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The fates were pulling their strings that evening. The sky transitioned to violet and stars slowly stained it with vibrant speckles.
You were silent as you shuffled through astronomy and photography club members who fumbled over their equatorial mounts and lenses. As you navigated past the chaos, you observed the arrangements meant to help everyone adjust to the dark of the night. Red lights dotted the campsite, and all phone screens had filters installed, causing them to emanate a dim scarlet color.
The students were ecstatic as was evidenced by their incessant friendly exchanges. The weather was on their side, the moon was absent, and the city lights were far behind them. It was a big deal for them, as they were trying to document one of the rarest, if not the rarest, celestial events in recorded history. It was the perigee - the closest approach - of the comets 1P/Albedo and 1P/[Y/N].
Yes, you shared your name with a comet. Why your parents had named you after a person who had discovered a comet, you’ll never know. Coincidentally, someone in the astronomy club harbored the same dilemma.
When news broke out that the two great comets would be nearing earth, rendering them visible to the naked eye, the astronomy and photography club agreed to a joint field trip, and it was only natural for the both of you to enter the spotlight because of your names. You two were consistent targets of teasing and were often tasked to deliver news to each others' clubs despite your sheepishness and his reserved personality. The silly commentaries escalated because, according to many, he was only willing to cooperate in these mundane activities as long as you were involved.
Fortunately, today, your fellow photography club members were distracted by the event that jokes were completely off the table. But soon, someone would initiate the teasing again and you would feel very uncomfortable especially since you had developed a crush on the second recipient of their supposedly harmless remarks.
And so, after you took snapshots of a Dobsonian telescope’s assembly, you decided to relocate. You fished out your tripod from your bag and informed a professor that you would be hiking downhill to concentrate better and take pictures for your photography elective. The said professor did not inquire further, as you were one of the more trustworthy students. Your preferred creativity nest was a relatively short trek away, and she could also watch you from afar.
Admittedly, the DSLR around your neck, the tripod, and the red torch also suggested you meant business. A word of approval was all you needed to be sent on your way.
Once you had positioned yourself at the right spot, you started setting up your camera with what little lighting you had. The professor, concerned that you might have a hard time doing this on your own, decided to get someone to help you. And what are the odds of that person being Albedo himself?
Studious, handsome, and ultimately very, very, patient. He did not seem to mind it when the teacher decided to collect him of all people to assist you on your endeavors despite being engrossed in his sketches. Frankly, knowing how well-versed he was on topics of astronomy and more, you should be the one assisting him.
“Professor Alice told me that you needed help,” he said. On the surface, he was quite placid, but you could somehow feel his sincere desire to aid you. He was also lugging a bag containing a mat in addition to the sketchbook he had in his hand. The former was probably an item provided by the professor in an attempt to ensure your comfort.
“I did not, really,” you stated, trying to get him to leave even if, at the back of your mind, you realized that you did not want to be alone. You could still discern the voices of the students from up on the hill, and if they ever did as much as spot the both of you down here, you would never hear the end of it. “Thank you for your concern… ”
Ah, but he did not leave.
“Is it okay if I join you here?” he inquired.
You nearly choked on your words, causing you to pause in the process of pointing your camera to the appropriate angle.
“I-I…” you tried to decline, but your inner voice that demanded a bit of company was winning. It would be terrifying to be left in the dark with nothing but the red torchlight illuminating your environment. You leered at the main campsite dozens of meters away and noted the members' preoccupations. They were too fixated on their preparations, so you hoped they would not notice. Finally, you agreed. “Sure…If that's what you prefer.”
He perceived the hesitation in your voice. “I promise, I won’t be a bother.”
You nodded and he gave you a small smile of appreciation. The gesture caused your cheeks to flare up a bit and you turned away, fighting your feelings as you went back to adjusting the shutter speed of your camera.
