Archive of Our Own

Kaeya Alberich, age 6. He lives in a small town that’s not even shown on the weather reports when his mom puts on the news.

He’s been told, many times actually, that he’s a very bright child. A very beautiful child. A very curious child.

It’s that last point that brought him here. His father told him not to bother the new neighbors, but since when did he listen to his father?

He’d spent his whole life with the same group of people, maybe these neighbors would have a kid his age. It would be nice to know someone else besides the mean kids that live near his house.

Currently, two adults were taking boxes out of a big truck. He watched them for a while, until they eventually stopped and went inside. Kaeya almost turned around and went back home, but something caught his eye.

The adults walked right back out of the house, holding the hands of a kid! Finally! Kaeya might have a new friend!

Wasting no time at all, he sprinted over and hurried to introduce himself the way his brother taught him to.

“Hi! My name’s Kaeya Alberich, I’m 6, and I live in the house next door,” he recited.

The tallest adult—a woman—smiled and patted his head. “Ah, you’re just around the same age as our Albedo then! Why don’t I talk to your parents to see—”

Kaeya tensed as soon as she said “parents”. He hadn’t thought this far. He didn’t expect the neighbor to want to contact his parents!

“It’s fine!” Diluc said it was rude, but he decided to cut her off. “I can just talk to him now!”

Now the other adult smiled. “Alright, why don’t you come inside? I’ll walk over and let your folks know you’re here so they won’t worry,” he said.

Kaeya shook his head violently. “Nonono it’s fine! Dad knows I’m walking around.”

“Alright,” said the man hesitantly, “but what about your mother then? Does she know you’re here?”

“Ohhh, mom died when I was 1, I don't think she cares much.”

The two adults apologized and invited him into their house. They sat him down at the big table in the middle of the kitchen and offered him snacks.

Soon enough, their kid sat down next to him.

“I’m Albedo.” He wasn’t looking directly at Kaeya, but it was still the first good look he got of him.

Yeah, he looked to be around his age! With a nod, Kaeya repeated his name. “Albedo…I like that name! It sounds like something from my favorite video game.”

“You play video games?” Albedo asked.

“Yeah! My favorite is Genshin Impact.”

“I like that one too!”

And so, just like that, a friendship that would last years began.

Three years passed, and Albedo and Kaeya were as close as ever. Now in fourth grade, The boys had gotten a lot closer.

They knew everything about each other, from the fact Alberich might like to be an artist one day, to Kaeya’s affinity for history.

Even when his dad left, or when his sister was born, Kaeya was always there to support Albedo. They were each other’s biggest supporters and neither of them would trade it for the world.

It’s just that…well…some things are unexpected.

It started off as a normal enough day. It was a Tuesday, so normally Kaeya and Albedo would be driven to school by Albedo’s mother, but with the arrival of little Klee, she was too busy. Because of this, Kaeya’s dad drove them.

Drive’s with Crepus we’re Albedo’s favorites. He would put on his old music, and eventually Albedo learned all of the songs in his one playlist, so the three of them spent car rides singing along at the top of their lungs.

Albedo was like a second child to Crepus, as Kaeya was a third one to Alice. They were “practically attached at the hip” as some would say.

Albedo would regret not being physically attached to Kaeya after what happened that day.

The two boys were in the middle of a stunning duet of American Pie, when they finally reached the school. They begged Crepus to let them finish the song, but he refused and said they needed to leave before they were late.

As they were walking inside, Kaeya suddenly sprinted back and asked something of Crepus. Albedo was too far to hear, but it seemed like Kaeya forgot something.

Crepus nodded and turned the car around to leave. Kaeya quickly ran back to Albedo’s side and they walked to their first class together.

It wasn’t long before they got the news.

There was nothing suspicious about it at first, just the phone ringing in the classroom, probably a parent dropping something off for their kid.

It wasn’t until their teachers, Mrs. Ningguang and Mrs. Beidou (they were married and had the same last name so it was less confusing to call them by first names) went pale and shared an odd look that the kids started to get worried.

