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Kaeya was tired of being in his office, but not in the mood to wander the city alone. He mentally flicked through the people who might be available to join him, debating the merits of seeking out Bennett for a training session with the boy or Fischl to hear her latest intel. Neither of those sounded appealing, he wasn’t in the mood for work right now, or anything too physical. He just didn’t want to sit still right now, and he definitely didn’t want to look at another expense report.
Glancing up at the clock, he wondered what Albedo was up to. He had been not so subtly flirting with the other man for months, but Albedo either hadn’t noticed or wasn’t interested. He hadn't actually said anything to discourage Kaeya either though, so Kaeya hadn’t stopped. Stretching, Kaeya supposed there was no harm in visiting the alchemist’s lab. It was always somewhat interesting to see what he and Sucrose were doing in there anyway. Sucrose’s plants were easier for Kaeya to understand than the things Albedo usually was working on, but he loved to listen to the alchemist talk about his projects anyway.
There was always a small chance that Klee would be in the lab as well, and she always cheered Kaeya up when he was feeling restless and aimless like this. Even just the thought of seeing Albedo was already perking him up though. He picked up his pace, heading for the lab and hoping he wouldn’t find an ‘experiment in progress’ sign on the door. The door was open as he approached, a good sign that Albedo wasn’t doing anything particularly important.
He picked up his pace and was pleased to find Albedo alone in the lab. It was always easier to coax him away if Sucrose wasn’t there to distract him with ideas about the things they were working on. She could come up with a thousand inquiries that branched from one simple idea, her curiosity boundless, and Albedo encouraged it. Some days Kaeya liked to listen, other days the threads of her curiosity were more of a tangle than he cared to unravel.
Albedo did not immediately notice Kaeya, quietly sketching the carefully labeled plants Sucrose had set aside for the day. Kaeya came up behind him and looked over his shoulder as he drew, and Albedo turned his head to look up at him after a moment.
“Most people knock,” he pointed out. Kaeya laughed.
“I thought we were beyond that stage by now. Aren’t we friends?” He wished they were something more than friends, but since Albedo had never given him any kind of sign he supposed the interest was doomed to remain one-sided. “Sucrose doesn’t knock.”
“Sucrose works here. You don’t.” The remark was just Albedo being Albedo, but it still hurt. Kaeya brushed it off and moved on to the actual reason he’d come.
“Are you too busy to spare some time for a walk?” He knew better than to ask ‘are you busy,’ because Albedo’s answer to that was always ‘yes.’ Albedo glanced at the sketchpad, looked speculatively out the window, and then turned his gaze on Kaeya.
“I can walk with you.” He stood and tucked the sketchbook away, dusting a small amount of potting soil off the back of his jacket. That was one hazard of Sucrose’s many plants, there always seemed to be potting soil on every surface. She was constantly planting new cuttings and moving older ones about from container to container. Albedo looked as if he was waiting for Kaeya to take the lead, so Kaeya did, heading out of the lab.
“I was thinking the park on the terrace below might be a nice place to walk,” Kaeya suggested. “Or we can go somewhere further away if you like.” He would gladly spend as long in Albedo’s company as the alchemist allowed. “Maybe watch the sunset from the cliff at the top of the city?” Albedo glanced out the window again.
“Sunset won’t be for a bit,” he pointed out. “The terrace park is fine.” Kaeya supposed it had been too much to hope that Albedo would set aside the rest of the afternoon for him. He was happy enough with a stroll through the park together though. Heading down the stairs and out from the headquarters with a brief nod to the two knights stationed outside, Kaeya paused.
There were two ways to get down to that park. When he and Diluc had been younger, they tended to opt for the quicker of the two routes, which was to cut through the grass beside the headquarters and simply drop over the wall onto the terrace below. There were even some sturdy vines at one point along the wall for people who were unwilling to drop the full distance, as Jean had always been when she joined the brothers. He still typically preferred that method if he went out for a break, that park was the closest green space to the headquarters and his time was usually limited.
The other path would ensure Albedo spent more time with him simply by virtue of being a longer route. They would need to go down and around instead, taking the flight of stairs down to the next level of the city and following the streets until they wound back to where the park was. Kaeya started toward the stairs without offering the quicker alternative and Albedo followed. He did actually enjoy this route, he just rarely had the luxury of enough time to indulge in it. He had already resigned himself to playing catch up on the paperwork he was skipping tonight the moment he left his office, so he might as well make the most of his free evening.
Albedo seemed content to walk in silence, making no effort to start a conversation. That was not unusual for him though, he typically let other people come to him, and Kaeya was no exception. Kaeya wondered if there was anyone Albedo might seek out first, aside from perhaps the Traveler. Maybe Klee or Sucrose, but they came to him so frequently that he wouldn’t need to seek them. Either way, Kaeya hadn’t called him out here to walk in silence.
“What are you working on these days?” he asked, hoping to prompt the alchemist into an extended description. He loved to hear Albedo talk, particularly when it was a subject Albedo was interested in.
