to Klee. “Go ahead, you said you wanted to meet him right?” She bobbed her head excitedly, running with her hands waving towards the man. 

“Kaeya!” The said man flinched at the mention of his name, but immediately masked the shocked expression with his signature smile. Quirking his eyebrows, he rubbed her head, but his eyes were searching for a certain someone—Albedo. 

When their eyes met, Kaeya smirked at him, the same ones he had when he was teasing him last week. His hands moved, signalling Albedo to come closer to them. He scoffed, shoving his hands in his coat pocket as he walked near them.

“Hello, doctor. Long time no see, I almost thought that you forgot about our promise.” There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice. 

Rolling his eyes, he sat on the bench next to Klee, not wanting to be too close to Kaeya. “Yup, long time.”

Silence occupied the air between them, they had nothing to say to each other. 

Klee was the only person who was actually speaking, telling him about all sorts of things that happened to her that week, just like she did with Albedo. She was very fond of Kaeya, and he could tell that Kaeya was too. He engaged in her stories, despite the convoluted plot and her tendency to speak fast when excited.

“Oh, and I promised you a drawing, didn’t I? Hold on.” She searched her pants pocket, frowning when she couldn’t find what she was looking for. Turning her head towards Albedo, “Did I keep my drawing with you?” She asked.

Albedo shook his head, no recollection of her bringing a drawing with her earlier. She made a loud grunting noise, putting two and two together.

Her body leaned towards him. “Kaeya, I forgot to bring the drawing…” Klee whined, apologising to him multiple times.  “Well, that’s not good isn’t it,” he paused, scanning the area around them. Suddenly, his eyebrows were raised, and a smirk made its way back onto his face. 

“Maybe you can make me a flower crown instead? You said you were good at it.” She perked up at the idea, turning her face towards Albedo looking for a silent approval. He nodded, and she got to work immediately, scurrying off to scavenge for flowers. 

“Don’t run off too far now,” he warned when Klee ran off a little too far away for his liking. 

It was just the two of them now, and quietness once again filled the space.

A minute passed, and a cough broke the awkward atmosphere. “You knew that Klee likes to make flower crowns?” Startled at the question, Kaeya looked at him sideways. “Well, she did mention it in passing last week. She said about how she usually makes them for your birthday.” 

“And she said she was going to make some for me one day, so I guess that day is today, huh?” Kaeya didn’t say anything after, so he assumed it was fine to keep prying.

“I’ve also been curious about this,” he faced Kaeya, before continuing. “How did you meet Klee?” Kaeya laughed, rubbing his chin. “I met her a few weeks ago when I was trying to buy some grape juice since the ones near my room weren’t functioning at that time.” 

Albedo remembered this happening, a shiver ran down his spine when he recalled the week he had to survive without his daily dose of caffeine. It was horrible, it felt like he was a living corpse.

“And then I saw a kid trying to reach the vending machine, so I helped her out and we talked for a bit. Well, she talked to me, I just listened.” Albedo hummed, urging the man to carry on. “I walked her to her ward, and she started calling me her friend, and I guess I am now.” They both snickered. Typical Klee, she loves making conversations and talking to others, so much so that it’s worrying sometimes.

“Okay, now it’s my turn to ask questions,” Kaeya shifted his body towards Albedo, resting his head on his hands. “What’s your relationship with Klee?” Albedo tilted his head, confused. 

“Why do you want to know?” 

“Aren’t you a cautious one? I’m Klee’s friend , remember? Of course, I want to know.” Kaeya’s smirk stayed on his face, and for a split second, he had thought that the smirk grew wider, despite Albedo’s harsh tone. He sighed. 

Insufferable, Kaeya is insufferable.  

“Klee’s parents took me in, so I guess you can say that I’m her brother,” he explained. He didn’t know why he’s telling a stranger all of this, it was strange. He noticed that he behaves strangely around Kaeya. 

He can’t decide if he likes it or not. 

Kaeya’s gaze landed on Klee, who’s a few meters away from them, hands full of flowers. He exhaled. “How did she get here?” 

Albedo screwed his lips to the side, pausing for a short second. “Heart problems. So she can’t really exert herself too much,” Albedo stared at his hands. He heard no reply from the other. 

He looked back up. “I could say the same to you. What are you in here for?” 

Kaeya stayed still for a while, eyebrows furrowed as if he was by the question. “Of course, you don’t have to tell me if you are uncomfortable with it.” Albedo retracted, not wanting to make him uncomfortable. Sure, he's not that fond of Kaeya, but he’s not an asshole. 

“What’s this,” he teased, eyes glimmering with mischief. “Are you worried for me, doctor?” Albedo deadpanned, feeling himself getting used to Kaeya’s jokes. “Of course I’m worried, if you’re here, that means you’re sick, aren’t you?” He said, genuine.

Kaeya’s eyes grew wide, and a faint blush crept on his cheeks. A tiny laugh bubbled out of him. “Of course you are, huh.” He repeated, twisting his body around so he could lean back onto the bench. 

A beat of silence passed between them.

“Cancer.”

Albedo blinked slowly, “Pardon?”

“I have cancer. Brain tumour” he smiled. It was strange how nonchalant he was about it as if he wasn’t telling Albedo about his potential life-threatening disease. 

He pursed his lips together, not knowing what to say. He’s never good with words, so he didn’t know what to say at times like this. 

“I’m sorry to hear that,” his voice just above a whisper. He didn’t dare to press further.

A loud laugh erupted from Kaeya, startling everyone around them. Even Klee turned her head towards their direction, curious. He laughed so hard his IV pole almost fell over, if not for him holding on to it, while Albedo stared, wide-eyed. 

A freak. I’m convinced he’s a freak.

Silently, he frowned. “What’s so funny?” Kaeya wiped the tears forming under his eyes, still softly laughing. “You’re so serious about it, Albedo,” he huffed out, breath still shaky after his little fit. “It’s not like I’m dying tomorrow.” 

“You,” he pointed at Albedo, “should loosen up a bit. If someone sees us they might think that you’re the patient here.” Despite that, the frown on his face stayed. 

“You’re insufferable.” He finally said it.

“That’s what they all say,” Kaeya winked. 

From a distance, they could hear the soft patter of footsteps coming towards them. “I’m done,” she said, bringing two matching crowns made from Cecilias. A thin layer of sweat could be seen covering her red-tinted cheeks. 

Albedo took out a handkerchief from his pants pocket, a slight pout on his face. “Klee, why didn’t you just make them here.” He started to wipe her damp face, pushing back her sweaty bangs. “Because the both of you are getting along super well. I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“Mhm, we’re actually super close now,” Kaeya interrupted before Albedo could even speak. “We’re friends, right Albedo?” Klee’s eyes widened at this, directing her attention to him. “Really? Are you friends now? That’s so cool!” It felt like he was dealing with two Klee at the same time. His head throbbed at the thought. 

Some ‘friend’ I’ve made.

He nodded hesitantly, lips pursed into a line. This response was enough for her, as she stood up on the bench to place the crowns on them, grinning ear to ear. Albedo touched the crown on his head, confused. “Klee, why did you make one for me?” He looked at Kaeya who was wearing the same crown as him.

They were matching. 

“Well,” she plopped herself back on the bench. “You’re friends now, right? So I made two for the both of you, like a friendship bracelet!” She explained, hands stretching towards the sky. Upon hearing this, Kaeya pinched her cheeks, ignoring the sound of protest coming from her. 

"Thank you Klee. You’re really good at making these.” Kaeya glanced at him, “Aren’t you going to say thanks? Poor Klee went through all this trouble to make it..” he trailed off, grinning when Albedo narrowed his eyes at him. 

I know, I was going to do it anyway.  

He looked down at her, patting her head. “Thank you, Klee. I’ll keep this in my office later.” 

“Ah,” Kaeya clapped his hands together, catching both of their attention. “Klee, you didn’t make one for yourself?” She gasped, hands covering her lips. “I forgot!” Klee rushed to find more flowers, not paying any mind to Albedo’s words.    

They spent an hour together before Albedo had to forcefully pull Klee away from Kaeya’s side, who was practically glued to the man’s torso, as she refused to go back to her room.

Two months passed since and meeting up had become a routine for them. Every Thursday, after Klee’s examination, they would meet up and spend time together. Their meeting places varied too, sometimes at the garden, often the cafeteria, and other times near the paediatrics department, if Albedo couldn’t stay for long.

This also caused Klee to not want to go back home, begging Albedo to let her stay longer a few weeks ago.

“I don’t want to go home anymore,” she murmured quietly, but it was loud enough for him to catch it. It was her last few days at the hospital, and she should be able to be discharged the following Monday.   

Albedo hummed, no change in his expression. “Why not? You said you wanted to go home though?” She made a sound of protest at this. “But that’s different, now I don’t want to go home.” 

“How so?”

“Then, I won’t be able to see Kaeya and you again. So can you let me stay longer, please...” Albedo closed his eyes, pretending to mull it over. “Nope.” He answered shortly after.

“But then I can’t meet Kaeya!”

“You still have to come here every week, I’ll bring you to him whenever you come by.”

“I want to spend time with you too!” She tried again.

“I go to Alice’s house every weekend, Klee,” Albedo cracked a smile at her, pinching her nose. “I’ll get to spend time with you every week.”

“But that’s different!” She yelled. 

Despite her protests, she went back home regardless, sulking in Alice’s arms as Albedo saw her out. 

When he told Kaeya about this, he laughed, promising to bring her extra strawberry milk when they met again. 

Albedo and Kaeya’s relationship went from being acquaintances to friends—sort of. They exchanged phone numbers out of convenience and would text each other sometimes, but it’s always about Klee, save for the occasional ‘What are you doing’ or ‘How are you doing’ texts. 

They never talked about his disease after that day. Kaeya never brought it up again, and Albedo never bothered to ask anymore. It wasn’t like he didn’t care, he remembered trying to ask about it, after seeing his worsening eye bags, but Kaeya only smiled and said, “It’s the side effect of my medications, I’m doing fine,” and changed the subject immediately.

That or he ignores him altogether.  

Albedo gave up, deciding to take his words for it. Kaeya must’ve known about the severity of his case, and perhaps he was uncomfortable speaking about it. He didn’t want to overstep his bounds either, so he made himself stay quiet, despite the doubts in his head.

He also learnt how to deal with Kaeya now after meeting him plenty of times. His cheeky banter rarely gets to him these days, opting to roll his eyes or ignore him completely whenever he tries to tease. Sure, Kaeya isn’t the type of person Albedo would surround himself with, but he’s actually tolerable when he shuts up. 

And so another Thursday rolled around, and Klee was very excited, as always. Singing songs while she sat waiting for Albedo. She was wearing casual clothes today, and he had always thought that she looked better that way. She looked less like a patient and more like a child, just like how she’s supposed to be. 

He was packing his stuff into his bag, until he heard two notifications from his phone, flashing Kaeya’s name on it. 

From: Kaeya (3:47 p.m.)

[Are we meeting at the garden today?]

[Haven’t been there in a while lol]

Albedo typed in a response, nimble fingers pressing the keyboard.

From: Albedo

[Yup]

[And Klee said you should bring milk.]

From: Kaeya

[lol]

[Tell her I’ll be bringing two. See you later!]

“Who’s that?” Klee asked, her feet swinging up and down in excitement. “Just Kaeya,” Albedo smiled, carrying his bag on the right side of his shoulder. Her grin grew wider, jumping out of her seat to hold Albedo’s hands. 

He graciously took it, occasionally swinging their hands back and forth as they walked towards the escalator. 

The sound of commotion made him stop in his tracks, eyes directed at the oncology department where there seemed to have been an emergency. 

He gulped, feeling the tiniest bit of nervousness the longer he stared. 

It was strange. Why should he be? An emergency is to be expected at a hospital, nothing special about it, yet he can’t seem to tear his eyes away.

“Albedo?” He flinched at the mention of his name, turning his attention back to Klee. “What’s wrong?” He shook his head, forcing a smile. “It’s nothing. Shall we continue?” He looked back one last time, before walking towards the escalator, heart heavy.

They were the first ones to arrive, sitting at their usual spot, under the cedar tree. Albedo toyed with his phone, trying to get rid of the uneasiness he felt. 

From: Albedo (3:58 p.m.)

[We’re here]

[Where are you?]

His eyes flicked towards the words under the text bubble. 

Delivered.

Shutting his phone, he glanced at Klee, who’s singing happily, hands brought to her chest. “When do you think Kaeya will come here?” She suddenly asked, looking at Albedo. 

“He’s quite late today isn’t he?” Albedo frowned, staring at his watch. 

4:08 p.m.

“Well, I don’t mind waiting.” She stared at her lap, bouncing up and down. He sighed, sinking into the bench as they waited in silence. 