Mrs. Ningguang stood with the phone next to her ear for a long stretch of time, more than usual, and whispered to her wife.

As she set the phone down gently, she looked straight at Kaeya. Albedo got a sinking feeling in his stomach, he knew that something was wrong.

Then, when Mrs. Ningguang couldn’t do it. Mrs. Beidou put a hand on her shoulder and said the words both Albedo and Kaeya would remember for the rest of their lives; “Kaeya, your father…he…got into an accident. Your grandparents are here with your brother to pick you up.”

Things after that were a blur for Albedo. He tried to follow Kaeya out the door, but was stopped. He spent the rest of the day not hearing anything his teachers said, and reviving pitying looks.

When he arrived home, he was met with the tight embrace of his mother. Crepus meant a lot to him, of course, but… “Kaeya,” he stated. “I need to see Kaeya.”

There was no need. As if by some miracle, or curse depending on who you ask, the doorbell rang at that precise moment.

Albedo hurried over and opened it, almost fainting at the sight in front of him.

Kaeya was at the door. That’s normal. He had his hand up to his right eye. Not normal, but excusable. Blood was dripping from his eye down to his palm. Not normal. Not normal at all.

“‘Bedo,” Kaeya muttered. He looked like he was on the verge of passing out. Which he did. Onto Albedo’s chest.

Albedo didn’t know what to do. Kaeya was knocked out and he could feel warm blood soaking his shirt. He knew this image of Kaeya injured on his doorstep would haunt him forever, but he did the one thing that popped into his mind. He called for his mother.

“Mom!” He shouted. Even he was scared by the panic in his voice. Thankfully, so was Alice, and she came running.

It must have been a truly horrifying sight for a mother, seeing her kid on his knees at the door holding the limp body of his best friend.

But that was nothing compared to what Albedo felt. He was shaking all over, whatever happened to Kaeya’s eye..it was bad. There was a large cut from just over his eyebrow down to a good few centimeters below his eye.

Albedo, even when he grew older, would never experience such a piercing fear as he had that day. He thought Kaeya was going to die. Had he been a few years older, he would know it wasn’t quite yet enough blood lost for him to die, but for a 9 year old him…

His mother acted quickly. She took Kaeya from his arms and rushed him to the car, yelling at Albedo to get in quickly. Once he was situated in the back seat holding onto Kaeya and they began driving, he asked if they should’ve called an ambulance.

His mother ignored him, choosing to focus on the road ahead. Eventually, Kaeya woke up. Albedo almost sobbed in relief.

“Kaeya!” Albedo exclaimed. “Kae! Oh my gods are okay? What happened?”

Kaeya groaned and shook his head. Albedo heard his mother let out a sigh of relief and a whispered, “Oh thank the Archons.”

Since Kaeya didn’t respond to his questions, all Albedo could do was hug him tightly and whisper hopefully encouraging things to him.

By the time they arrived at the hospital, Albedo had slightly relaxed. Alice had given Kaeya a few tissues to help stop the bleeding, but it had mostly died down.

Every time they hit a bump though, Kaeya groaned slightly. Albedo knew he was tough, but Kaeya would’ve had to have been in a lot of pain, and barely showing it…

Something in his stomach fluttered. Maybe it was concern, or maybe it was simply relief, but he really wished Kaeya wouldn’t hide his pain. He knew it wasn’t good.

Alice probably broke a few driving laws getting to the hospital, but as long as Kaeya’s eye got looked at, it didn’t matter much.

Albedo was in a panic again when he helped Kaeya out of the car. His knees were shaking, threatening to buckle under himself. Albedo had never seen him that…weak.

What scared him the most was that it wasn’t only his eye injured. He hadn’t noticed it before, but he was limping and had small cuts running down his arms.

He walked Kaeya inside, with the other boy putting an arm around his shoulders for support. A nurse spotted them and assessed Kaeya’s condition. She spoke to Alice, and then turned to Kaeya to ask him questions. Albedo didn't hear any of it, but the next thing he knew, Kaeya was being dragged away from him, and he was being told to sit in the waiting room.