You surveyed the sky through your viewfinder, and you could already see a vibrant streak where the two celestial objects were set to appear. But the comets were not your intended subjects - you did not have the proper equipment. As an alternative, you chose to capture star trails. You finished a batch of short exposure shots to confirm your camera’s focus before fiddling with the settings again. Once you were satisfied, you decided to let the timer do the rest of the work.
Albedo had rolled out the mat and conveniently placed the red torch a few feet away from the camera. Taking the camera’s remote, you assumed a seat next to him. He positioned himself closer to the torch, where there was enough lighting for him to continue his sketch.
A few moments later, another professor started using a megaphone to instruct the students uphill to turn off some of the red lights. When you looked towards the horizon, the two comets were igniting the night sky - two dreamlike orbs, leaving tendrils of starlight in their wake.
In this distance, the slightly muted discourses of your clubmates served as a comforting piece of background noise. You leaned your head a little to the side, and you watched as condensed air escaped Albedo’s lips. His head was tilted up, taking in the view above him.
Remembering your objective, you pressed a button on your camera’s remote, and then you directed your gaze to the two comets. Sighing, you wondered why the sight of them felt so heavy in your heart…
Cold.
The world was quiet as your fingers melded with his. You could see his face forming cracks where they shouldn’t. He was not human, after all. He was made of chalk. And yet you loved him, and you could not deny this as he broke apart next to you.
You had traded your lifespan, having nothing else to offer, to amplify the powers of the person who would subdue this man. And he was about to disappear next to you, and you would soon follow. You had hit your head rather harshly on the ground after you fell with him. The impact wounded you, but you felt no pain.
“A grave miscalculation… This was not how I wanted things to end… You… were supposed to live…”
“Really…?” you laughed. “I don’t think I want to live that way. Without you, I mean...”
“You deserve to carry on… Forget me after everything I’ve done… After what happened to Mondstadt...”
“You did not do it on purpose. You lost control...”
You could feel him shaking. He was probably trying to squeeze your hand, but there was little strength left in him. “...You were supposed to live.” His voice broke as he repeated his prior assertion.
“And I will. In another life.”
“...”
“No matter how many realities the stars would see us through...There would be a life where I am with you again.”
“That’s… not possible.”
“No. It is,” you argued, weakly. “You will be guided to a life where you can be happy. And I will be there with you.”
He managed a very low chuckle, masking his sadness as another small fragment of chalk fell off his face.
“I will hold your hand like this… I’ll never let go...”
He curbed the short silence with a voice containing the minuscule energy thriving in his fragile bones, declaring, “I’ll marry you…” He inhaled, re-fueling that energy. In his exhale, he added in a trance-like manner, “I’ll take good care of you...”
You closed your eyes, unable to sob, but you still carried on with a smile. “We’ll raise kids.”
“...We’ll be a strange family...”
“We’ll be a good one…” You laughed feebly as a tear fell from your right eye. You also felt blood trailing the side of your face. Even in your weakened state, you added, “And I’ll bake cakes for you every weekend.”
“Make that…” He took a deep breath. “Every other day…”
“I love you, Albedo.”
He did not respond.
“I love you,” you whispered, out loud, breaking yourself out of your reverie. A tear cascaded down your face. You did not know whether it was a powerful hallucination or a daydream that felt so real. Your statement seemed to have earned a reaction as the rasping of a pencil reared to a halt and Albedo directed a rather inquisitive stare at you.
“Ah- I mean, s-sorry… I had a very vivid daydream just now. That was not meant for you at all,” you stammered, hoping that your clumsy half-truth of an excuse would clear things up. Of course, it was partially meant for him. Although lying like fragments of broken porcelain, the person in the daydream resembled him in plenty of aspects.
“Was it about ‘Mondstadt’?” Albedo asked, emphasizing the last word as if it was a passcode of sorts - testing if you would open up to him, and your eyes widened in shock. His expression was intense like he was sure of something.
“H-How did you…” you began but you decided to change the question mid-way in a terrible act of pretense. “I beg your pardon?” You were positive you had heard that word in your daydream. Maybe it was a real place you had read about. Maybe it was from one of the games you played in your early childhood. Still, its simple utterance wracked you with immense nostalgia.