Albedo tapped his fingers on the bench, restless. 30 minutes had passed since their agreed meeting time and Kaeya was nowhere to be seen. The clouds above them were dense and dark, shielding the sunlight. 

“Klee,” he tapped the girl’s shoulder, whose excitement had worn off a long time ago. She sat silently, face forward but wasn’t looking at anything in particular. “How about we wait inside? I think it’s going to rain.”

The howling of the wind soon came after, the cold making her shiver. “But Kaeya’s not here yet,” she protested, and Albedo sighed, staring at the darkening sky. “I’ll tell him to meet us at the cafeteria instead,” he smiled, trying to cheer her up. “So, let’s come inside, okay?”

It rained heavily shortly after they went back inside, just like Albedo predicted. They’re sitting in the cafeteria now, Klee sitting beside him, drinking strawberry milk. “Why is he late today?” she whispered against the white straw.

He clenched his fist. Kaeya’s not coming.

“Maybe he’s busy? I don’t think he can make it today,” he explained.

Klee placed her drink down, noticeably disappointed hearing that.

“But he promised, didn't he? Miss Jean said that it’s bad to break promises,” Albedo brushed his bangs back. “It’s bad to break promises...” he repeated to himself.

 “I’ll talk to him later okay? I’ll make him get you more snacks, and I’ll punch him if you want me to.” He grinned, raising his fist.

“....I want Pocky sticks…” she muttered, kicking her legs while she sipped her milk. 

“Then, I’ll make him get you some Pocky sticks.” Albedo answered immediately, folding his arms loosely together.

He was met with silence until he felt the sleeve of his coat being tugged two times.

“But don’t punch him, okay? I don’t want to see the both of you fight,” she said, the wide smile finally back on her face.

Huffing out a breath, he pressed his lips together. “Your wish is my command.”

Alice picked her up 30 minutes after, and he didn’t head back into his office as he usually would. 

Instead, he chose to stay in the cafeteria, eyes staring at the unread text message he sent to Kaeya almost two hours ago. His fingers were hovering over the keyboard, mind debating if he should try again or wait until there’s a response from him.

Kaeya’s not the type to wait hours to respond, as far as he knows. He’s also always punctual, always texting Albedo in advance if he can’t meet up. This is...strange, to say the least.

Wasting time like this won’t get you anywhere, Albedo. 

A small groan escaped out of him as he typed another text.

From Albedo (5:21 p.m.)

[Why didn’t you come today?]

[Kaeya?]

Delivered.

He let his phone fall on the table with a clunk, hands rubbing his face frustratingly.

“Mr Albedo?”

He flinched, blinking his eyes slowly at Sucrose. 

Staring at the papers in his hands, he slowly placed them on his desk, mind blank. 

“...Yes? How can I help?” His voice was hoarse, worsening the worried look on Sucrose’s face. “Mr Albedo...did you even sleep?”

“Not really, I couldn’t sleep well yesterday.” He rubbed his eyes. Sleeping wasn’t easy for him last night, tossing and turning in his bed as he stared at his phone screen, one word repeating in his mind all evening. 

Delivered.

Staring at it won’t magically change anything, he knew this. But there was a little part in him that hoped that it would change and that a reply would come in shortly after. 

So he waited and waited until the morning light peeked through his curtains and the sound of his morning alarm ringing in his ears.

The text stayed the same.

Yawning, he disposed of the coffee cans on his desk, not realising Sucrose’s eyes monitoring his every movement. “Mr Albedo..”

“Albedo,” A loud voice from outside his office spoke, coming closer and closer to the door. “Just go to the on-call room and sleep,” Mona interjected, unamused. 

Albedo scowled, her loud voice making his head pound. “I’m fine. I have work to do.” He didn’t bother to look at her, rather choosing to focus on his laptop. Mona scoffed at this, rolling her eyes.

“And you’d expect us to believe that you’re fine with those horrendous eye bags of yours?” She sat on his table, moving his laptop away from view. He touched his face, offended.  “You’re so stubborn sometimes, don’t you know that?”

A sigh of defeat escaped him. He knew if he stayed to argue, it would tire him more and more. It’s not worth the fight. “I know that.” He stood up, putting his phone in his coat pocket. “If anything happens, call me.” Without looking back, he waved his hands at the both of them as he exited his office. 

Once he arrived at the on-call room, his body crashed as soon as he saw the bed, groaning into the pillow. His body was exhausted, yet his eyes were still fresh, he couldn’t make himself fall asleep. 

Staring at the ceiling of the dim room, his hands wandered into his pockets, trying to find his phone. The screen lit up and he squinted his eyes at the brightness. Unlocking it, his hands immediately pressed the message icon.

No new messages. 

His arms fell back on the bed, gritting his teeth, he shut his eyes close.

Kaeya.       

Sitting up, he gripped his phone and silently left the room.

Why am I even here?

He stared at the front desk of the oncology department just a few meters away from him. 

Do I want to do this?

Sighing, he dragged his feet to the desk, every footstep felt heavier as he drew closer. “Excuse me?” The woman on the front desk snapped her head up, “Oh—Yes? How can I help you today?” She stood up immediately.

Albedo coughed, slightly taken aback by her friendly tone. “I was wondering if I could meet with—” He paused, realising that he doesn’t know Kaeya’s full name. Actually, he doesn’t know anything about Kaeya.

Then, what do I even know about him?

“Sir?” The woman tilted her head at his sudden silence. Albedo shook his head, putting on a weary smile. “I’m sorry, I was distracted. Um, can I meet with Kaeya?” She clasped her hands together, “You want to meet Mr Kaeya? Of course! You must be his friend, right?” she chattered excitedly.

Am I even his friend? Do I deserve to say that?

He nodded weakly, finding himself not being able to deny her. “His room number is 3011, just go straight and his room is at the very end.” She pointed her finger down the long hallway. “Thank you.” Albedo shifted his body towards the direction he was told to go. 

The hallway was quiet, unlike his own department. Patients and doctors are walking here and there, but he can’t bother to look at them. His sight was set straight. 

3007, 3008, 3009, 3010…

3011. Standing still, he remained stagnant in front of the wooden sliding door. His eyes landed on the nameplate, in bold letters it read ‘Kaeya Alberich’.

So his name is Kaeya Alberich.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

His fingers hovered over the handle, contemplating if he should open the door or not. Bracing himself, he knocked on the door, holding on to his breath as he waited for a reply.

A muffled ‘ come in!’ could be heard from inside the room. Slightly trembling, his hands reached for the silver handle, opening the door slowly.

Kaeya cocked his head to the door, eyes huge as he stared at Albedo. Shifting in his spot, he stared right back at him. “Is there something on my face?”

No one said anything for a minute until Kaeya cracked a small chuckle. “Nope, there’s none.” 

He was in his bed, with an open book on his lap, probably reading before Albedo came by. His face was pale, paler than the last time Albedo had seen him. In short, he looked sickly. 

He felt something in his chest after seeing this but chose to ignore it.

“What are you standing there for? Take a seat.” He followed, sitting on the chair next to Kaeya’s bed. Fiddling with his hands, he opened his mouth to speak, yet no words came out.

Kaeya seemed to have picked up on this, putting his book away on the bedside table. “It’s a rare occurrence to see you visiting me,” he said with a cheery tone. “What’s the occasion?” 

“Just trying to find out how you’ve been doing.”

“Well, I’m doing fine and dandy,” he replied. 

Liar, what a damn liar you are.

“Kaeya,” he looked down at his hands, a bit of his anger seeped into his voice. “Why didn’t you come yesterday?”

He continued, “You didn’t even answer your texts. I was…” he sighed, clenching his palms.  “Kaeya. I was worried. Where the hell were you?”

The man in front of him blinked once, twice. A defeated smile made its way on his face. 

You caught me as if he wanted to say. 

“…You weren’t fine were you?” Albedo knew this already. Deep down he knew that Kaeya wasn’t fine as he said, the worsening complexion, the weight loss, the number of times Kaeya would hold his head in pain whenever they’re together. He noticed all of this, but somehow he can’t let himself accept it. 

Kaeya looked outside the window. “And if I say I wasn’t?” His voice retained the same enthusiasm, yet somehow the words were chilling. 

He looked back at Albedo, wearing a serene expression. “What would you do, if I said I wasn’t fine, doctor?” Albedo froze as he directly met Kaeya’s piercing eyes. He clenched his fist again, this time in frustration.

They remained still, thick tension in the air. 

“Then,” he spoke up, breaking the silence. “Then, I would just have to visit you every day don’t I?” 

That made him pull a confused face, before quickly taking it back. “...Pardon?”

“I would just have to visit you every day. I can’t do anything else to help you but...I’ll check up on you until you’re better.” He’s quiet, so Albedo took this as a sign to continue. 

“That’s what...friends do, right?” Kaeya’s breath hitched, making Albedo feel his cheeks warming up. It had shocked him too when he had said it.

He bowed his head back down in embarrassment. “Of course, we are friends...aren’t we?” He closed his eyes, not knowing what sort of response would come out of Kaeya.

Booming laughter came out of him, forcing Albedo to snap his eyes open in awe. He fell onto his bed, clenching his stomach as tears fell down his cheeks. 

Albedo sat still, dumbfounded at the development.

“Albedo,” he gasped for air, finally calming down. “You’re so…interesting.”

Throwing a dirty look, he replied. “What is that supposed to mean?” 

“Well, you’re just fun to talk to, that’s all.”   

Fun. No one has ever said Albedo was a fun person. Stubborn, serious, genius, workaholic—he had heard those words plenty of time, but fun was never used to describe him. 

The corners of his lips quirked up at this. 

“Didn’t sleep yesterday?” Kaeya circled his own eyes, pointing out Albedo’s dark under-eyes. “Yeah,” he yawned, stretching his body, finally feeling drowsy. “Couldn’t sleep a wink yesterday.”

Albedo eyed the man, wearing a mischievous look he knew all too well. One of his eyebrows would be raised, showcasing his infamous smirk. “What’s this? You’re all worried about me until you can’t sleep?” he cooed, placing his hands on his chest in an extravagant manner. 

He rolled his eyes, “Don’t flatter yourself.”

“Hey.” Kaeya hummed in response, laying on his back with his eyes closed. 

“You never answered my question earlier. What happened to you yesterday?” Albedo asked, a little hesitant. He didn’t want to ruin the pleasant atmosphere, and he didn’t want to make Kaeya uncomfortable either. 

“Don’t lie this time, though.” He added shortly after. Kaeya made a nervous noise upon hearing that, eyes fluttering open. 

“I passed out when I was trying to get out of bed,” he turned to face Albedo. “And I just woke up this morning, that’s probably why I didn’t see your messages.” 

Yesterday’s memories came rushing back to him. The emergency and commotion—they all add up to each other. Putting the pieces together, he sighed, weary. “So the commotion yesterday was you .” 

“There was a commotion?” Albedo nodded, causing Kaeya to rub the back of his neck awkwardly. “I didn’t know it was that big of a deal.” 

“What do you mean? You were unconscious, of course, it’s a big deal.” Just how ignorant can someone be about their condition? This was something that was always on Albedo’s mind, ever since Kaeya had mentioned his disease. 

He buried the dissatisfaction away in his mind, not wanting to speak on it. Plus, he’s pretty confident that Kaeya had his own reasons acting like this, he would hope. 

“You should be taking better care of yourself.”

“Gosh, I never knew you were such a nagger.” He covered his ears. “Yes, Doctor Albedo. I will be good, so can we stop now?” He whined childishly. The words he spoke were all just for the sake of getting under Albedo’s skin, he knew of this, and that’s exactly why he didn’t respond. 

Looking around, he decided to find something else to talk about. The room Kaeya was staying in looked like any other hospital room. There was a bed, table and chairs in the nook, and a mid-size flat-screen TV. Nothing too special, not too bright, not too grey—just your average hospital room.

But what caught Albedo’s eyes was the colourful wall of drawings next to the bed. From a glimpse he knew whose drawing it was—it was Klee’s. “I didn’t know you kept her drawings.” 

“Oh, that?” He turned his head to the side. “She’s a great artist if I’ve ever seen one.” Adoration in his voice as he said that. “I also kept the crown she gave us. Too bad I can’t keep it from not wilting.” 

“She’s pretty sad about yesterday, I think you should really make it up to her.”

Kaeya grinned sheepishly, scratching his head. “...Figures. Did she say anything?” 

“She said she wanted Pockys...do what you want with that info.”  He glanced at the table beside him. There were two bottles of strawberry milk on it, unopened. 

“You should bring that to her.” Kaeya pointed at the milk bottles. Albedo looked at him, confused. “You’re not going to give it to her?” He tensed up at the question, before relaxing again a few seconds later. 

“I just don’t want her to see me like this.” He furrowed his eyebrows. ”I don’t think I can see her for some time.” This is heartbreaking news for Klee, he can already imagine the tears when he breaks the news to her. 