He put up a bit of a fight, but his mother eventually calmed him down.

He waited for what felt like hours, with nurses occasionally giving him updates. He wasn’t sure what he was feeling. Fear, definitely. Nervousness? All he was really aware of was a voice in his mind yelling at him to do something.

To get up and go find his friend, to go back in time and fix this somehow, to stop waiting. But his mother’s hand on his back stopped him.

He knew it wouldn’t do any good. The nurses would send him back, and all he would do is waste time. But still..he felt so helpless.

Without realizing it, he’d started crying. His mother held him tighter and whispered things he didn’t hear.

It took quite a while for Kaeya to come back to him. But when he did… gods…there’s just no real words to describe that.

Albedo thought Kaeya would die. Archons, he was terrified. But seeing Kaeya in a hospital bed with gauze over his eye and a wrap around his ankle giving him a thumbs up was more than enough to restart his tears.

He ran over to Kaeya’s bedside and hugged him. Gently, because he was scared of hurting him.

Kaeya tried to hug him back, but all the needles and stuff in his arm prevented him from doing so.

Later, when he let go of Kaeya and they had both calmed down, he finally started listening to the nurses.

Apparently they had to take out Kaeya’s eye because there was too much damage. Oh, and he sprained his ankle.

The nurses said he could go as soon as he was able to stand, and they gave him a popsicle to help.

It took a bit, but he eventually was able to get up. Albedo, once again, was struck by how weak he looked. But at least he was alive.

Later in his life, he would feel foolish for thinking Kaeya would die, but he was still a kid…he didn’t know.

Albedo and Alice helped Kaeya into the car once they were outside. Albedo sat down next to him, as close as he could get.

Kaeya spent the whole ride with his head on Albedo's shoulder.

He spent the night at their house, saying he didn’t want to see Diluc yet. Alice didn’t tell Albedo, but when she talked to Diluc, she heard a certain coldness in his voice when he said Kaeya could stay as long as he wanted. It worried her, but there’s no way he could’ve done anything to hurt his brother…right? She asked him to pass the phone to his grandparents so she could talk to them, and they gave the same answer.

So yes. Kaeya stayed at Albedo’s house that night. And Albedo…

When Alice tried to set up an inflatable bed in his room, he stopped her.

He should’ve been weirded out. He was 9, after all. Much too old to share a bed with his friend.

But he didn’t care, and neither did Kaeya. They just wanted to stay together. Albedo, because he was scared to lose Kaeya if he let him out of his sight, and Kaeya, because he’d been betrayed by someone he trusted, and lost someone who meant the world to him, and needed someone to hold on to.

Kaeya woke up in the middle of the night, clinging onto Albedo’s shirt and crying. Albedo comforted him the best he could, but he wasn’t sure it was enough.

They both fell back asleep eventually, and didn’t talk about it in the morning.

Life went on. Now age 13, Kaeya had taken to wearing an eyepatch over his right eye. It had definitely taken some time to get used to, but hey, better than nothing right?

Sure, it looked a bit odd to most people, but he got to take photos with a ton of cute kids because they thought he looked like a pirate.

Seeing the smiles on their faces was always worth it. Especially Klee’s. Klee was Albedo’s little 4 year old sister.

Kaeya essentially adopted her. He would defend her to the end of the world and back. Every time he started to feel about himself or what happened when he was 9, he would just think of Klee’s fascination with his eyepatch, and feel slightly better.

The biggest help was Albedo though. Archons…Kaeya must have done something incredible in a past life to deserve him.

Albedo was always there. Always. No matter what happened, or how much Kaeya spiraled, Albedo was there.

It was Albedo who first showed him the music. When he started to really spiral, Albedo started playing music for him.

It was always one band. A band he said helped him when his father left. And Kaeya…he thinks it’s safe to say they saved his life. That Albedo saved his life. Because if it wasn’t for him playing that song, who knows what could’ve happened to Kaeya if his mental health got even worse.

It was always Albedo wasn’t it? The one whose unwavering dedication and friendship kept him steady. Kept him motivated. Kept him from going numb.

