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A boy showed up one night at the doorstep of an adventurer in Mondstadt, with a single letter of a known alchemist.
"Good evening, my deepest apologies to disturb you this late, I am Albedo, an apprentice of the alchemist Rhinedottr. Master told me to come to this place and give you this letter."
Alice took the letter invited the young boy in. She read the contents of the letter her old friend made after years of no contact.
The letter said that due to a great discovery the famous alchemist found, the alchemist gave a mission to her apprentice. The alchemist left her apprentice to the great adventurer to give him her assistance and a place for him to live and do his research.
"So Rhine said that you'll need a laboratory... And not one of a size that a civilian could build, either. Hmm..." If it's required to be that big, then the easiest one to get it is only from that place. "I know!"
And that's how Albedo became the Chief Alchemist of the Knights of Favonius.
-✾-
It wasn't easy at first, but Albedo slowly getting used to Mondstadt's civilian. He may seem cold, but it's just his introverted personality, he just enjoyed being alone. But if there's anyone that needed his help, he would do it.
Years after, Alice became pregnant. And Klee was born.
"Say hello, Albedo. This is my daughter, Klee. She's cute isn't it? She looks just like me. Treat her like a sister, okay?"
The woman smiled lovingly at the little one curling in her mother's arm. The baby was sleeping, her cheeks were red and puffy. It was truly facinating for Albedo. He has never felt any emotions and never felt that it's important.
But looking at the sight in front of him, his chest felt warm.
-✾-
Alice's daughter had grown up to be a curious child, as soon as she learned how to talk, she would sometimes bother people everyone her. Nevertheless, the people around her loves her. Because of that, Klee is very comfortable with everyone.
"Being the sister of the genius alchemist must be cool!"
Even so, there's still something that makes Klee felt awkward, and it's from someone that lives with her, Albedo.
Klee thought that Albedo doesn't like her, the blonde boy is always at his laboratory in the Knights of Favonius' Headquarters or in Dragonspine, if he was at home, he'd spend most of his time at his room. She doesn't like a brother like him.
She had tried to approach him several times too such as bringing gifts to him.
"Albedo! Klee brought some pretty stones she found near the lake!"
"...thank you, Klee. Don't bring these again next time."
See? that's how he replied. Does Albedo didn't like what Klee brought? But the little girl had tried bringing other stuffs too, he would say thanks, but then proceed to go to his room right after.
"Mommy, does Albedo hate Klee?"
Alice's eyes widened at her daughter's words. Her cute daughter is sitting on her lap and they were reading a storybook together, the story was about a young boy and her little sister, is that why Klee asked about that?
Her mother could only laugh, "Ahaha! Why do you think so, Klee?"
"Albedo always avoids Klee everytime, and when she gave him gifts, he said not to bring them anymore! He definitely hates Klee!" The small girl complained, pouting.
She has been watching over them, it's funny looking at them both. Albedo was still awkward around her daughter, and his behaviours makes Klee thinks that he didn't favour her.
Alice turned Klee to face her and caressed her daughter's hair, "Sweetie, Albedo doesn't hate you, he actually cares about you! He's just a bit shy around you."
"...shy?"
Her mother is holding herself back to not squeal, when her daughter's head leaned to the side, "Yes, darling. It's because you're so cute that Albedo still doesn't know how to treat you. You can keep what you've been doing now and he'd warm up to you."
"Really?"
"Yes! But make sure to not danger yourself, Albedo said to not bring those pretty pebbles again from the lake is because it's dangerous hanging around the lake alone. What if you slipped into the lake? Mommy would be very worried."
Her mother's right, back then when Klee was gathering the stones near the lake, it was quite close to the edge, and she's trying to not slip away.
Hearing her mother's words, the little girl nodded her head, "Okay, mommy. Klee will wait."
-✾-
"Mommy will went out for a while, you two stay at home, okay? Don't make any troubles."
A few days later, Alice and her husband went out to go on an adventure together, but she said it will take a while, and they might get home late, so Klee and Albedo had to stay at home together.
Klee pouted, "Aww, mommy, please don't be too late."
Her mother is trying to not scream at her daughter's cuteness, she hold Klee up and kiss her cheeks, "Okay, honey. Mommy will try to go back as fast as possible."
She looks at Albedo and pat his head and gave him a wink, "Be a good brother and take care of Klee, 'kay?"
Later that day when her daughter asked about Albedo wether he hates her, Alice approached him at his room.
"What do you think about my daughter, Albedo?"
"Hmm, how do I say it, Klee's very adventurous, she resembles you a lot in many ways. She's very small and..." Albedo paused for a while, he just can't find the right word for it.
"Adorable?" Alice added.
"...Yes, I think it's the right word." Adorable, the little girl is definitely a cute one. Albedo always felt warm in his chest everytime Klee approached him, giving him gifts from her adventures.
Alice laughed. Albedo looks at her weirdly.
"Do you hate her? Because my daughter says so."
Albedo's eyes widened, he stands up abruptly, "N-no, there's no way that I hate her!" Why is he so worked up all of a sudden? Thinking that he would hate a little girl like Klee, he couldn't imagine it.
Alice laughed a bit more, "Why don't you tell her about it? You know, people won't know how you feel and would think otherwise if you didn't show or tell anything about it. Don't hold back around us either, we're family after all."
Family. That's what they are, to think that Alice had considered him as her own son already, he would always felt his chest warmed up again everytime he thought about that word.
"Yes, I'll do my best. Have a safe trip."