“When you’re better then. Bring some Pockys for her when you’re better. She would prefer it if you were the one who gave it to her.”

Kaeya nodded, “I will.”

True to his word, Albedo came to visit almost every day whenever he wanted to take a break during work. 

“I didn’t think you’d come here every day.” Kaeya snickered, hanging Klee’s newest drawing on the wall to add to his growing collection. There’s a lot of drawings there now, it started from covering a tiny corner on the wall into almost covering the whole wall, putting some colour in the otherwise grey room. 

“I promised, didn't I? It’s bad to break a promise.” he simply answered

Rarely would he come empty-handed, always bearing gifts for the man. Usually, it’s Klee’s drawing or her handmade get-well cards. 

When Albedo had to tell Klee that she can’t meet Kaeya for some time, she fully broke down in tears, no matter how gently he tried to explain it to her. He did tell her Kaeya was sick, but didn’t go into detail about it—she wouldn’t have understood anyways.

After 30 minutes of hysteric crying and three lollipops later, she calmed down, nose still runny and red swollen eyes. 

“You promise that we’d meet again?” She sniffled, voice trembling.

Albedo nodded weakly, “Of course you will.” He felt immense guilt in the pit of his stomach. “I think he would appreciate it if you send him gifts, don’t you think so?” Silence. He exhaled through his nose. “Who knows, he might be able to play with you soon if you send him some nice gifts and letters.”  

“Then,” she paused to snort, “If I send him a bunch of cards and drawings every day, can he play with me again?” 

“Of course.” He placed a tissue under her stuffy nose, urging her to blow into it. 

“Then, I’ll just send him so many gifts that he’ll drown in them. After that, we can play together again.” She said with an indifferent face. 

Albedo blinked slowly at her monotonous voice, “...Pardon?”

And that’s how he became their ‘postman’. Klee would ask Albedo to give Kaeya her ‘get well present’ and Kaeya would write a mini letter back to her, thanking her for the presents.

Sometimes, Albedo would bring him food items like fruits or juices—often grape juice. He knew that Kaeya despised grape juice, but the scowl on his face when noticed the purple bottle in Albedo’s hands is amusing to see. 

“You can be annoying sometimes, don’t you know that?” He said with an overly sweet tone, betraying the irritated look on his face. “How does it feel like to have a taste of your own medicine?” He retorted with a smirk, sipping on the sweet drink.

Today, Albedo brought him some fruits, nicely decorated in a fruit basket. Klee’s letter of the day was tucked neatly in the basket. 

Walking past the front desk, he greeted the nurses with a nod. They smiled back, already used to his presence around there. He made his way down the hallway swiftly, he’d been there so many times that he could find Kaeya’s room with his eyes closed. 

Two knocks, as usual, before he heard the usual ‘ come in! ’ from inside the room. 

“Hello, Albedo.” Kaeya welcomed him from the bed, his usual grin on his face. 

Albedo shut the door behind him, placing the fruits on the bedside table. “How are you doing?” he asked as soon as he sat down. Kaeya lost some more weight, he noted. His cheekbones are more prominent, his face getting skinnier day by day. 

“Could be better. How about you?”

“I’m doing fine.” He took the pink letter out of the basket and handed it to Kaeya, to which he received it happily, a big smile on his face as he read its contents. “She missed me a lot, huh.” He placed the letter with a bunch of other ones in his drawers, while he let the drawing that came with it rest on his lap. 

“She would beg to meet you almost every time we meet,” Albedo chuckled softly, lacing his fingers together. “I can tell how disastrous it is every time.” Kaeya grabbed the paper and uncovered his legs from the blanket. 

Albedo watched him sit up, wearing his sandals and attempting to stand up, only for him to be out of sight, followed by a huge thud seconds later. 

“Kaeya!” He rushed to the other side of the bed, seeing the man kneeling, his legs trembling. 

With a heavy breath, he helped Kaeya get back on his feet, the height difference between them making it harder for him. Kaeya was silent the whole time, while Albedo huffed and grunted in exhaustion trying to put him back to bed. 

He picked up the folded drawing under Kaeya’s hanging foot, placing it back in the man’s lap. The trembling of his legs stopped, yet he stayed unmoving, concerning Albedo. “Kaeya..?”

He gulped, mouth slightly opened to speak. “I...used to walk better than this,” he laughed quietly, embarrassed. Albedo went stiff, not knowing what to say. Used to . Hearing the phrase made his heart heavy, the realisation finally sinking in.  

Kaeya’s doing the opposite of getting better . 

No, he is getting better , he reassured himself, immediately replacing his thought earlier on. “Stuff happens,” he said, lacking emotion in his voice. 

“Mind giving me a hand?” Kaeya picked the drawing back up from his lap, waving it around in the air but careful to not crumple it. Albedo complied silently, holding onto his hands so he could hang Klee’s drawing on the wall, to join in his collection. 

Cold, his body was so cold. Just like that time he saw him on the rooftop, many months ago. Albedo bit the inside of his lips as he brushed hands with his boney ones. Inside, he’s a nervous wreck, despite looking unbothered on the outside.

Kaeya let out a victorious sound as he finished pasting Klee’s drawing on the wall. It was a picture of the three of them, in what it seemed like to be a park, playing some sort of game together. There was a small scribble in the corner of the drawing written in black crayon, saying ‘Get Well Soon Kaeya!’.

The man in his arms let out a giggle, admiring the drawing on the wall. “I remember this day.” Albedo raised an eyebrow at that, surprised at how fast Kaeya understood the meaning of her drawing. “That was the day we played charades together, remember?” 

He gasped, finally recalling that day. It was a few weeks back, where they had forced him into a few rounds of charades together. Although he was reluctant at first, the game was the most fun he had in a while.  

“You understood that drawing way too quickly.” 

“What can I say? I’m a big fan of her work.” He sat back on the edge of his bed with a loud huff. “Come sit.” Kaeya patted the spot beside him, eyeing Albedo who had been standing still in front of him. 

He choked, seemingly taken aback by the request. “Are you sure?” He muttered, suddenly feeling shy. “Of course, you’re my friend, aren’t you?” He slowly made his way to the bed after hearing those words.

The soft bed sank under his weight, their shoulders still touching each other despite Albedo trying to form a distance between them. Kaeya relaxed next to him, laying on the bed with his eyes shut, not bothered by the sunlight shining through the window. 

Comfortable silence hung in the air, only the sound of the birds outside filling in space. 

“Thank you.” The man’s voice was just above a whisper. Albedo turned to meet his face, puzzled. His eyes were still closed, a stoic expression on his face, yet his words were spoken so tenderly. 

“What for?” 

“Not many people want to befriend a sick person,” he opened his eyes, azure eyes shining brightly under the light. “So, thank you for keeping me company, Albedo.” It was genuine, with no hint of playfulness at all. 

“No need to thank me,” was all Albedo could say, looking away from him.

That night Albedo stayed later than usual.

He was the only one in the office, Mona and Sucrose had long left the hospital, while he had remained, finishing up all his work for the week. Only the sound of him swiftly typing the keyboard could be heard echoing in the otherwise empty room. 

Shutting his laptop, he stretched his body, relieving the stress from his shoulders. He glanced at the mini clock on his desk, before going to grab his phone that was charging on the side. Unplugging it, he scrolled through his notifications. There was one message from Alice—which was probably Klee texting him, and an unread message from Kaeya almost two hours ago.

He immediately opened the chat, typing a quick reply.

From: Kaeya (10:04 p.m.)

[Good night :D]

From: Albedo (11:57 p.m.)

[Sorry for the late reply.]

[Good night, Kaeya]

He didn’t wait for a response, shutting his phone as soon as he hit the send button—it was late, and Kaeya had probably fallen asleep. 

After several seconds of staring at the blank wall, he stood up. Not bothering to clean up his desk, he headed out of the office to buy some more drinks for himself. 

Better than not doing anything , he thought.

The hallways were empty as well, with not many people around besides some residents walking around here and there. He liked the silence of the hospital at nighttime. It’s a nice change from the usually lively feel of the building during the day. 

He found himself at the vending machine, inserting dollar bills into the machine to buy iced tea. Definitely not his first choice in drinks, he would’ve chosen his beloved coffee in a heartbeat if it wasn’t for Kaeya’s comments on his caffeine intake nagging in the back of his head. 

Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt.

The phone in his coat pocket vibrated as he bent down to take his drink. Standing up straight in an instant, he fished out the device, surprised to see the name that popped up on the screen.

Kaeya.

Albedo didn’t expect him to call, especially since it’s already so late. Without wasting a second, he picked up, placing the phone on his ears. 

Heavy jagged breathing greeted him on the other side, causing him to tense up. “Kaeya?” he asked, deciding to initiate the conversation instead, since Kaeya hadn’t said a word to him. He tried to sound calm to mask the immensely growing worry in his guts. 

“Please—” his voice was shaky, gasping as if he had just run for miles. There was something wrong with him. “Kaeya? Are you in your room? I’ll come there right now, can you wait for me?” He waited for a response, but none ever came his way. He could only hear small convulsive gasps from the other man.   

“Hang on, I’ll be there soon.” He hung up, running immediately to Kaeya’s room, his iced tea long forgotten. 

He didn’t bother to say hello to the nurses as he usually would, dashing past them without a care for their confused expressions. The hallways here were empty as well, making it easier for him to navigate his way to Kaeya’s room. 

The room was dark as he opened the door, the only light in the room coming from the moon outside. Kaeya sat on his bed, wearing a dazed appearance as he turned to look at the opened door. 

“..Albedo,” was all he could muster, the faintest smile on his face, an attempt to look as normal as possible. But the trembling of his body betrayed him, exhaustion and something akin to fright clear in his eyes. 

Closing the door behind him, Albedo slowly made his way to him, sitting on the corner of the bed. He looked at Kaeya’s body up and down, thankful that he wasn’t hurt. 

It’s painful to admit, but Albedo can’t deny that he looked worse and worse every visit.

“What happened?” He asked softly. The man in front of him only leaned forward, resting his sweaty forehead on Albedo’s shoulder. He tried to contain his surprise, in fear of driving Kaeya away. 

Albedo didn’t dare to speak, feeling as if Kaeya would break if he uttered another word. One of his hands made its way onto Kaeya’s back, trying to soothe the still shaking man.  

After a while, the ragged breathing and tremor stopped, only his slow breath could be heard. “Do you need water?” He began to ask, seeing that Kaeya has calmed down significantly. He refused with a weak shake of the head, gripping tighter on Albedo’s coat. 

“Can we just stay like this?” His voice was hoarse, almost inaudible. 

“Of course.” He spoke calmly, continuing to rub Kaeya’s back. 

He didn’t know how long time had passed since they last spoke, too busy keeping an eye on the man in his arms. If he didn’t know any better, he would’ve thought that Kaeya had fallen asleep, if it wasn’t for him occasionally gripping Albedo’s other hands every few minutes or so. 

Deciding to give it a shot, he cleared his throat, asking him the same question left unanswered earlier. “Kaeya,” he whispered. A low hum came mere seconds after, and he took this as a sign to continue.  

“Can you tell me what happened?” He held on to his breath as he waited for a reply.

Almost a minute went by before he decided to answer. “I forgot,” Kaeya mumbled into Albedo’s shoulder, not bothered to move his face at all. 

“Forgot what?” 

“You. Your face.” His heart dropped to his stomach upon hearing this. “What do you mean?” he asked again. 

Kaeya breathed shakily, squeezing Albedo’s palms slightly harder. “I woke up because of your text. I know who you are but I don’t remember what you looked like. And I guess I got really scared.” A pathetic laugh followed after. The text was sent hours ago, why didn’t he just call him earlier? 

Why wait?

That’s exactly what came out of his mouth. Kaeya exhaled, and Albedo could feel that his hands were starting to quiver again. Before he could backtrack his question, Kaeya had already spoken, his voice cracking. 

“What if I still couldn’t recognise you even if you came? I don’t want to forget you, what if I forgot about everyone? You, Klee, Diluc—” he started to ramble, palms of his hands starting to sweat again. 

Albedo forcefully pulled him up to stop him from talking himself into another panic attack. The face he cradled in his hands felt cold, eyes brimming with tears with some already trickling down his cheeks.

“I’m scared. I’m so scared.” 

“But you remembered me, right?” He stared into Kaeya’s eyes, voice slow as he spoke. He looked back at Albedo, eyes blown wide as he tried to regulate his breathing. 

“You’ll be fine, you always said that didn’t you?” he paused to smile. “I’ll always be here for you. I won’t let you forget. Klee, me—or anyone else.” 

To be honest, it was nerve-wracking for Albedo to see Kaeya like this. His raw, unfiltered emotions on display—so vulnerable. It was a first for him, to see the nonchalant, cool air around Kaeya completely disappear. 