Yes. It was always him. And Kaeya could not feel any more grateful. Looking at Albedo now, he felt his cheeks go red.

He and Albedo were laying outside, stargazing as Albedo called it. It’s just that Kaeya wasn’t gazing at the stars.

He was gazing at Albedo. He would always be the brightest star for Kaeya, always. After everything he’d done for him…

The moonlight shone on his face, making him look ethereal. Beautiful. It wasn’t necessarily that moment that sparked the realization, but it was then that Kaeya decided to acknowledge it.

He absolutely, undeniably, had a crush on his best friend. Albedo looked at him, turning onto his side in order to properly see him. He was smiling that beautiful smile of his that made Kaeya’s stomach flutter.

“Why are you blushing?” He asked.

Well how in the hell would Kaeya be able to answer that? You look really pretty and I really like you? Yeah, no. “You’re delirious. I’m not blushing.”

Albedo laughed (Kaeya’s stomach fluttered again) and let it slide. “Okay, sure. Were you even paying attention to anything I was saying Kaeya?”

“No.”

Albedo sighed. “And here I thought you had finally decided to take up a hobby in something interesting.”

“Hey!” Kaeya exclaimed, also turning on his side to see Albedo better, “Violin is plenty interesting!”

“Wind instruments are better, you should learn to play one and join the band. Alto maybe? No…you seem like a brass guy. Horn? No… OH. Trumpet!”

Seeing Albedo so excited made him consider it, but ultimately… “No way! Orchestra supremacy, how am I even friends with you? I can’t just defect. That would be treachery ‘Bedo. Treachery.”

“You’re so dramatic.” Albedo rolled his eyes.

“Ah, you love it though.”

“Now you’re delirious.”

They laid silently for a while, Kaeya watching as Albedo pondered something.

He always got that look in his eyes when he was thinking about something. Kaeya found it adorable, but Albedo flushed and shushed him any time he mentioned it.

Kaeya found himself excited for what Albedo would say. He always had such interesting thoughts.

When he spoke though, it wasn’t what Kaeya expected at all.

“I think I’m asexual,” Albedo whispered. He tilted his head away, as though he was ashamed, but added, even softer, “and demi-panromantic.”

Oh.

Oh.

Kaeya wasn’t too sure what all that meant, but…he knew what being pan meant. And it meant he had a chance. But…he should still ask for clarification…right?

Yes, he should. And that's what he did. “Albedo, please know I’ll always support you, no matter what, okay? But the only thing I understood there was pan, and I feel kind of bad asking, but since I’m not sure, could you explain what that means? I want to know as much as I can about something that makes you…you. And since you just came out to me, it’s only fair I do the same to you. I’m bi.”

Albedo smiled. He smiled wider than Kaeya had ever seen him smile before.

Any anxiety Kaeya had over coming out, or being scared Albedo would be offended he didn’t know what everything meant, vanished.

“Kae,” Albedo said, “thank you for asking. First, asexual means I don’t feel sexual attraction. I don’t have the urge to have sex with anyone…ever. I know I’m kind of young…but I think that’s okay. If I realize that I’m not ace in the future, then that’s okay. But I’m also demi-romantic. That means I don’t feel romantic attraction unless there is already an emotional bond there. But since I still can feel romantic attraction, my label for that is pan, which you know.”

That was a lot to take in, but once Kaeya processed it all, he smiled.

“Thank you for telling me,” he whispered at the same time Albedo exclaimed, “Wait did you say you’re bi?!”

They looked at each other for a moment then laughed. Albedo grabbed his hand, apparently not uncomfortable with the fact that Kaeya was into guys as well.

Even if he was pan, Kaeya expected Albedo to tone down their physical contact. But he didn’t, and Kaeya was immensely grateful. He hummed contently, then said, “I guess it’s true that queers travel in packs.”

Albedo took back his hand and smacked Kaeya’s arm. His shaking shoulders and barely contained laughter gave him away though.

Gods…what Kaeya would give up for moments like this. Albedo had saved him, made him feel cared about and understood. He showed him the music that gave him the courage to try and get better. He helped him get better.

