Work Text:
The faint sound of jingling keys was nearly inaudible in the vast night that loomed over the city. The laboratory being locked meant today's work was done - albeit quite late.
Chains sounded over the main hall in quick bursts, before dissipating to merely echoes. Metal is louder than you think.
A travel warning had been issued for frequenters of the snowy mountain, stating a violent snowstorm would be on its way within the coming days, but could arrive as soon as the next few hours. Did this stop him? Absolutely not.
The clock had struck past midnight, and yet he continued on his usual route up his usual path. Why was he doing this again? Undisclosed reasons, he repeats to himself, making his way to the frost coated trail towards his destination. Would it be the peak like his last visit, or the depths of the cavern like the time before? Only time could tell.
Memorization came easy to him, so much in fact that he could practically locate his stop with has eyes closed, or even with no ears. A fascinating talent, they call it, how do you even do it? He couldn't be bothered to answer them, simply playing it off with a laugh or changing the subject. There were more concerning matters he was focused on, this journey being one of them.
Upon reaching, he placed his delicate scarf inside his pouch carrying essentials and pulled off his hood that shielded him from the snow, and went to work almost immediately.
"What is this… thing in my chest that I am feeling," he mutters to himself, taking off papers on his research board to start his research afresh, "there must be an explanation."
He took out his pocket watch momentarily: 02:47. He had made it earlier than planned.
Grabbing a pen from the glass jar, scribbles upon scribbles about his condition formed: indescribable pain near heart, limbs get tingly even when not in cold environment, unusual pupil dilation, thoughts immediately resort to one thing, can't stop thinking abo-
He stopped writing. There it was, his thought immediately resorted to her. "It's probably just no-
His fingers began to feel like the very tingly he was writing about. A coincidence It can't be, he thought to himself, his internal monologue growing more and more anxious.
"A homunculus can't feel love.
Right, Master?"
He put his pen down and placed the unfinished notes on the board. Simply thinking about it would only cause him to go downright insane, or so he thought.
He didn't realize he was standing for so long that his stomach had been growing restless too. With a heavy sigh, he crouched down to reach for the sandwiches he had packed himself before setting off. Until he realized he could only feel his scarf.
The calm and collected hand soon grew into what could only be described as a rabid dog when faced with a stranger: there was no sign of any food in the bag. His thoughts only becoming more and more frazzled, his nearly tore his bag in half in search of the food.
"Where is it…" he growled, beginning to crawl on the floor in hopes it may have just fallen out when he had first arrived. Nothing. Nothing was on the ground, just snow. And the snowstorm had begun to pick up.
In desperate need of food, he practically hops like a frog to the nearest flower he sees, hoping it was edible.
It was a Sweet Flower.
It was the final straw. He was desperately hungry and in need of some form of fuel. He tore at the flower bud like a hawk to its prey and chewed on it like a sunflower seed.
"It's all I can think about… I need to forget… that she likes these flowers…" he groaned in sheer agony as he swallowed the bud whole, and crawled over to the next one he saw.
"Spiders… I want a spider… I need salt," he whined, continuing to consume Sweet Flower buds like they were candy, "I.. need…"
At one point, even the Sweet Flowers could not fuel his hunger, so he resorted to using the energy stored in his vision and attempted to eat the Solar Isotomas he created. They disappeared within seconds of creation - he could not eat them.
…
05:00
"AH! Oh, it's just my alarm…" she said, rubbing her eyes and reaching for her face-framing glasses. They certainly did help her see.
"Mister Albedo should be in the lab by now, I wonder if he found the slime condensate I needed," she whispered, taking her clothes off the hanger by her closet and heading to the bathroom, "I'm sure he's already sorted them out… or maybe he went out to sketch again."
"I'll find out sooner or later."
…
If he were a baker, he could say this was red-colored cake batter, but unfortunately it was not.
Turns out Sweet Flower buds refuse to stay down, even while using all your might.
The bloodshot snow trailed down the path a considerable amount, nearly reaching the beginning of the half-broken wooden path. Perhaps someone would see it and come help him. Or kill him, it could also be the Fatui.
"S-Su-"
Faint footsteps became more and more audible by the second, reaching the back of his head.
"H-hu-"
"ALBEDO!"
Oh, how nice it felt for her to call him without the honorific.
"S-Sucrose, I-"
"What even happened to you???" she shrieked, taking off her own scarf and wrapping it around his eyes.
"T-those are my ey-"
"AH! I'm so sorry Mister A-Albedo," she said sheepishly, putting it around his neck and attempting to prop him upright, "what ha-?"
"I need t-to tell you somet-thing," he said, grabbing her shoulder as he threw up another flower bud, "I-"
"Of course M- oh no I'm so sorry I interrupted you please continue," she said, shivering at the bud that fell into her lap, "I'll listen to an-"
"I l-lo-" he began coughing up blood again, "I lo-ov"
"Mister Albedo I can't hear what you're sa- YOU'RE THROWING UP FLOWERS!?!? DO YOU HAVE H-HANAHAKI DISEASE?!"
Albedo's eyes were as bloodshot as the snow as he looked at Sucrose perplexed, "No I j-just a-ate fl-lo-"
"Mister Albedo we need to take you to see Barbara immediately," she said, attempting to pick him off the ground and drag him down the bridge, "oh wait you're heav-"
"SUCROSE CAN YOU LISTEN TO ME FOR ONE SECOND," he said as he coughed up another bud at the end of his sentence. Sucrose stared at him bewildered.
"O-o-of course Mister Albedo I'm so sorry for n-"
"Sucrose please listen to me and do not yell," he said, coughing up more blood onto Sucrose's gloves. Sucrose squirmed, "I know what I feel for you."
"YOU FEEL FOR M-" Sucrose gasped, before Albedo flung his hand on her mouth, "I-I said to not yell, now let me finish." It was only then Sucrose realized Albedo was missing one of his arms.
"I think I love you."
Sucrose froze. She could not decide whether to say YOU THINK?? or w-w-what??
"W-what?" she gulped, catching yet another flower bud that fell out of Albedo's mouth.
She did not realize Albedo had lost consciousness.
"M-Mister Albedo how much did you vomit???" she yelled, hoping someone from Mondstadt would hear her.
They did not. Sucrose had to go to Mondstadt herself and bring help to Albedo's blood-coated body.
"Sucrose why is he missing an arm??" Kaeya asked.
"Sir Kaeya I genuinely do not know."
…
"I need a bag of chalk."
"A bag of what?"
Albedo walked into Kaeya's office and casually gestured with one arm, "I'm secretly a starfish Kaeya, I really do need my other arm back you know."
"I thought you were going to eat it," Kaeya laughed, "but you w-"
"I would do that too, Kaeya. Just be grateful I didn’t resort to eating the snow."
Albedo did in fact, eat his arm that day.
Sucrose had also received a jar with the bloodshot Sweet Flower buds with a note on the jar:
I'm sorry about the other day, Sucrose.
Maybe this will aid your experiment soon.
I still stand by what I said that day it's only you who needs to throw up flowers now
Albedo