“Can you stay here tonight?” He asked, covering Albedo’s hands with his own. The request made him purse his lips, guilt bubbling in his guts. “We both know I can’t, Kaeya.” The grip on Albedo’s hands loosened, a clear look of disappointment on his face. 

He might’ve refused, but he can at least compromise. After all, he's not a heartless person. “But, I guess I could stay until you fall asleep,” he reasoned, lacing his fingers with Kaeya’s. 

“Albedo,” Kaeya called out for him after Albedo helped him to bed. Their hands never left each other for even a second. He had tried to draw his hands earlier, to make his movements a little less restricted, but Kaeya’s grip tightened every time he wanted to do so, as if he feared that Albedo would pull away as soon as he let go.  

“Yes?”

“You’re staying until I fall asleep, right?” 

“I promised, didn’t I?” He could hear Kaeya sighing in relief, his hold on Albedo’s hands loosening, but still quite firm. “Goodnight, Albedo.” His mouth was slightly open as if there was something else he wanted to say.

“You’ll be here tomorrow, right?”  

“Mhm. Now sleep tight.” He adjusted the blanket covering Kaeya’s body. Soon enough, light snores were heard from across him, and Albedo pulled his hands away. Slowly, he made his way near the sleeping figure, pulling out a handkerchief from his coat pocket to wipe his sweaty forehead. 

He took the chance to observe Kaeya’s face as he brushed his bangs away from his eyes. Kaeya looked serene like this, lips parted as he exhaled in his sleep. If anyone saw him like this, they would’ve never guessed that he had a breakdown earlier.

Albedo stayed for another half an hour, before quietly slipping out of the room, fearing that he wouldn't be able to leave if he had stayed longer.

From that night onwards, Kaeya’s body began to weaken at a rapid pace. 

Exactly three weeks have passed since then, and slowly his ability to walk worsened, bounding him to his bed for the majority of the time. Though, he could still travel around the hospital, in a wheelchair or with someone else to support him. 

And as if to rub salt into the wound, Kaeya’s memories are also slowly deteriorating day by day. Often, he forgets his daily tasks and would have to rely on Albedo to remind him almost every day. 

This drove Kaeya up the wall, paired with his constant mood swings and his decreasing appetite, it was obvious that he was mentally exhausted. 

“I wish I knew what was wrong with me,” he whispered one night, smiling weakly although his eyebrows were furrowed in frustration. Albedo widened his eyes in surprise, he had thought that Kaeya was sleeping. 

I wish I knew too , he wanted to say, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it, instead choosing to clench his fist. He felt frustrated, annoyed— sad that Kaeya had to go through this at such a young age. He didn’t deserve it, it shouldn’t have been him. 

It’s unfair. 

Albedo heaved a heavy sigh, running a hand through his hair. He was in front of Kaeya’s room, visiting him as per usual. Trying to distract himself from the thought, he reached for the door handle, opening it quietly just in case Kaeya’s asleep inside. 

His sleeping pattern had changed drastically as well, from sleeping too little at night to spending almost all of his time sleeping.

This time he’s wide awake, busy writing in a black notebook. So absorbed in it that he didn’t even realise Albedo was walking into his room. 

Shutting the door behind him, he cleared his throat, snapping Kaeya out of his little bubble. The man let out a tiny yelp, his bed shaking due to his hard flinch. His face visibly relaxed as he recognised Albedo, placing a hand on his chest in an attempt to calm himself down. 

“Albedo, you scared me.” He exhaled, putting his book away. “What if I had a heart condition? You’re so mean.” He made his way to the bed, plopping on his usual spot on the bed right next to Kaeya. 

“You don’t have a heart condition.” He replied matter of factly. 

“What if I do?” 

“Then,” he pretended to think it over, “I’d just leave you here and never come back.” Albedo shrugged, trying to suppress his laughter when he saw Kaeya’s offended look.

“Have you taken your medicine yet?” He immediately spoke, putting an end to Kaeya’s pity party. Albedo knew that he had already taken his medicine—they had already texted each other about this, yet he asked again, just to make sure. 

Kaeya hummed, still pouting as he leaned on the headboard of his bed. “You just reminded me earlier, though. I didn’t forget, swear.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Eh, could be worse. I’m hanging on, not dying yet,” he answered nonchalantly, a stark contrast from his pessimistic answer. At times like this, Albedo strangely admired his aloof attitude. 

Their pleasant chatter was interrupted by a knock on the door, before it was opened by someone. He whipped his head around, finding a tall red-haired man standing in the doorway, wearing a cold look despite his baby face. His clothes are sophisticated, wearing designer brands from head to toe.

Albedo lifted himself from the bed on instinct, hands placed on his sides as he stared at the stranger. Kaeya only snickered, amused at the man’s stiff stance. They seem to be well acquainted—well, at least from Kaeya’s perspective. 

“Am I…interrupting something?” He rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Not at all, Diluc. Come in.” The name was familiar, he had heard Kaeya mention someone called Diluc on multiple occasions. When asked Kaeya would often describe him as annoying, lame and no fun. 

This...was certainly not the image he had in mind. 

Diluc walked in slowly, turning his head to Albedo. He greeted him with a short nod, before switching his attention back to Kaeya. 

“Maybe I should give the both of you some privacy?” Albedo shifted in his place, awkward. He was never that great at interacting with strangers, so withdrawing seemed like a good option for him. But Kaeya sulked at this, disapproval written all over his face. 

“Don’t leave me alone with this geezer, Albedo,” he spoke in a childish tone, clearly trying to get under Diluc’s skin—and it’s working very well. He furrowed his eyebrows together, pale skin turning red as he stared at Kaeya in anger. 

“I’m not a geezer, you asshole.” He retorted, getting significantly angrier at Kaeya’s loud giggle. 

“What’s that grandpa? Couldn’t hear you that well.” They went back and forth like that for a few moments, and Albedo just observed, fascinated. This was a side of Kaeya that he had never seen before, and it intrigued him. 

Kaeya glanced at Albedo, the mischievous look he knew way too well on his face. “Now, Diluc,” he widened his eyes, acting innocent. “You’re not going to lose your cool in front of Albedo now, won’t you? How embarrassing.” This made Diluc bite his tongue, sighing as he admitted his defeat silently. 

“I can never talk to you, brat.” He muttered the last part, scowling.

It seemed as if Diluc was also a quiet person, not bothered at all to interact with Albedo after the initial greeting. Though he was very loud around Kaeya, easily baited into his playful jokes. They were the polar opposite, even down to their physical appearance. He wondered how they got acquainted, to begin with. 

As if he could sense the stiffness between the both of them, Kaeya gestured a palm towards Albedo. “Before I forget, this is Albedo.”

He nodded, welcoming him once again. “Hello, Diluc.”

“And this is Diluc, my brother.” 

Brother —that caught Albedo off guard, and apparently he didn’t hide it well enough, seeing the large smile on Kaeya’s face.

He placed a hand on his chest, sighing dramatically. “I know what you’re thinking, Albedo. How could such a handsome, gorgeous young man like me have such an—”

“Anyways,” Diluc interrupted him, completely ignoring Kaeya’s over the top speech. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Albedo. I’ve heard...a lot about you.” He eyed the man on the bed, who was evidently displaying his distress over being ignored. 

Albedo raised an eyebrow at this. “Only good things, I hope.” It was his turn to eye Kaeya, curious at what has been said about him in their private conversations. 

“Oh, trust me . He would never shu—” The words came to a halt as Kaeya pressed a palm on Diluc’s mouth, a nervous chuckle coming out of him. Diluc murmured against the hands, easily prying them away from his face. 

“Anyways, dear Diluc ,” Kaeya held his wrist, annoyed. “Why did you come here today?” Diluc knitted his eyebrows together, confused. “You were the one who told me to come…” He replied slowly.

Shocked, he made a face. “I don’t recall doing that?” Albedo gritted his teeth, staring down at his shoes. 

“You literally texted me this morning, and twice yesterday.”

He pursed his lips. “I guess I forgot, huh?” he laughed, after a moment of silence. There was an unreadable look on Diluc’s face upon hearing that, his lips twisted into a small frown. “You seemed to forget a lot these days,” he hissed under his breath. 

Kaeya smirked as if he was challenging him. “Why? Scared that I’m going to forget about you, big brother?” His finger poked Diluc’s cheeks. 

This again. How Kaeya does it will always be beyond Albedo. How he could turn any serious conversations about him into something light-hearted as if they weren’t just talking about something that could potentially kill him. Kaeya wasn’t a fool—in fact, he was extremely intelligent, proven by his abilities to keep up with Albedo’s conversation. Then, why does he purposely act like one? Does he not realise how dire his state is at the moment?

“You’re impossible…” Diluc trailed off, rubbing his temples. “That, I am. Isn’t that right, Albedo?” He smiled brightly. Whatever emotion he had earlier, he ignored them. He couldn’t let Kaeya see them, that can wait for when he’s all by himself. 

He smiled back, hoping that it didn’t look too forced. 

Their conversation continued smoothly, it was mostly the brothers talking, while Albedo watched as they bantered back and forth with each other. He didn’t mind not speaking, it was amusing to see them interact, to see Kaeya act freely around Diluc. 

“I think I should go now,” Diluc said after checking his phone. He glanced at his watch, there was a good 20 minutes left before he had to go back to work. 

Perhaps I should leave as well.

When Diluc raised lifted himself from the seat, Albedo followed suit, deciding to go back to his own office early. They bid their goodbyes and exited the room together, but not before Kaeya decided to tease Diluc for a few more minutes.

On their way out not once did Diluc say anything to him. 

Closing the door behind him, he saw the other man stood still in his spot, arms crossed together, staring at the ceiling with brooding eyes. Not thinking much about it, Albedo waved at him meekly, before turning his body around. 

Not even a few steps later, a voice from behind called out for his name. He stopped in his tracks, surprised, not expecting Diluc to speak with him without Kaeya around. The man was still where he was, this time looking at Albedo with a straight face. 

“Albedo, could you spare some time?”

They found themselves at the cafeteria, choosing to sit somewhere a bit more hidden. Lunch hour is almost over, and there weren’t that many people around, already scurrying back to work. Albedo was left alone on the table, Diluc leaving to buy them drinks. 

He wanted to get them on his own, but Diluc insisted on treating him, despite his reluctance. “This is the least I can do,” was all he said, before making his way to the vending machine. 

Pulling out his phone, he went ahead and replied to his unread messages as he waited for their drinks to come. A metal sound clinking on the table caught his attention. Turning off his phone, he held the black can with both of his hands, looking up to meet Diluc’s face. 

Diluc had bought himself a bottle of grape juice which was set aside, untouched. The pair stared at each other. There was an awkward tension between them, both not knowing how to start their conversation. 

“I don’t want to take too much of your time, so I’ll try being quick.” He spoke first, nervously biting his bottom lips. “How’s Kaeya doing these days?” 

Albedo pressed his lips into a thin line. “He’s...holding on,” he said, fiddling with his fingers under the table. “He lost a lot of weight, huh?” A depressed chuckle escaped him. He had gotten used to concealing his shock every time he sees Kaeya’s increasingly thinning body, but Diluc, who might’ve never seen him that way, would definitely have a hard time digesting it. And judging by his wide-blown eyes, that’s probably what’s going through in his head. 

“He can’t walk that much anymore,” he paused, staring at his lap. “His memories...aren’t that good anymore. You’ve seen it yourself, haven’t you? That he couldn’t remember his actions anymore,” he said straightforwardly, no tremor in his voice. There was no way of sugarcoating the situation. 

“Today, he was actually doing well. On his bad days, he’d experience panic attacks, and his mood would switch like a rollercoaster.” Albedo leaned back onto the plastic chair. 

A low grunt could be heard from across him. 

Diluc slammed a fist on the table. “What the fuck happened to him,” he hissed, not bothered to watch his language anymore. Albedo sighed, closing his eyes. “He was a 70-kilogram man, how much weight did he lose to get that small?” That was what he wanted to know too. Kaeya used to be bigger, heavier than him—but now he looked feeble, like he could easily fit into any of Albedo’s clothes.

Diluc said nothing more, presumably trying to take in all of the information. 

“He talked about you a lot,” he changed the subject, making Albedo lift his head up. “It seemed like he’s taken a liking towards you.” 

“If you don’t mind, please keep looking out for him. I couldn’t be here with him all the time and for him to have you around keeps my mind at ease,” he sighed heavily. 

“Thank you, Albedo. Thanks for caring for him.” A genuine smile on his face as he said it. It was clear that Diluc genuinely loved Kaeya from the bottom of his heart, hidden under layers of harsh jokes and banter. 

Albedo smiled back, “No need to thank me, I wanted to do it anyway.” Diluc sighed again, looking out the window.

“He’s going to be fine, right?” He said, as if he was trying to reassure the both of them. 

“Of course he would be.” 