It was times like this that Kaeya wished there were more of.

Times when he got to see Albedo be truly himself. He felt like Albedo had been hiding something for a while now, maybe he would feel more comfortable now that he had come out.

Kaeya did. Gods…it felt amazing. He almost cried. Almost. But he held back his tears to wipe Albedo’s.

The latter mumbled an apology, but Kaeya was quick to tell him there was nothing to apologize for.

“Thank you,” Albedo said finally.

“What for?”

“For accepting me, I guess. It means more than you could imagine. I thought you wouldn’t believe me…”

“Hey, ‘Bedo, look at me. I will always support you. Always. And I know how hard it is to accept stuff like this. You're always worried you’re too young. But if I learned anything from my own realization, it’s that you're never too young. Never, you hear me?”

Albedo nodded with a shaky laugh. “Archons, I’m so glad to have someone like you in my life, you absolute bi disaster.”

Kaeya sat up. “Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”

Albedo sat up as well, the serious mood starting to die down. “Come on Kae, you really thought I wouldn’t notice you having an internal meltdown over which sibling to simp over in that anime we were watching yesterday?”

“Oh shut up! You were totally making heart eyes at literally every character.”

“At least I didn’t look like I was making a life or death decision.”

“Hey—”

Albedo is an idiot. An idiot.

Kaeya should have been surprised to find him passed out on the kitchen counter, but he wasn’t. That's the sad part, now 17, Albedo had a bad habit of pulling all-nighters to “find the truth of the world”. A.k.a, he liked to stay up reading and doing small chemistry experiments. Now, as much as Kaeya supported his desire for knowledge, he did not appreciate Albedo sacrificing his health for it.

Albedo would always say it was fine, that it wasn’t affecting him. Kaeya knew it was bullshit. Albedo lived with a constant headache and sometimes randomly passed out. You can see how that would be concerning.

Kaeya did his best to help, but there wasn’t much he could do. He tried to stay over as much as possible to help pull Albedo away from his studies and get some sleep (much to Alice’s appreciation), but he couldn’t stay over every day. Even when he did stay overnight, it took a lot of tea and coaxing to get Albedo to fall asleep.

There’s also the slightly awkward factor of realizing that Albedo slept better when he was with Kaeya. As in...in the same bed. Cuddling.

However, Kaeya didn’t mind much. He wasn’t going to complain about getting to hold Albedo so intimately.

It embarrassed Albedo endlessly though.

And so, that’s why this sight was (unfortunately) not uncommon.

Alice giving Kaeya a key to her house so he could check up on her sleep deprived adopted son while she was away was definitely a surprise, but not an unwelcome one. If he could do anything to help, he would.

With a sigh, he bent down and gently tapped Albedo’s shoulder. It took a few tries, but eventually, he stirred. Kaeya almost felt bad for waking him, but he wanted to make sure he was okay.

“Morning, sunshine,” he whispered.

The “sunshine” was a sort of inside joke. Since Albedo liked to stay up until the sun shone, Kaeya threatened to call him sunshine until he got into a regular sleep schedule. Albedo did not, so Kaeya kept the nickname.

Albedo groaned a bit, but sat up, rubbing his eyes. “What time is it?” He asked.

“Don’t worry about it,” Kaeya responded. “Let’s just get you to bed, okay?”

“Kaeya, just tell me the time please.”

“Are you doing something today, sunshine?”

“No, but—”

Kaeya put a hand on his back, and said, “Then I don’t want to hear it. You are going to bed, and getting some rest. You need it.”

Albedo sighed, but resigned to his fate. He stood up slowly and walked over to his bedroom.

Kaeya followed suit, making sure to put a finger up to his lips in a shushing gesture when they passed Klee’s room. She nodded, and Kaeya smiled at her.

When they arrived in Albedo’s room, the latter burrowed himself under the blankets. He must have been really tired, he would normally make a beeline for his desk. Kaeya wasn’t sure if he was glad that Albedo went straight to bed, or concerned about it.