“I know about Mondstadt… I too experienced a vivid daydream, as you had called it, just around the time science journals were reporting the approach of these comets. This was before the start of the club meetings,” Albedo lowered his sketchbook. “I didn’t think you would experience it as well."
He started spinning his pencil slowly - a habit his clubmates said he had when he was apprehensive or excited, or both. And it was then you recalled that he did this almost every time you had crossed paths with him, every time he held a pencil in his hand.
He spoke again, pulling you away from your brief rumination. "You were an important person… to me."
Around you, the trees rustled violently, and for a split second, you worried that your tripod might fall over despite having stabilized it properly. Then everything calmed to a gentle night's breeze. You scanned his face, tucking a stray hair behind your ear as the wind blew about. You were uncertain as to how you would proceed with the conversation. Breathing in sharply, you decided on letting out your inquiry. "...You saw me in your daydream before we even knew each other?"
He nodded and gave you a meek smile. “It made me curious about you…"
You played with the hem of your shirt in an attempt to suppress the apple cheeks you were having. "It's amazing how you kept this to yourself. I would freak out if I saw someone in a very realistic dream and found out they were real," you stifled a giggle before you returned your gaze to the comets. "It's so uncanny."
He adjusted, allowing himself to see you better. His fingertips ghosted over yours as you rested your hand on the mat. "There are a variety of explanations for this… for the concept of multiple realities, including rational practices and emotional ones such as ‘beliefs.’”
Tenderness stretched across your features. You had heard about Albedo's readiness to spew information, especially when the topic fascinated him. He was trying his best to explain the phenomenon in a way that he understood. Besides that, you already knew him to be a very methodical person. Perhaps, these "daydreams'' as well as your out-of-the-blue confession to no one in particular were way beyond the norm for him.
“I’m sure you’ve heard theories of multiverses, of world trees where multiple dimensions can branch out. Butterfly effects and such in which simple changes in decisions can cause unlimited ripples of possibilities…” he paused to see if you were still listening. “I think we existed in a different reality and have somehow managed to find ourselves here.”
“So… I guess you could say that our fates intertwined…” you said.
The two comets seemed to glow even brighter now. You could hear your fellow club members making a commotion where they were.
"That's a beautiful way to put it,” Albedo complimented your choice of words as he picked up his sketchbook with the same modest smile.
"Thank you," you gave him a playful bow while seated.
"You could also say we were destined for each other," he stated with such impassiveness that you assumed he meant it matter-of-factly. The effect it had on you was incredible though - you swore that you were redder than a tomato.
You gave him a playful swat on his shoulder to mask your giddiness. "Don't give me the wrong idea."
"I apologize if that was too upfront," he retorted, turning away from you. And it was then you realized that this charismatic yet socially awkward individual was trying to flirt with you.
You channeled your attention to another object because your heart just might explode. You checked the time on your phone and pressed the button on your camera’s remote again, allowing it to take another long-exposure shot. You decided to make adjustments later, electing instead to take a photo of the great comets on the device that glowed red in your hand.
You let out steady breaths to ease the tension and faced your companion, feeling much braver.
“Say, Albedo,” you started, placing your phone beside you. “After this trip, can we have coffee together?”
The sound of lead scratching against paper continued, but Albedo shifted a little bit closer to you. Your distance brought warmth to your cheeks, and the night air suddenly got a little less chilly. The proximity was familiar, despite you and him never brushing shoulders with each other until this day. It was almost as if it was meant to be.
“May I invite you to my home?” he inquired, perhaps with the slightest tinge of enthusiasm in his tone. "My family owns a lot of coffee machines. I can brew you some artisan coffee...” He took a good look at you, expectant. "I have a little sister so it won’t be just the two of us…"
“Sounds like a plan,” you blushed, and hugged your knees, looking at him shyly. "I'll bake a cake for us …”