A lie. Deep down they both knew it was just a lie, yet somehow, it was easier to delude themselves just a little longer, rather than to accept what was about to come. 

Ignorance is bliss, after all.

From: Kaeya (6:39 p.m.)

[Albedoooo]

[Can you come tonight, please?]

From: Albedo

[Is 8:30 ok with you?]

From: Kaeya

[Yup]

[Can’t wait to meet you]

Albedo stared at his phone, chuckling to himself before pressing the button on the side, turning it off. He could feel Kaeya’s enthusiasm radiating even through text.

He was also curious about his request. They had met each other this afternoon, and yet he still wanted Albedo to come over again as if today wasn’t enough. 

Perhaps there was something important? 

A loud snicker made him snap his head up, furrowing his eyebrow as he saw Mona who was pressing a palm on her lips, stifling her laugh. 

“Who are you talking to?” She pointed a finger at his phone. 

“No one,” he squinted his eyes. “Don’t you have work to do instead of snooping in my private matters, Miss Mona?” She giggled at this, placing a few documents on his desk. “I’ll get back to it, Mr. Albedo,” Her heels clacked against the floor as she walked towards the door. 

“Have fun with your darling!” she teased, waving her hands. 

Albedo froze, heat spreading from his cheeks all the way to his neck. “He’s not…” he trailed off, words dying in his throat. Mona had long left his sight, and retaliating would be no use. 

Sighing, he stared at the documents on his table. Picking them up, he flipped through them before looking back at his laptop screen. His work won’t finish themselves, and he had a lot to do before 8:30 p.m.

Approximately an hour and 45 minutes later, he was already out of the office and currently on his way to Kaeya’s room. Following the familiar route, he noticed that he became more and more excited to visit Kaeya as time went on, and today was no different. 

He stood in front of the door labelled 3011, opening the door after knocking two times. He grinned at the man sitting on the bed, a sight that he was so used to that it’s practically engraved into his brain. 

“Kaeya.” He greeted him.

“Albedo.” The other replied.

He sat on his usual spot, on the bed, beside Kaeya with his legs crossed together. “Why did you call me here again? Did you miss me?” He teased. Albedo was convinced that Kaeya’s mischievous nature has slowly influenced him, a result of spending too much time around him.

“And if I said that I did miss you?” Albedo rolled his eyes. “But, I guess that’s not why I called you here.”

“Okay…” he hummed, tapping his fingers on the mattress. “Then why did you call me here?”

Kaeya clasped his hands together, looking very similar to Klee whenever she wanted to ask for something from him. “Wanna go to the rooftop together?” Albedo looked at him, intrigued.

“And how exactly are we going to go there?” he said rather straightforwardly. 

He snapped his fingers together near Albedo’s face, causing him to jump slightly. “You can help carry me there.” Eyeing him, he retorted. “Kaeya, you are a head taller than me. I’m not carrying you.” 

A whine escaped his lips, “I probably weigh less than you now anyways, it’s probably not that hard.” He breathes in sharply, taken off guard at how casually Kaeya mentioned that fact. “You have a wheelchair, right? Let’s just use that.” His fingers pointed at the folded chair in the corner of the room, keeping a neutral tone as he tried to calm his pounding heart. 

“But you have to push me alright?” He snickered, putting on his slippers. Albedo stood up, unfolding the wheelchair and pushed it near the bed, positioning it so Kaeya could sit on it easily. When he was helping Kaeya, he noticed how light the other man had become, Albedo lifting him onto the chair almost effortlessly. 

He didn’t say a word about it—more like he didn’t want to. 

“Should we go now?” He gripped the handles, waiting for a response from Kaeya. With a nod, they immediately headed out to the rooftop.

“I haven’t been out in so long,” he stretched his arms, careful to not hit Albedo in the face. 

“Are you that happy to go outside?” He nodded once, spinning his head around to meet Albedo’s face. 

“I’ve never been out with you alone before, so I’m really excited.” He admitted, with an almost childlike innocence. Honest—he was being honest with Albedo, and that made his face warm up. 

“I'm excited too,” he stuttered slightly, directing his gaze somewhere else so Kaeya couldn’t see the expression he had on at that moment. He was pretty sure Kaeya caught a glimpse of it though, judging by the tiny laugh he let out after facing forward again, but even if he did notice Albedo’s pink cheeks, he didn’t say a thing. 

The cool breeze caressed his cheeks, reminding him of that night all those months ago—the night he saw Kaeya. 

And now he’s with him, together. 

“It’s so pretty up here,” Kaeya spoke softly as Albedo pushed him near the railing to allow him to see the cityscape better. It was just as Kaeya said, the view was stunning, taking his breath, again and again, no matter how used he got to it. 

Albedo leaned against the metal rails, admiring the City of Freedom for the umpteenth time. “So,” he didn’t bother to look at the man behind him while he was speaking. “Why did you bring me up here?” He was pretty sure Kaeya didn’t bring him all the way up here just to look at the view, so there must be a reason for this. 

“Well,” he murmured, pausing to think. “I just want to talk, maybe.” Ever since they left his room, Kaeya’s been oddly quiet. He wasn’t cracking any jokes or teasing Albedo. Instead, he was silent, speaking only in hushed tones, different from his normal cheery voice. 

From the corner of his eyes, he could see that Kaeya was shivering, squeezing his hands between his thighs to make them warmer. In an instant, Albedo took off his coat, passing them to Kaeya, who looked at him with confusion written all over his face. 

“You’re shivering. Wear this, can’t have you catching a cold now.” The explanation made him laugh as he graciously took the white coat in his hands. “What a gentleman you are.” Albedo coughed, suddenly feeling bashful. 

The coat fit him perfectly, if not slightly looser. It served as a reality check for Albedo—Kaeya is so small now. He knew of this, yet it never failed to wrench his heart, no matter how much he looked at it. 

Sighing, he sat next to the wheelchair, knees brought to his chest. “You said you wanted to talk, didn't you? Then, let’s talk.” He had a feeling Kaeya was not telling him something, so he decided to play along. Plus, talking isn’t that taxing with him—he actually enjoys conversing with Kaeya. 

“I wish I could see the lights clearly,” he suddenly spoke, pulling Albedo from his trance. 

“You can’t see them now?” Denying it, Kaeya shook his head. “I can, just not as clear as they used to be,” he turned to meet Albedo’s eyes. 

“Like that one night when you were ogling at me.” He choked on air, repetitively hitting his chest as Kaeya held on to his stomach, laughing hard at his reaction. 

“Y-You noticed me?” This was shocking to him, he was sure that he wasn’t being that obvious. And Kaeya looked like he didn’t even notice that he was there. 

Gasping, he wiped the tears under his eyes. “You were practically staring holes into me, Albedo. How can I not notice you there?”

“I thought you had fallen in love with me back then,” Albedo stared at him in disbelief, his jaw on the floor after hearing the ridiculous words coming out of Kaeya’s mouth.

“I should’ve never associated myself with you,” he joked. 

Kaeya, feigning a hurt expression, he whined, disappointed. “You didn’t fall in love with me? What a shame..”

“Then,” Albedo quirked an eyebrow. “Did we meet at that vending machine because you were stalking me?” He shot back, scooting away from the chair. Taken aback, Kaeya waved his palms rapidly, denying the statement. “Nope. That was just a simple coincidence. You were near my room, remember?” 

Albedo giggled, feeling himself relax a bit. He was just teasing him. Who knew it would elicit such a reaction.

 “To think that I would be spending most of my time with the odd man I found on the rooftop. What a turn of events.” 

Fate—to him, is a very strange thing. How bizarre it is that Albedo would be friends with him, with a stranger that slightly interested him, who has now turned into one of his most treasured relationships. Fate had let them meet each other, and he couldn’t possibly ask for more. 

“Indeed it is,” Kaeya trailed off, smiling to himself.

“Why did you come here that night?” 

“I was just...thinking. Couldn’t really sleep well that night.” 

Smiling, he stretched his hands up to the sky. “We should come here again, with Klee.” He could already imagine how excited she would be to be able to meet her beloved Kaeya, the thought making his chest warm. 

“Albedo…” He looked up at the mention of his name, tensing up at Kaeya’s guilt-filled eyes. It was a look that he didn’t expect—not what he wanted to see. Gulping, he stayed silent, letting the other man continue instead. 

Kaeya’s face looked serene, a huge contrast from Albedo’s nervous behaviour. Pursing his lips, he scratched the spot just below his eyes. “I don’t think I can meet her anymore.” This made Albedo freeze in his spot, the words repeating in his head over and over again. He laughed, trying to make light of the situation just like he always would. But it won’t work—Albedo won’t brush it off, not this time. 

“Kaeya,” with shaky breaths, he continued. “What do you mean by that?” Anxious, he was most definitely anxious, clenching his fists until they turned white just to ground himself. The pleasant air around them grew tense instantly. Each minute he sat in wait felt like an eternity to him, not even for a second he tore his eyes away from Kaeya.

The man looked to the front instead, ignoring Albedo’s penetrating gaze monitoring his every move. Inhaling, Kaeya tried to compose himself, hiding his shaky hands away from view. 

“...Terminal.” 

He spoke in such a quiet voice that Albedo couldn’t quite catch it.

“What?”

“My cancer...is terminal.” A pause.

A hefty exhale escaped him. “I don’t have that much time left.” 

If a pin had dropped at that moment, then surely it could be heard echoing throughout the space. 

“If that was a joke then it’s not funny.” 

The silence that came after made his stomach twist.

“You’re joking, right ?” That took him everything he had left in his body to even utter the sentence, his mind was too blank for him to even think straight. 

A lie. It had to be a lie.

His hands started to shake, as his thoughts ran for miles a minute.

Please tell me that it’s a lie, just another prank of yours because you wanted to see how I would’ve reacted. Please lie to me, so I could walk out today angry, and come back tomorrow knowing that you won’t leave me all alone. I beg you. 

No answer.  

His head hung low, as he felt his body weaken almost in an instant. If he was standing, he would’ve surely plopped to the ground due to shock.

How desperately he wanted to look at Kaeya’s face at this moment, to stand and grip the other man’s face. To make him say it was a lie even if he had to use force—yet he was too scared to do so—scared of the emotions that might haunt him if he lifted his head up.

Like a coward, he wanted to stay in their eternal bliss. 

“When did you find out?” His voice sounded hoarse as he spoke.

“Today.” He replied curtly, no sign of fright nor tremor in his voice at all. Albedo wanted to laugh at this, at how unbelievably calm Kaeya is with the whole situation.

“How...long?”

“...A month and a half maximum.” 

He wanted to scream, to cry, to hold Kaeya—and yet he couldn’t do any of these things, it was as if he was the one dead—sitting still, lifelessly staring at the cemented floor.

“You’re…you’re dying.” Albedo spat out bitterly, trying to gouge a response from Kaeya. Even a simple yes could ease the feeling in his chest. 

But none ever came his way.

Shortly after this, Albedo sent him back to his room without a word, unbearable silence accompanying their way back instead of their normal conversations. 

The room was dark, just as they had left them an hour ago. Without exchanging any words, he helped Kaeya get ready to sleep—which he had done a handful of times.

Tucking him into bed, Albedo heaved a heavy sigh. His eyes caught a glimpse of Kaeya’s skinny hand and he grabbed it on impulse, lacing them together with his own. Feeling the cold sensation in his grip, his eyes largened, surprised at his unexpected action. 

Kaeya sucked in a breath, weakly squeezing the hand he was grabbing. “You don’t have to come here anymore, y’know.” He was the first one to speak between the both of them. 

“I understand if you don’t want to come anymore.” Despite saying that, he was still holding on to Albedo’s palm tightly as if his life depended on it. 

Albedo scoffed, “I told you I was going to come here every day, and I don’t intend on breaking that promise.” He closed his eyes, holding back another sigh. He found it harder and harder to breathe each passing minute.

He blinked. “So, I’ll be seeing you tomorrow?” 

“You will be seeing me tomorrow.” He repeated.

The sound of soft laughter from Kaeya made him open his eyes, revealing the man who was smiling brightly in front of him.

Pretty. He looked so pretty when he smiled. 

“I’m glad to hear that, Albedo.” He turned away, avoiding Kaeya’s eyes. 

He slipped out of the room when Kaeya was finally asleep like he usually would. Before leaving, he made sure to cover him properly, sweeping his bangs away from his eyes, careful not to wake him up. 

Closing the door, he turned his back against it, wanting to head back to his office. But instead, he fell on the floor with a thud, his shaky legs giving out after not even two steps. 

Leaning his head on the wooden door, he fluttered his eyes shut, fatigued. It felt as if all of his limbs had been worked to the max. They were trembling in vigour, even more than when he was on the rooftop. 

Kaeya is dying , that was the only thought echoing in his brain.