Even after months of sharing a bed as often as possible, it still felt weird for him to climb under the covers with Albedo.

For fucks sake, they’re almost adults! Kaeya should be over this awkwardness. But hey. If it ended with Albedo asleep on his chest, he really, really did not mind suffering through the first bit of nerves.

As usual, it was kind of uncomfortable at first, both trying to find a decent position that wasn’t just Kaeya holding Albedo tightly. Which is how it always ended, Kaeya wasn’t sure why they tried to fight it anymore.

And yes, Albedo eventually fell asleep. Kaeya was…incredibly relieved. Sometimes he wouldn’t be able to sleep after passing out for a bit, and stayed up until ungodly hours of the night (morning) with his newfound energy.

Feeling Albedo’s soft breathing even out on his neck was something Kaeya adored. Moments like these made him feel like maybe this was something he could have.

I made him feel like he was something other than a friend to the one in his arms. He knew it wasn’t true, and he knew it was rude of him to feel this way while Albedo was slowly killing himself out of exhaustion. But he couldn’t deny the way his heart fluttered in his chest.

Small things like Albedo subconsciously pressing his head deeper into Kaeya’s chest, or grabbing onto his shirt, made Kaeya want to stay like this forever.

What a shame it is, to have someone who you love more than anything be so close to you, yet have them not see you in a light that is anything but platonic.

Albedo dragged him out of a dark hole, and he could never repay him enough for that. Archons…if Albedo asked him to burn down the world, he would do it without hesitation and with the finest oil and matches he could find.

It scared him, sometimes. The effect Albedo had on him. A single smile could set his heart aflame and make him do the wildest things.

In theory, he knew this much thinking was bad for his sanity. However, he had to milk these moments for all they were worth. He started to gently stroke Albedo’s hair, noticing all the tangles.

Kaeya did his best to comb them out with his fingers, but he too, eventually gave in to sleep.

—

Waking up together had a 50/50 chance of being incredibly domestic and soft, or being an awkward disaster. Thankfully, the next morning was the former.

Kaeya woke up before Albedo, and looked out the window to see light. Truth be told, even he hadn’t checked the time he had arrived at Albedo’s house, so he wasn’t sure how long they were asleep.

Kaeya would’ve loved to admire Albedo’s sleeping features, but his face was now buried into the crook of Kaeya’s neck.

He’d woken up in Albedo’s bed plenty of times before, but it was always odd. Albedo’s room was as familiar to him as his own, but waking up there with its tenant asleep on him made it feel different.

Thankfully, it was a Saturday so Kaeya didn’t have to wake up Albedo. Sometimes, he felt like a mix of a father and a concerned boyfriend, which was weird, considering he was neither of the two.

But feeling Albedo stir in his arms, and feeling his lips accidentally brush against his collarbone for a moment as he raised his head made him wish that he was one of those things.

Albedo’s eyes rose to meet his, still clearly with sleep. “Good morning, Kaeya,” he muttered.

He didn’t seem fazed by the fact that they were currently cuddling in his bed. He never did. Only the slight red tint to his ears that only Kaeya would notice gave him away.

It brought a small smile to Kaeya’s lips, knowing he made Albedo flustered.

Albedo was quick to point it out. “What’s with the smile?”

Kaeya decided to take a risk. “You’re very pretty,” he stated.

The small flush spread down to Albedo’s cheeks. “I sincerely doubt I look nice at this hour of the morning when I haven’t even combed my hair.”

“You always manage to look nice, sunshine. It’s unfair to the lot of us that have to go through such pains to lookbpresentable.”

“Don’t be dramatic, and are you ever going to let go of that nickname? People at school are starting to ship us more than Jean and Lisa. I heard there’s about 200 dollars from just our home room in the pot right now for them.”

Kaeya gave a small laugh. “Jokes on them, they’ve been together for months. Lisa just wanted to screw with people and see how far they could take it.”

“I knew it!” Albedo exclaimed. “I think I just earned Sucrose 100 dollars.”

“How much money is there for us?” Kaeya asked, curiosity finally taking over.

