Work Text:
Kaeya hadn’t meant to be nosy, really.
Just this once he truly hadn’t. He knew he could be persuasive, but he considered it a blessing whenever Albedo showed him his sketchbook. If he decided to go through it unwarranted, he’d risk losing that privilege, which wasn’t quite something he was willing to do.
And yet, the scribbled down initials he’d caught a glimpse of refused to leave his mind.
Albedo had overworked himself for the umpteenth time, having fallen asleep face-first on his sketchbook, and just as Kaeya had moved closer to carry him to their bedroom instead, his eyes had landed on the abandoned page.
K.K.
Encircled in a heart like some love-struck teenager.
Last time Kaeya checked, his last name was Alberich.
K.A.
Even if Albedo had been unintentionally cruel and written down the last name of the family he’d been disowned from, that would still be R, not K.
Who the fuck was this K.K. and why did they think they had a right to Albedo’s heart?
After putting his boyfriend to bed like he’d intended in the first place, Kaeya couldn’t stop himself from flipping through Albedo’s sketchbook to try and make sense of things. Surely there must have been some other explanation? Albedo was the kind of guy to be upfront about what he was thinking. If he’d grown bored of being with Kaeya, painful as that thought may be, he’d have said something.
…Right?
Unfortunately for Kaeya, this sketchbook suggested otherwise.
K.K.
The initials were scribbled down on several more pages, as well as “A.A.”, with a question mark behind it.
Were there not just one, but two people Albedo had taken an interest in instead of him?
The thought alone made Kaeya’s heart sink so far down he feared it might not be possible to retrieve it.
Why did everyone always grow tired of him eventually?
Out of all people, he’d have expected Albedo to understand. To not leave, like his family had done twice already. Of course he had a right to break up with him if he saw it fit, but not like this.
Kaeya hoped the sound of Albedo’s sketchbook clattering against the wall wouldn’t wake him up, and quietly moved to curl up on the couch. A sudden wave of exhaustion overcame him, though he refused to sleep in the same bed as someone who might walk out on him the very next day.
He couldn’t do this. Not again. Not with Albedo.
Not with the first person he’d dared to open up his heart for in years.
Kaeya didn’t know how much longer his mind kept providing doom scenarios. All he knew was that he eventually fell into an exhausting, dreamless slumber.
‘Are you alright?’ Albedo’s voice woke Kaeya up the following morning.
It was a stupid question. If he’d been alright, he wouldn’t have slept on the couch. He was as exhausted as he’d been when he’d gone to sleep in the first place.
‘What do you think?’ Kaeya huffed, sitting up and groaning in pain as his joints cracked and popped. Maybe this hadn’t been such a great idea after all.
Still, rather a few sore muscles than a broken heart, he supposed.
‘What happened?’ Albedo asked softly, sitting down next to him. The moment he touched the fabric of the couch however, Kaeya stood up.
‘Who’s K.K.?’
He could see Albedo blink in confusion a few times, before stifling a laugh.
A laugh.
Was this somehow funny to him?
‘That’s what you’re worried about?’ Albedo asked, eyeing him amusedly. ‘That’s why you slept on the couch? Because of he initials in my notebook?’
‘Well who’s initials are they?’ Kaeya asked, crossing his arms. ‘You drew a heart around them.’
‘I did.’
‘So?’
At that, Albedo sighed, standing up to be slightly closer to him in height.
‘Kaeya, what’s the closest thing I have to a last name?’
‘Kreideprinz.’ Kaeya answered without hesitation. It was an obvious answer, but it didn’t solve the issue at hand. Albedo Kreideprinz. A.K. ‘That’s the title your master gave you.’
‘Correct. Now try thinking of someone who’s first name starts with a K…and a situation in which a person would take someone else’s last name.’
‘I mean, there’s adoption, but you know that after what happened I don’t-…oh.’
Oh.
‘You didn’t look at what was drawn on the pages aside from the initials?’ Albedo asked him, taking a cautious step closer.
He hadn’t.
Of course he hadn’t, he’d been to focussed on the suspicious initials. Too focussed on that one little thing that changed meaning entirely when paired with proper context.
He quickly moved to pick up the abandoned sketchbook from the floor, flipping through it with more focus this time.
Only now did he realize what a fool he had been.
K.K. and A.A.
Kaeya Kreideprinz and Albedo Alberich.
Albedo had been sketching engagement ring designs.
His cheeks flushed red in embarrassment, his hands starting to absentmindedly try and straighten out the wrinkled papers.
‘I’m sorry.’ he mumbled, feeling like an utter fool. ‘I’m sorry.’
He’d overreacted.
He’d overreacted, and ruined something Albedo had worked so hard on. He’d messed up, like he always did, like he always—
‘Hey.’ Albedo murmured, hesitantly wrapping his arms around him. It was a loose embrace, easy enough for Kaeya to slip out of if the touch made him uncomfortable, but reassuring enough to snap him back to the present.
Kaeya clung to it like a lifeline.
‘It’s okay.’ Albedo told him. Now with the confirmation that Kaeya wanted to be held, he tightened his embrace, holding on to him while gently rubbing circles into his back. ‘It’s not your fault.’
‘I assumed something horrible.’ Kaeya whispered, burying his face in the other’s shoulder. ‘You don’t deserve that.’
‘It’s fine.’ Albedo spoke softly. ‘It was late. Exhaustion can make your thoughts spiral and force you to overthink. And with your past experiences, I don’t blame you for being cautious.’
‘But you’re not them.’ Kaeya mumbled.
‘I’m not them.’ Albedo agreed. ‘I’m not going anywhere, but that doesn’t mean your fear of me doing so is any less valid. It’s okay.’
It was quiet for a moment then, the only sound being that of Kaeya trying to calm down his breathing.
‘Are you still going to propose?’ Kaeya eventually murmured.
‘Right now?’
‘No, no, please no, I’m too much of a mess already, just-…soon…?’
‘Soon.’ Albedo promised him.
Perhaps then, Kaeya would grow to love the initials “K.K.” and “A.A.” after all.