He didn’t want to believe it—he wanted to shove it all into the deepest part of his head, to forget about it just like what he was used to. Just like how he would always turn a blind eye on Kaeya’s symptoms and act like they were ok. 

But they weren’t ok. He wasn’t okay.

It was the truth, the truth he could have chosen to turn his back on, but yet was undoubtedly the reality. And denial doesn’t do any good to anyone, so he was forced to believe, to be reminded of it. Every time he looked at Kaeya, he would have to be reminded that he was slowly withering away, every passing second

How would he explain this to Klee? She had reacted terribly to not being able to meet him for what he thought was a short while. How would she have reacted if he had told her that she can never meet him again? That there was no longer someone to write a letter to, and there was no longer someone who was going to send back a reply?

And what about Diluc? Has Kaeya told him about any of this? Judging from the other day, he wouldn’t have known, considering the fact that he didn’t even have a clue of what was going on with his brother. How would he react when he eventually finds out? 

The situation frustrates him. It was unfair, Kaeya didn’t deserve this, he had a whole life ahead of him but yet that would all turn into dust when he finally succumbed to his disease. 

Fate—to him, is also such a cruel thing.

Surprisingly, after that night, things resumed as usual between them.

Sure, it was a little awkward when they met each other again, especially for Albedo, whose shock hasn’t worn off quite yet. His palms were sweaty when he opened the door, even though he stood in front of it for almost ten minutes, hesitating. 

Eventually, he did enter the room, trying his best to avert the other’s gaze. They did converse, but it was mostly Kaeya, while Albedo would answer with sounds or a few words. He was obviously still feeling weird, not directed towards Kaeya, but more so towards himself. 

Had he said something out of line yesterday? Emotions rarely got the best of him, so his behaviour yesterday certainly left him appalled with himself. It was mostly his own worries, he didn’t want Kaeya to think that he was scared of him. 

“I...How are you feeling?” Albedo said quietly, not wanting him to have the wrong idea. He still truly cared for him and didn’t want Kaeya to think that he was scared. 

It was the first time he had initiated a conversation the whole time he was there, and Kaeya beamed at this. 

“I’m doing fine, Albedo.” He answered, overly enthusiastic. 

With the help of Kaeya’s playful provocations and jokes, he started to slowly open up again, slowly starting to answer in full sentences and he even bantered back, as they quickly warmed up to each other again. 

He felt at peace like this, chatting with Kaeya, who had a huge grin on his face the whole time he was speaking. Laughing along, he could feel himself relaxing as well, comfortable enough to actually lie down on the bed as he stared at the white ceiling. 

It wasn’t a tight fit, the bed was just right for the both of them, save for their shoulders occasionally touching each other. Intimate, this is what the moment felt like to him.

If they could stay like this forever, it would be nice.

“Kaeya.”

“Hm?” 

“How are you so happy, even now?” The question came out of nowhere, he didn’t even pause to think about it. He winced, realising what had come out of his mouth. Although, there wasn’t an ounce of regret in him, as he turned around to look at the man beside him.

“Well,” Kaeya threaded their fingers together on instinct, seeing as they had done this so many times it had become his second nature. His hands felt even frailer in Albedo’s grasp. If he had squeezed them hard enough, surely they would break. 

“Who would be happy to find out they’re dying,” he laughed light-heartedly. This was also one of the things Albedo had gotten used to, his abnormal composure every time he spoke of his illness. Of course, he still didn’t understand it, but perhaps it was Kaeya’s way of coping.

With a weary smile, he spoke softer this time, weakly rubbing the back of Albedo’s hands with his thumb. “I think this is just a reminder for me to live life as fully as possible, so I won't have any regrets when I die.” For a split second, he could see the melancholy in his eyes, before he turned away to look at the window. 

Kaeya groaned.  “Ugh, I miss being able to see.” He rubbed his eyes as if doing so would make his vision clearer. 

“Well, do you have anything that you want to see up close? Maybe I can help.” Albedo offered. 

“There are so many…” 

“I want to see the sunset,” he pointed at the sun that was burning bright red outside the window. “I want to see Klee…” The longing in his voice was evident, as he turned around to look at the drawings on the wall. “Her drawings just look like jumbled colours from here. Art should be appreciated, you know.” 

Albedo pursed his lips at this. “Well, is there anything else you want to see?” 

“You.” 

He choked on his own spit, face flushing red. He searched his face, trying to find any semblance of mischief. 

There wasn’t any. Sincerity was radiating from his eyes, making his neck burn. 

“Why...me?” Albedo managed to say, staring straight at him. His heart was thumping violently in his chest, suddenly being aware of how close they were. 

As if he could hear Albedo’s rapid heartbeat, Kaeya pulled his face back a few inches, a wide grin on his face. “I like seeing your face, that’s all.”

“You’re pretty, especially when you smile.” To him, it had sounded like a flirting attempt, but Kaeya’s face said otherwise, such a pure looking expression on his face when he complimented Albedo. 

He opened his mouth, trying to find words in his jumbled mess of a brain. What only came out was a tiny “...You too,” before he promptly looked away, embarrassed. No answer ever came his way. Curious, he twisted his body slightly, peeking at Kaeya. 

Albedo didn’t know if it was the red glow from the sun outside, but he definitely saw a hint of red resting on Kaeya’s cheeks.

“Well,” he stumbled with his words, flustered. “I want coffee now, do you want anything?” He leaned his body towards the floor, softly pulling his hand from Kaeya’s. Realising that their hands were intertwined all this time made him blush a brighter red—if that was even possible. 

A rather forceful tug held him back to the bed. Surprised, he spun his head around, just to find Kaeya with an eerily calm expression on his face. Albedo wondered where he got his strength from, seeing as these days he can barely hold a pen normally when he was writing his reply letters to Klee.

 “...Kaeya?”

He looked at Albedo dead in the eyes, lips parting and shutting as if he was struggling to speak. Tilting his head, he tried pulling his hand one more time, and Kaeya pulled them back again, still not saying anything. 

“I…” he paused, trying to collect himself. Obviously, he had more to say, so Albedo didn’t interrupt him, staying in his spot. 

A burst of sudden booming laughter broke the tension between them. “You look so serious, I was just going to ask for strawberry milk.” Albedo narrowed his eyes, glaring at him. It was probably just Kaeya’s mood swings again.

“Well, now I’m going to buy you strawberry milk.” He pulled away, a little harsher this time, before putting on his shoes and grabbing his phone on the bedside table. Kaeya waved at him, eyes closed as he smiled. It made his chest ache, for reasons he can’t quite understand. 

“Don’t close the door when you leave.”

“Why not?” 

That same odd smile made its way back onto Kaeya’s face. “No reason.” 

As he exited, he can’t help but feel the tiniest hit of regret residing in the pit of his stomach.

The sky outside almost turned completely dark when Albedo was walking back to the room. 

Somehow at that moment, he didn’t feel the need to rush, setting a rather leisure pace for himself. It was rather chilly, if he wasn’t holding drinks in both of his hands, surely they would be buried deep into his coat pocket. 

He wondered if Kaeya felt cold too, sitting all alone in his room.  

As he approached the ward, he noticed that there was a racket going on right ahead, the noises getting louder and louder with every step he took. He halted, sensing that something wrong had happened. 

At first, he brushed it off, thinking of it as another emergency case. After all, it was the hospital. But he still couldn’t get rid of the bad feeling in his guts. It was like deja vu as if he had experienced it before. 

Commotion...it was like...

Kaeya. 

Gasping, he ran with all his might, squeezing past people who all gave him dirty looks. But he couldn’t give a shit. It felt like his nerves were on fire, and in less than a minute he was dashing through the hallway of Kaeya’s room, almost making it there. 

At that moment, he wished he had never left the room, to begin with. 

From the open door, he stood lifelessly, the drinks in his hands dropped on the floor with a clink. Kaeya was in there, surrounded by medical staff as his body spasmed violently on the bed.  

It was like a whiplash. How ridiculous it is, for him to still have his hopes up when he knew damn well everything was going downhill ever since day one. It was laughable, it was so pathetic.

It was hurting him. 

As if a spell had been cast on him, he couldn’t move, couldn’t talk—only observing from afar. 

For fucks sake, move your body Albedo ... He exhaled shakily. 

But his body wouldn’t listen, as it forced him to stare at Kaeya’s convulsing body, showing no signs of stopping just yet. It was like torture, he wanted to tear his eyes away, but he couldn’t. They were drawn to it. 

The vibration in his pockets caused him to jolt, freeing him from his immobility. With trembling hands he reached to grab his phone, Diluc’s contact name displayed brightly on the screen. Gulping, he pressed the answer button, trying to make himself sound as calm as possible.

“Albedo.” The voice on the other side greeted him.

His mouth was open, yet nothing came out, no matter how hard he tried to speak. 

Say something.

“...Are you there?”

Taking a deep breath, he croaked out. “...Kaeya.” His voice was anything but calm. In fact, it sounded like he had been crying, even though he hadn’t spilt any tears. 

Rustling sounds could be heard from the other side. “What happened to him?” He asked with a harsh tone, impatient. Albedo only answered with a shaky sigh, and that was enough for Diluc to get a hold of the situation. 

With a panic-stricken voice, he said, “I’m nearby so I’ll be right there soon.” 

After Diluc hung up, he kept staring at the black screen of his phone, not daring to look up. Using what strength he had left in his body, he shuffled towards the seat just outside of Kaeya’s room, feeling his knees getting weak. 

Moments later, he could hear frantic footsteps, loud enough to echo throughout the halls. He knew who it was, but he didn’t bother to look up, eyes glued onto his shoes. 

“Albedo,” a familiar voice spoke, panting as if they had run a mile coming here. He didn’t react, gaze still locked to the floor. 

But Diluc couldn’t care less about his reply, bombarding him with questions over and over again. “Is he in there? What the hell is—” 

“Diluc.” 

The man fell silent at Albedo’s static voice. 

“Kaeya’s…” He finally looked up, regretting it when he saw fat tears rolling down his rosy cheeks. Clenching his jaw, he forcibly looked away, not wanting to see what expression Diluc would wear when he broke the news to him. 

“He doesn’t have that much...time left,” he muttered in the last part, trying to reveal it as gently as he could to him. 

He wondered if this is how Kaeya had felt when they were at the rooftop. Was he afraid of Albedo too? Is that the reason why he refused to speak or look at him? 

Soon after, he could hear two consecutive thuds on the ground in front of him. Turning his head around, Diluc was sobbing to himself in complete silence, tears falling faster than they did earlier. His face was buried in his palms, body shaking violently as he kneeled in front of Albedo. 

Albedo rushed to his side on instinct, patting his back as Diluc choked on his own tears. He was hiccuping, becoming more and more vocal as he wept, even up to the point of catching the eyes of the nurses who were passing by. 

“Why...him.” He whispered in between sobs. 

“It wasn’t even long since we made up and he—” Unable to complete his own sentence, he continued to weep, Albedo looked away, feeling too overwhelmed. 

“This is so unfair.” 

“It is...It is unfair.” He cursed himself for sounding void of emotions, the material of Diluc’s shirt crumpling under his touch. 

“Because fate...is so unfair to us.”

The room felt cold as he walked into it. If he was none the wiser, he would’ve guessed that the occupant of the room was long gone, leaving traces of what was left of their existence behind. 

Except the room does have an occupant, laying on the bed motionless as he slept, no signs of him waking up soon.

No matter how many times he came here, he could never get used to it, even after weeks of seeing the same sight. 

He silently stepped near the bed, placing another envelope on top of the already huge pile of envelopes on the bedside table, unopened and unread. He tried to not let it get to him, turning around to focus on the man who was deep in his slumber. 

“Kaeya, how are you today?” He smiled to himself. Of course, no reply came, he didn’t even expect one, long given up on hearing a reply he desperately craved for. The silence was unnerving, but he had learnt how to deal with it. 

It has been three weeks since Albedo had last heard Kaeya speak to him. For three weeks he laid on his bed, in comatose after his seizure episode. 

And for three weeks straight, Albedo had come every day to visit him, as usual—still upholding his promise towards Kaeya. 

The first week was completely soul-crushing, as Albedo sat there for what it felt like hours on end, concentrating on his breathing, wishing—hoping that Kaeya’s eyes would flutter open. 

Of course, they never did. 

Diluc, on the other hand, stopped visiting right after that day. 

After speaking to the doctors alone, he left without saying anything, a rather blank expression on his face as he walked past Albedo, completely ignoring him. He didn’t take it to heart, it was obvious that he was still trying to take it all in. He knew of this because he was once just like Diluc.

Though, he would message Albedo once a fortnight, the same question every time. 

Is he alive?

It was a rather straightforward question, borderline rude—even for Albedo’s standards, but he knew that Diluc didn’t have any other way to say it to him. It was useless to sugarcoat the situation now. 