Albedo contemplated for a moment before saying, “I’m not completely sure, but I think around 150? I’m homeroom at least.”

“That’s a lot of money.”

“Yeah, I don’t understand this school’s obsession with shipping. They see things that aren’t there.”

The words caused a sharp pang in Kaeya’s chest, but he hid it well. “We are literally cuddling in your bed right now, I call you sunshine in public, and as you have so kindly pointed out before, I’m clingy. I’m not sure their beliefs are unfounded.”

Albedo stayed silent for a moment, before breaking into a fit of small laughter, holding Kaeya tighter and burying his face into his neck once more.

“Hey!” Kaeya was laughing too now. “Why are you laughing?”

“You’re laughing too. And you’re just so…you. I don’t know, am I not allowed to find things funny?”

“I rarely see you laugh anymore,” Kaeya whispered. “It’s nice.”

Albedo stopped his laughter to look at Kaeya. “I stopped laughing?”

“Yeah, you did. Everyone’s been so worried about you…”

“Oh…I didn’t mean to concern anyone. I’ve just been tired, I’m sorry.”

Kaeya stroked his hair softly, loving how Albedo melted into it rather than pushing him away. “Don’t apologize. Especially not to me. I just want to help you, in any way I can. I—”

He stopped himself. What was he about to say? Love you? Only want the best for you? There wasn’t a sure way to tell, but he decided it wasn’t worth the risk.

Albedo teasingly poked his arm. “It almost sounds like you're in love with me, Captain.”

Ah. Captain was another inside joke, referring to the time Kaeya swore he was a cavalry captain in a past life.

Maybe it was a bad time. Maybe it was the best. You never know until you just do it, right?

Kaeya wasn’t sure he would get another chance like that one again, but he also didn’t want to mess up the comfy mood he and Albedo had crafted. Although…it felt like taking advantage of Albedo if he let himself hold him like this, even when he was aware of his feelings.

Honesty is the best policy, as his father used to say.

“I am,” he agreed. “I am in love with you. I have been since we were…kids probably. I’m surprised it took you this long to figure it out.”

He braced himself to be shoved off the bed, but that didn’t happen. Instead, Albedo let out a sigh of…relief? Then a shaky laugh. “Thank the archons,” he muttered, “I was worried I was imagining it. One-sided affection would have been horrible.”

Back up, back up, back up. Was that implying what Kaeya thought it was?

“Albedo I swear to the gods if this is a prank, or if you’re just playing with me—” Kaeya didn’t get to finish his sentence, because Albedo cupped his face in his hands and said, “It’s not a joke, or a prank, or anything. I love you Kaeya Alberich. This is a really fucking weird time to admit it, but I love you. Too, I guess.”

Kaeya was having trouble breathing.

Albedo, for his part, only smirked. Kaeya didn’t know he had it in him.

“Can I kiss you?” Albedo asked.

Kaeya nodded without hesitation. “Yes. Yes. Definitely, please d—”

His sentence was cut short by Albedo pressing their lips together.

Turns out there was well over 150 dollars on them getting together. Lisa got the majority of it, which came as a surprise to no one.

What did come as a surprise though, was the stunningly little that changed between Albedo and Kaeya.

Sure, they kissed now, but that was really the only difference. Oh, and Kaeya’s tendency to spout poetry at random times.

He took a writing class with Venti once and decided it would be a good idea to test out his “poems” on Albedo.

Sometimes, they were nice. Things like “fire is most beautiful when it comes from the stars.” But other times, it was… it was things like, “Why does the dog chase the cat? Cats, in all their glory, have done nothing to deserve this.” Albedo does not consider that poetry.

However, on the rare occasion that Kaeya made a good poem, he would read it out loud to Albedo and Klee. It made Klee endlessly happy that they were dating, actually.

She said she could have “two big brothers now!”

They weren’t sure how to respond, but Kaeya gave an awkward laugh, and said maybe someday.

Someday, huh? Albedo had waited years to be considered Kaeya’s lover; he could wait a few more years to stay with him forever.