-✾-
When the couple left, Klee looks up at the young boy that's way taller than her. She hesitates for a while, playing with Dodoco's ear for a bit.
"What are you going to do now, Albedo?"
"I'm going to do some research in my room for a while, then I'll cook for lunch later," He looks down at her, "...You can come in to my room too, if you want."
That's a first, Klee is surprised at what Albedo said. It's the first time he said such long sentence to her, he even asked something to her. The little girl beamed, "Yes, I will!"
-✾-
Klee sits on his bed and plays with her plushie Dodoco that her mother made, while Albedo is writing something on his book at his desk.
The little girl got bored playing with Dodoco and looks around the room. Albedo's room is very tidy, matching his personality. His bed was neatly made, the books are organized on the racks. His desk is a bit messy though, papers are scattered everywhere, some of the books were just stacked and set aside. There are some bottles of vials and some test tubes sitting on the test tube rack at his desk.
The liquid in one of the test tube is showing a pretty color of orange. It's interesting, Klee thought, she wanted to have a closer look. Her hand reaching to the test tube.
Crash!
Albedo jolted up at the sound of glass breaking, he turned around and saw Klee standing near a broken test tube, the liquid the test tube splattered everywhere and some are on her feet.
"Klee? What happened?"
Klee looks back at Albedo, her hands trembling. She was scared if Albedo is going to get angry at her and he will hate her more. She was curious of the peculiar liquid inside, it was her fault that the test tube slipped from her hand and fell. Tears welled up in her eyes.
"Uh... uh... K-Klee was curious about the orange water inside the bottle so she took it, but then the bottle fell and broke-" The little girl clenched the ends of her dress, trying to explain herself while holding back herself from crying.
But even so, she failed to hold back her tears from falling, "Klee's sorry that she broke the bottle... please don't hate Klee!" And so she wept, knees on the floor, her hands forming a fist and tried to wipe her unending tears.
"No! K-Klee, please don't cry," Albedo was surprised and the crying child. Seeing the little girl cry make him feel pain in his chest. He quickly took her off the ground, away from the broken glass pieces. Albedo put her on the edge of his bed and wiped Klee's tears with a handkerchief, "Please don't cry, Klee. I'm not angry at you."
The child's sobbing calmed down after hearing the young boy's words, "... You're not angry at Klee?"
"Yes, I was worried if you're hurt anywhere. Fortunately, the liquid inside the tube was just sunsettia juice." Albedo took out some towels from the drawer and wiped the liquid that's on her feet. The poor girl must be panicking when the tube broke, and just as Alice said, Klee has been thinking that he hates her.
"I don't hate you either, Klee. I'm sorry if my actions made you think so," The blond youth added. "That time when you brought some stones from the lake, I was happy that you brought them for me."
"Then why did Albedo told Klee to not bring those again?"
"I was... worried. You were alone when picking up those stones, I'm afraid if you slipped and fell into the lake. I don't want you to get in trouble when you're trying to give me gifts."
It's exactly the same as what her mother said. So her mother was right, he didn't hate Klee all this time, he asked to not bring gifts because he was worried.
"But Albedo always avoided Klee most of the time, why is that?"
"That was because..." Albedo sighs and rubbed the back of his neck, it was embarrassing to admit it.
"I don't know how to act when you're around. Having a little sister is very new to me, I'm afraid that you'll feel uncomfortable with me, that's why I tried to keep our conversations short." He also felt his chest getting warm everytime he see her, it almost felt ticklish. He tried to know what those feelings are first. "To think that it made Klee feel hated... I'm sorry. I didn't hate you at all, really."
"So Albedo doesn't hate Klee..." The little girl mumbled. He just didn't know how to act with her around. Is that why her mother told her to keep approaching him? So he could get used to being with her?
If that's what she needs to do, she will do it gladly.
"Klee forgives Albedo. Klee doesn't hate Albedo too!"
"You don't?"
"Yeah!" The little girl hugged her brother. Albedo got startled by the sudden contact. He hesitantly put his arms around her too, the warmth in his chest is getting warmer.
But that warmth doesn't feel so bad at all.
-✾-
"Kids? We're hooomme!!"
Alice sang from the entrance, she walked into the living room and gasped at the sight in front of her.
"Oh Archons! Dear, Look at them!"
At the sofa in the living room, a blonde boy was asleep, a storybook was open and sat on his lap. His sister was sleeping in his arms, a smile plastered on her face.
-✾-
Since that day, Albedo has been trying his best to be a good brother for Klee. It was awkward at first, but slowly he's starting to get a hang of it. It didn't took him that long and he was used to be around Klee. Alice and her husband would often went out on adventures, sometimes it's for days. But Klee wasn't worried anymore because she's super happy being around Albedo.
"So you're waiting for Albedo, The Chief Alchemis of The Knights of Favonius?" A guard in front of The Knights of Favonius' Headquarters asked.
The little girl in front of him beamed, "Yes! We're going to go on an adventure today! He said he's going to put some things in his laboratory!"
"It's must be nice to be the little sister of the genius alchemist, huh?"
"Yeah! Albedo is the best brother in the whole world!"
A young boy went out of the headquarters' building, he approached the guard that was talking with the little girl, "What were you two talking about?"
"Hehe! We're talking about what Klee's going to do later with Albedo!"
Albedo smiled at her, he decided that he would learn about the weird feelings in his chest as he go on living his life, he will know about it sooner or later. Just like a long term experiment. "I see, shall we go then?"
Klee jumped, "Yes, let's go!"