Sighing, he stared at the wall of drawings instead, pursing his lips at the fact that some of them had already started to detach from the wall. “Look at how unkempt your room looks, wake up already and clean it.” He made his way to the other side of the room, reorganising the papers on the wall. 

The only reply he received was the soft sound of Kaeya breathing. 

Looking around once more, Albedo made sure to tuck him in, brushing his bangs away from his eyes, before dragging his warm hands onto Kaeya’s cold cheeks. 

“You’re so insufferable.” He whispered, rubbing his face with a thumb.

No reply.

The sun was shining brightly outside, illuminating the room. The weather outside must’ve been warm, but yet somehow the warmth never quite reached them. 

Albedo was there again, silently sitting as he stared at Kaeya, no particular thought in mind. It was quiet like it usually was. Nothing has changed, the letters were still piling on the bedside table and Kaeya was still laying in the same position, just like last week and the weeks before it—as if time stopped completely. 

It would be a lie to say that he had gotten used to the quietness. He just learnt how to tolerate it, but deep down he missed it—he missed Kaeya.

Kaeya’s chest rising and falling was the only indication that he was still alive. Otherwise, he looked as if he was devoid of life, like the living dead. Albedo wasn’t too sure what to feel about that. 

Is this what a dying person looks like?

He leaned back on the chair, closing his eyes, trying to rid himself of the thought. He knew that Kaeya was bound to leave sooner or later, but he still didn’t like thinking about it, the idea suffocating him.

He knew that he had already given up, but if he could see him once again—he wouldn’t ask for anything more. 

As he lifted himself from the chair, his ears caught the tiniest sound of a whimper. It should’ve been inaudible in a normal setting, but that was just how quiet the room is. With widened eyes, Albedo came closer to the bed, mouth open agape. 

Slowly, the man’s eyes opened, flickering as he tried to adjust to the lighting. They weren’t completely open though, causing him to look groggy as he finally woke from his four-week slumber. 

Albedo froze in his spot, disbelief written all over his face. It was as if he was dreamin. If he was, then it’s a dream he didn’t want to wake up from. Pinching himself on the cheeks, he made sure that he was still conscious, and was not dozing off somewhere.

It was real. Kaeya was awake. 

“...Albedo?” He croaked out, displaying the smile that he missed the most. It took him a second to reply with a nod, too awed. Words were jumbled in his brain as he stared at Kaeya. 

He was too weak to look around, so he turned his head to look at Albedo. “What are you doing here?”

“I...was waiting for you.” He decided to not disclose the information to Kaeya yet, not wanting to make him panic. The man smiled softly at this, raising his trembling hands, his eyes staring directly at Albedo’s hands in his lap.

Seeing this, he grabbed onto it and held them in his, just like they always would. 

“We have to go and meet with Klee, don’t we?” Albedo pursed his lips. Not speaking to Kaeya for a long time almost made him forget that he would often get confused sometimes, his memories disarranged again. 

“But I’m so sleepy,” his eyes were starting to close again, but his smile never faded despite his weary appearance. 

“Are you going to sleep?” 

He answered with a weak nod of the head. “For a bit. I hope I dream of you.” The ache in his chest grew stronger as Kaeya said that.

Both of them remained speechless, so many unspoken words hanging in the air. Albedo brushed the back of Kaeya’s palm with his thumb, just like how he used to do it to him. 

“Albedo.” he broke the silence with a whisper.

“Yes?”

“You’re staying until I fall asleep right?” 

With a forced smile, he replied. “Of course.” There was a heavy feeling residing in his stomach, but he hid it, not wanting to show it to Kaeya.

“You’ll be here tomorrow, right?”  

Albedo placed a hand on his cheeks, stroking it. “I promised you didn’t I? I’ll be here every day, anytime.” 

“I’m glad…that you’re here...” His words were slurred, his eyelids heavy as he tried to keep them open. 

Finally, he gave in, eyes shutting completely as he fell back into slumber. 

The rise and fall of his chest finally came to an end, as his hands fell from Albedo’s grip, plopping back onto the bed.

His eyes moved towards Kaeya’s face, illuminated by the sunlight as he smiled in his sleep. It looked like he was just simply taking an afternoon nap while basking in the warm summer sun. He looked at peace.

He thought he was prepared for this day, but he was severely wrong.

Kaeya Alberich was dead. 

A painful sob was forced out of his throat, his body finally allowing him to shed tears after holding it back for so long. He struggled to grab the lifeless arm once again, squeezing it, praying desperately to the gods above that somehow his touch would be reciprocated. 

It didn’t, of course. 

He choked out another sob as he felt his throat tightening up. He knew it would happen soon, but the feeling was so surreal that no words could describe it, as if his heart was ripped from him, getting stomped into pieces as he was forced to watch it rot in front of his eyes. 

Like slow, painful torture. 

“Kaeya, you promised Klee, didn't you?” He shook his body as if it would wake him up. “...Please, wake up,” he whimpered, grabbing a handful of Kaeya’s shirt material.

There was no reply.

So he hung on to the body as he wept, revelling himself in what little life Kaeya still had in his body. Because this was the last time Albedo would ever see him again before he would be taken away from him, forever. 

I wanted to say so many things to you.

I wanted to do so many things with you. 

So wake up, goddamnit. Because I don’t know what the hell I would do when you’re not here. 

He parted his mouth to speak, but the words were stuck in his throat, only pathetic whines could be heard echoing in the empty room.

The last time Albedo saw him, he thought that he looked warm. 

And that was the first and last time he could feel the warmth emanating from Kaeya’s body.

“Albedo?” 

Flinching, the mention of his name brought him back to reality. Still in a daze, he looked around him, forgetting where he was. He sighed lowly when he realised that he was in his room, the curtains drawn close to block the outside light from coming in. 

“...Sorry, Diluc. What were you saying?” He finally answered.

Diluc also went silent, before promptly continuing what they were going to say. “Is it okay...if we meet at the hospital today? I need to pass you something.” There was a heavy sigh that followed after, he sounded like he was exhausted, just like himself. 

“Sure.” 

“Is the cafeteria fine with you?”

“Yeah.” 

“I’ll see you in 30 then.” Diluc hung up, and the phone in his hands dropped slowly onto the plush bed, as he mindlessly stared at his grey walls. The thought of going to the hospital tied a large knot in his stomach, but he still had to go.

Because if not now, then when?

Stepping out of the bed, he grabbed a brown jacket that was hanging on his chair, carefully putting it on himself. Grabbing his car keys, he exited the house, carrying with him no particular emotion.

The smell of medicine attacked his nose as he stepped into the hospital, overwhelming him. It hadn’t even been that long since he last stepped into the cold building, and yet it felt so unfamiliar to him.

He glanced at his watch. There were at least 20 more minutes left before the promised meeting time, so he had quite some time to kill. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he turned his back on the way to the cafeteria, walking towards the lift instead. 

Technically, he wasn’t supposed to be here—he was on a leave, something that shocked Mona and Sucrose when they heard about it. There were many questions they had about it, but it was never verbally said when they saw the static look on Albedo’s face. 

It was hard for him to work. It was hard for him to act like he was fine, to smile and straighten his back and act like there wasn’t a fucking storm in the place where his heart is supposed to be. 

He was in pieces. 

Exiting the lift, he could feel his heart pumping faster as he reached closer and closer to his destination. 

Every step he took felt heavier and heavier, as he walked in the familiar hallway, looking straight ahead. He didn’t feel welcomed there, it was different now.

3007, 3008, 3009, 3010…

He stopped as his eyes landed on the door labelled 3011. It was closed shut, the nameplate he used to see every time he went long gone—the door looked plain now, presumably mirroring the inside of the room. 

Hesitant, he opened the door slowly, anxiously chewing his lower lips. 

The room was empty and grey, everything in the room organised in such a manner that it seemed like it was never touched before. 

Anger bubbled in him as he looked at the state of the room. All the memories they made, the very existence of Kaeya in the room, it was all erased from it. Even the walls were clean now. Klee’s drawings, which used to fill up the space were nowhere to be seen. 

The room looked hauntingly sad. 

His eyes drifted to the bed, smooth and free of wrinkles. He sucked in a sharp breath. He still remembered—he still could see the figure of Kaeya sitting on it, writing a reply to Klee with his trembling hands. A huge smile on his face as he wrote to her about his mundane hospital life. 

It was a weird feeling. As if a part of his life was robbed away from him. These familiar halls, the familiar faces he would see whenever he came by, would all fade from his mind and he would soon forget all of them. 

Even room 3011—the now barely recognisable room, the place that he spent most of his days at, would soon cease to exist in his memories someday. 

Would Kaeya also turn into a stranger to him? 

“I know you’d be here.” 

Albedo turned around quickly, seeing the face of the man he was supposed to meet ages ago leaning against the doorframe, watching him.  

He coughed, feeling guilty. “Sorry...I lost track of time.” 

Diluc shook his head. “It’s fine, I came straight here anyways.” He peeked outside for a moment. 

“Let’s have a chat outside.” Albedo nodded, taking one last glance at the room before following behind Diluc’s back. 

Closing the door behind him, he stood still, looking down at Diluc who was sitting on the waiting chairs. It reminded him of the time he was comforting Diluc. 

“So, how have you been?” Albedo asked. 

“Fine.” They both knew it was a lie. 

“That’s good to hear.” He turned to look at the man sitting on the chair. 

“Why did you ask me to come here?” 

Silently, Diluc pulled out a large white envelope. It was thick, surely there must’ve been a lot of items stuffed in it. Confused, he tilted his head. 

“Those are the drawings on the wall,” he paused, lacing his hands together. “I figured that he wouldn’t want me to throw it away, so I’m handing them over to you instead.” 

Upon hearing that, the item suddenly felt heavy in his hands. “Is that...all?” 

“There’s one more thing.” Diluc searched in his jacket pocket for a minute, pulling out a strawberry Pocky box. “I found this in his drawer, there were some things in them. I haven’t looked yet.” 

The box was opened, lighter than the usual Pocky box. Shaking it, he could hear a few items rattling in it. He turned it around, exhaling shakily as he read the sticky note pasted onto it. 

For Klee!!!

So he did remember the promise he made to her months ago. 

He didn’t dare to open the box, hands trembling as he placed it in his own pockets, careful not to damage it. 

“Is that all?” He wanted to leave now. The hospital felt so unwelcoming to him. 

Diluc nodded, probably feeling the same. His mouth parted open as if he had more to say, but immediately closed back up again. 

They shared a moment of heavy silence. There was nothing left here, nothing left to say. 

“You’re not coming to the funeral, huh?”

With a shake of the head, he responded. “I’d rather remember him dying in his bed rather than in a suit...inside of a casket.” His voice was monotonous, like he was numb. Diluc didn’t say anything else, understanding the feeling very well. 

“Plus, I think he would hate it. Being mourned like that, I mean.” He joked, in an attempt to brighten the mood. 

The corners of Diluc’s mouth twitched upwards, as his vision began to blur with tears.

“You’re right. He would.”

After leaving the hospital, he didn’t head straight back home. Instead, he chose to drive himself around, with no particular destination in mind. 

The car ride was silent. Somehow he had gotten used to it. Sometimes even finding himself being comforted by silence. 

Or perhaps it was because Kaeya was no longer there to fill in the empty spaces.  

Without noticing it, he found himself in a neighbourhood he knew all too well. His family house was nearby, just a couple blocks away from where he is now. 

It’s been a while since he visited, only seeing Klee when it’s time for her checkups. He would often avoid topics surrounding Kaeya, always telling her that he’s doing alright. There was no doubt that she would surely ask him about Kaeya later, and he still didn’t know how to break the news to her. 

The sky was dark when he parked his car on the driveway. Turning off the engine of the car, he sighed, lightly banging his head on the steering wheel. With a deep breath, he stepped outside the car, making his way to the door and unlocking it with a key of his own. 

“Papa?” A small voice said as he opened the door. He could hear the pitter-patter of footsteps against the wooden floor, promptly smiling to himself. 

A loud gasp could be heard as Klee saw the person in front of the door, her eyes blown wide in excitement. “Albedo!” She ran to tackle him. If Albedo wasn’t backed against the door, then surely they would both stumble on the ground. 

“You’re home!” She hugged his leg. 

“I’m home.” He rubbed her head while looking around the empty first floor. 

“Klee, where’s Alice?”

“Mama’s having a meeting upstairs, while Papa’s not back from his business trip yet. He’s busy right now.” Her parents were always busy, even back when he was still a kid. So he was unfazed by this, already used to it. 

“Are you going to sleep over?” She asked, holding his hands. Albedo gave her a small smile, “I haven’t done that in a while...maybe I will.” Klee physically beamed at that, jumping around in her place as she celebrated. 

“Klee...don’t overdo it,” he warned, making her smile sheepishly. “Well, can we play now, Albedo?” Clenching his hands, she pulled him towards her room without even waiting for his response. Was she always this energetic? Or was it him that didn’t spend as much time with her as he used to?

Entering her red, bright bedroom, he sat on the bed, setting Dodoco aside so he wouldn’t accidentally sit on the toy. Klee was busy showcasing her new toy chemistry set, eagerly explaining it to him. 

He loved listening to her talk. It felt comforting to him, but somehow not quite right. As if something was missing. 

There wasn’t anything particular that caught his eyes as he scanned the room around him. Her room looked the same, just like when he last visited her. That was until he turned to look at the wall beside her bed. 

Drawings, identical to the ones he saw at the  hospital, were there. There were a few of them, just not as many as the ones that used to decorate Kaeya’s room. His eyes were glued to the slightly bigger picture.

The drawing had three people on it, two taller ones, and another shorter person. Two of them had yellow, bright hair but the other person’s hair was deep blue and long. He froze in his spot. 

Didn’t need a genius to figure it out. It was Klee, Kaeya and him. 

They look like they were playing some sort of game, both Kaeya and her having happy expressions on their faces. While Albedo was situated behind them, holding on to what seems to be a sketchbook. 

For a split second, he wondered. If fates had dealt its card differently, would they have been just like in the drawing? Living their days happily together? 

He pursed his lips at the thought.

“Klee,” he pointed at the picture, hiding his shaken look. “Did you draw that?” Her eyes darted in the direction that Albedo was pointing at, giggling to herself. 

“Mhm! It’s pretty isn’t it?” She climbed on the bed, sitting next to Albedo. “Every night I would ask Lord Barbatos to heal Kaeya, and I wish him good nights too!” Her small arms hugged Albedo’s stiff ones, as he sat there silently, finding himself unable to speak.

Guilt started to pour in as he heard what she said. Instead of getting better, Kaeya actually did the opposite—he died . Was she old enough to grasp the concept of death in her head? Even so, she would definitely be upset to hear that she can’t meet him forever .

It would break her. And it would break him too, all over again. 

“It’s been a while since he replied to me. Why is that, Albedo?” 

With trembling hands, Albedo grabbed her shoulder, making her face him. He tried desperately to not let the grief show on his face, but Klee caught on, her smile fading away slowly. 

“Albedo?” Her voice was wary. 

“Klee, listen carefully to what I’m about to say, okay?” 

Taking a deep breath, he braced himself. “We can’t meet Kaeya anymore, and he won’t answer your letters anymore.” 

Her expression changed from shock to anger to confusion in a short amount of time. Eyebrows furrowed, her lips formed a pout, as her eyes were starting to get glossy. 

“What do you mean?” Tears started to stream down her rosy cheeks. Albedo remained silent, trying to find words was already such a struggle for him, and Klee’s cries made his shoulder feel heavier. 

“Albedo,” her small fists grabbed onto his shirt, begging for an explanation. 

He brushed her head and wiped her tears away with his thumb. “Kaeya’s not here anymore.”

The look of shock on her face will forever be engraved in his mind. 

Fat tears started to roll down her cheeks, soaking the red bed sheets she had on. “What does that—'' she gasped, unable to finish her sentence as she cried. Albedo bit his lips, holding his emotions back. He had to be the stronger one between them at the moment. 

“He passed away, Klee.” There it is. He finally dealt the last blow. 

She full-on sobbed at this, her screams muffled as she cried into Albedo’s shirt, making it wet. He was constantly rubbing her back, trying to soothe her. There was nothing he could do to stop her. So he let her cry, to let it all out until there are no more tears left to spare.

“But he—he promised that we’ll meet again.” Her body trembled as she whimpered. Albedo looked away, choosing to stare at the wall instead. 

“I know.” He answered, his voice trembling as well. 

“We were supposed to play more together, so why—”

“I know that, Klee.” He swallowed the lump in his throat, trying badly to hold his cries in. But he couldn’t, the stinging pain in his chest, Klee’s wailing—it was all too much for him. 

As soon as he felt the wet sensation on his cheeks, he broke down, his body shaking violently. He bit his lips harder, trying to at least keep his sounds to himself. It was painful, it hurt so bad. But perhaps this is what he needed. 

To cry it all out, until there are no more tears left to spare.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered against her hair, cradling her in his arms. 

“I’m so sorry.”

He slowly closed the door to Klee’s bedroom with a tired sigh, afraid of waking her up. 

When she eventually calmed down, she went to bed almost immediately as soon as Albedo laid her down properly on the bed. Her eyes were swollen, still leaking tears although she was already in deep sleep. 

Albedo too was more or less the same. Red and puffy eyes stinging when he walked out to the living room. His sock-covered feet were dragging on the floor, exhausted. 

As he was about to reach the stairs, a small cough caught his attention, his body turning around to find the source of the sound. 

“Aunt Alice,” he muttered, locking eyes with the woman who was sitting on the dinner table, a small grin on her face. 

Tapping continuously on the mahogany table, she ushered him to come closer. She still hadn’t said a word, and it made Albedo slightly nervous. 

He sat down, his hands on the table in front of him, laced together. 

“You heard us, didn’t you?” He laughed awkwardly, feeling himself shrink in Alice’s gaze. Strange, usually she would be exactly like Klee, energetic, talkative, loud—but tonight she was more muted and relaxed, something he rarely saw his whole life living with her.

It made him tense up. 

“I sure did,” she sighed, suddenly lifting herself from her seat. As if she could smell his anxiousness, she smiled, pointing a finger at the kitchen. “I’m gonna get some water for you. Your voice sounds terrible.” A hand flew up to his neck as he cleared his throat, trying to make him sound less hoarse. 

“Aunt Alice, I can go and get them myself.” 

“Tut-tut, stay put Albedo. Let me do the work for once.” She replied from the kitchen. 

Moments later, Alice reappeared, holding a glass of water and biscuits in the other. With a quick thank you he sipped the water little by little, too tired to gulp it down. She rested her head on her palm as she watched Albedo’s every move, the same grin still stuck on her face. 

“How are you?” She asked after he placed the still full glass back on the table. 

He paused to think, how long has it been since someone asked if he was alright? He couldn’t remember. 

“So-so.” Alice raised an eyebrow at this, yet she chose to not say anything.

Instead, she went to grab his hand, frowning at how cold it was. He was startled, but the touch wasn’t unwelcomed. Her calloused hands rubbed it over and over again as if she was trying to share a portion of her body heat with him. 

“I couldn’t help but overhear the both of you. I mean, the both of you were loud. I was panicking, you know?” She spoke gently, eyes never leaving their connected hands. 

“I don’t know what had happened but, I’m sure that the other person…” Alice looked up, smiling brightly at him. 

“I’m sure that the other person also cherished you too, Bedo.” 

His chest hurt upon hearing what came out of Alice’s mouth. Yet somehow, he didn’t feel like crying. “Don’t call me by that nickname anymore.” He blushed red, while Alice tried to stifle her laughter at the sight. 

“Well,” she said between giggles, clenching Albedo’s hands slightly harder this time. It was a form of punishment for making her laugh during a serious moment between them. “If you want my unwarranted advice, then listen up closely.” 

He could feel another hand cup his face. Soothing, like a mother’s touch. 

“Never, ever detach that pain from you.” She looked at him dead in the eyes. 

“Because it is a part of you now. Embrace it, don’t run away from it. When you do, it’ll keep you up at night. Nurse it, live with it, until you learn to coexist with it.”

His lips quivered, dumbstruck. “It’ll be a long road ahead, kiddo. But remember that I’m here for you, alright?” Ruffling his hair, she reached up, just high enough to plant a kiss on his forehead. 

“You understand, right?” 

He blinked once, then twice. 

“Mhm.” Albedo nodded. 

“That’s good.”

They said their goodnights soon after, and on his way up, he couldn’t help but feel warmth blooming in his chest.

Albedo’s old room looked just as he left it. 

Some movie posters and his sketches were hanging on the wall. There was also a painting easel in the corner of the room, blank canvases lined up neatly behind it. His room was free from dust as if it was regularly cleaned. 

He fell face down on the bed, groaning into the dark blue sheets. The fatigue finally kicked in, and he wanted nothing to do but to close his eyes and sleep.

Lazily shrugging off his jacket, he threw it on the floor, not caring where it would land. 

Thud . 

His eyes peeled open as he was about to doze off, the sound startling him back to consciousness. It was definitely not his phone, the thud was too soft for it to be a phone. But he didn’t remember bringing anything else with him, everything besides his wallet, phone and keys was left at his apartment. 

Curious, he reluctantly lifted himself from the comforts of his bed. Shuffling towards the article of clothing, he picked it up and shook it, trying to find the mystery item.

A pink box fell out, and he immediately went to grab it. 

It was the Pocky box Diluc had left him with. 

Thankfully, there wasn’t any damage done to it. The box retained its smooth surface and the yellow sticky note was still stuck on there. 

He went ahead and opened the box, an unsettling feeling coursing through his veins. In the box were two letters, and using his fingers, he got them out carefully examining it. 

One of the papers was labelled ‘Klee’, while the other one was labelled ‘Albedo’. 

Is this...a letter?

Swallowing his saliva, he kept Klee’s letter inside the box. He didn’t need to read it, it was for her eyes only. He’ll give it to her tomorrow. 

One side of the paper was jagged as if someone had ripped it apart from a notebook. The letter seemed quite lengthy too, almost taking up all the space the paper had. 

Shakily exhaling, his fingers gently unfolded the letter. 

To: Albedo. 

To be honest with you, I do not know how to start this letter. Should this be an apology to you? Or perhaps a letter to help you move on, a form of closure. Or maybe reading this letter would graze an old wound you had long forgotten about. Even worse, cutting it deeper, until you were forced to lay in your own pool of blood. 

Either way, I hope you’re still here, listening (or is it reading..) to what I’m about to say.

First, you had asked me why I was always so calm even as I was facing death. I guess you deserved a proper answer from me. 

I accepted death a long time ago. Way before I met you. When I found out about my health condition, I wept for nights on end, there was barely a time where my pillows weren’t wet with my tears. But one day, the tears wouldn’t come out anymore, no matter how hard I tried. And from that moment on, I had learnt to accept death with open arms, because death was a part of us. We can never separate ourselves from death. 

I was just like any other person, the only main difference between us is that I knew when I was going to pass. 

When I was first diagnosed, I got rid of all my ambitions and goals. To me back then, there was no use in hoping anymore. I will die. Faster than all my friends. I could never see them grow into adults because I was the one who would be leaving soon. I gave up on myself. I had absolutely zero will to live. Hell, I didn’t even know if I would make it past 20. But here I am, breathing still while writing this letter, probably already 6-feet-under once this reaches you. 

And I thought I was going to be alright when I heard that there was no saving me, it was something I had anticipated anyway. Yet why does it feel like my world was crumbling apart when I heard it?

You. You were the reason I feel this way. Because my death meant leaving you. And I was scared, because I was never expecting that.

For the first time in a long time, I cried in bed the night we went to the rooftop. I was scared, because I knew everything would just go downhill from then and there. For the first time in the longest time, I fear death because of you. For the first time, I actually had the will to live for you. 

But it was too late, the damage cannot be undone. 

I spent countless nights thinking about you—of us. Had I met you earlier, would things be different for us? Would you still accompany me as you do? Would we even become friends, to begin with? Would fate have had a different story for us? Maybe I’d even bring you on a date. 

I bet you’re rolling your eyes at me right now, but I can’t help it now, can I?

Was I selfish to not push Klee and you away? Perhaps I was. If only I had ignored her, ignored you. Would you be happy now? Would you live your painless life, oblivious to my existence, and find another? Perhaps you would have been, but that thought doesn’t sit too well with me.

I don’t regret meeting you Albedo, and I hope—no. I think you didn’t either. You coloured the last pages of my life with such vibrant colours, and I was such a greedy person. I wanted more and more from you, without realising my effect on the both of you once I’m gone.

If I was a bad person for latching my already dead self to you, then so be it. 

Then please remember me as a bad person that scarred you, the one who caused you immense pain, for I do not mind. As long as you remember me, as long as you don't forget about the man called Kaeya Alberich in room 3011, who hates grape juice and loves wine, who is insufferable, shameless, Klee's friend and most importantly—your partner. Even after years, even if I do become a distant memory—just like a stranger’s face to you. Even so, I hope one day you’d recall the times we spent together, and smile, when you remember me.

The most insufferable, most handsome, most blessed man on earth, 

Kaeya. 

“You are so fucking insufferable…” he choked, letting his tears fall freely as they dripped from his cheeks to the paper, smudging the ink. He hugged the letter close to him as he wept and wept. He was undone. 

That night, he dreamt of a familiar weight in his hands, clenching it just like how he was used to, before disappearing. 

It was all too familiar to him. Only this time, the hands were heavier, thicker. 

Full of life.