“The same project as three days ago,” Albedo answered. “Not much has changed in our progress since your last visit to the lab.” Kaeya wondered if it bothered Albedo that he visited so much. Neither he nor Sucrose had ever said anything to discourage Kaeya’s frequent visits, but he doubted Sucrose would speak up even if she was uncomfortable. Kaeya thought that Albedo likely would speak on her behalf if she didn’t want the Cavalry Captain to continue spending any free time he managed to find for himself in their lab. The fact that he hadn’t was encouraging, in a ‘no news is good news’ sort of way.
Kaeya cast about for another line of conversation, wondering why his quick wit and silver tongue always seemed to abandon him when Albedo was near. He spotted a cat sunning itself on a ledge as they passed the fountain in the plaza of the Grand Goth Hotel. Pointing it out to Albedo, he asked if Albedo was a cat person. The alchemist said he had no particular feelings one way or another about pets, which didn’t really surprise Kaeya.
“I like cats well enough,” Kaeya told him. “I’ve never kept one, but I’ll feed the strays when they hang around.” Albedo didn’t respond aside from a thoughtful hum. “I suspect Klee would love it if I got a cat.” That prompted a small smile from Albedo, and Kaeya’s heart leapt at the sight. Albedo was so beautiful when he smiled, he wished the alchemist would do so more frequently. He commented as much, but Albedo didn’t answer. Kaeya wondered if that was one borderline flirty comment too many.
They walked the rest of the way to the park in silence, Kaeya quietly berating himself for apparently stepping over the invisible lines Albedo had drawn. Albedo paused and knelt to look at one of the flowers in the beds that decorated the garden, gingerly rubbing a leaf between his finger and his thumb. Watching him, Kaeya supposed he was thinking of Sucrose and her plants. He was likely just an afterthought to Albedo. He wondered why Albedo had even humored him by agreeing to come walking with him.
Kaeya left Albedo by the flowerbed, throwing himself morosely onto one of the benches and watching the fountain bubble. Coming outside had initially put him in a good mood, particularly with the company, but then he’d had to go and make a mess of things. How typical of him. Making a mess of things seemed to be his specialty, when it came to people he cared about. At least Albedo hadn’t attacked him. Yet.
He heard Albedo approach, but the alchemist was on his blind side. Kaeya didn’t turn his head as Albedo sat down, keeping his gaze on the fountain. From the sound of it, Albedo had brought his sketchbook along and was drawing now. At least Albedo was getting something out of this walk, even if he had to put up with Kaeya’s company. Kaeya wondered if he should withdraw the arm that was draped over the bench behind Albedo; he had been rather sprawled out when Albedo had joined him.
Albedo leaned back against the bench and his shoulders were pressed against Kaeya’s arm now. The fact that he didn’t say anything made Kaeya wonder if he’d even registered the contact. He sat frozen, uncertain if moving his arm would draw Albedo’s attention in a negative way. Turning his head slightly, he could see Albedo’s sketchbook, loosely settled on his lap as he drew. The alchemist was sketching the fountain in front of them, and Kaeya turned his head a bit more to get a better look at the drawing. Albedo was both skilled and quick in his work, his pen dancing across the page and the fountain seeming to bloom forth almost like a flower.
“Do you like it?” Albedo asked, startling Kaeya. He hadn’t realized Albedo had noticed him watching. If Albedo hadn’t wanted Kaeya to see, he probably wouldn’t have sat next to him. There were several other benches with a good view of the fountain.
“You’re a good artist,” Kaeya told him, turning his head enough to actually see Albedo’s face. Albedo was looking directly at him, and Kaeya caught his breath as he was pinned by those brilliant teal eyes.
“That doesn’t answer my question. Do you like it?” Albedo repeated. Kaeya shifted enough on the bench that he could properly face Albedo, wondering why Albedo had chosen the blind side if he was going to engage Kaeya. Did he not like to make eye contact when he talked to people? That didn’t seem quite right, as he was definitely making eye contact with Kaeya now. Kaeya realized he was letting the silence stretch a little too long.
“It’s very nice,” he said, glancing down at the drawing again. “An accurate and precise image. I suppose I do like it.” He liked it because Albedo was the one who had drawn it. It wasn’t the sort of thing he’d usually give a second glance if he was picking out artwork. His tastes ran more toward what Master Crepus had used to paint, swirls of color and vibrant, bold strokes.
“Do you want it?” Albedo asked. Kaeya raised an eyebrow. The only drawing he had from Albedo was the one the alchemist had scribbled with an annoyed huff when he’d asked to be drawn. It was a silly three line doodle, but Kaeya had kept it, because it was from Albedo. It was tucked in a safe place in his desk, under one of the false bottoms of his drawers to protect it from anyone who might go through his desk for some reason.
“Can I have it?” he asked, despite the fact that Albedo had offered it. The faintest hint of a smile traced over Albedo’s lips briefly.
“If you answer something for me, yes.” Wondering what sort of information Albedo wanted out of him that he would resort to a bribe of sorts, Kaeya agreed with a perplexed nod.
“All right, go ahead. Ask your questions.” Albedo didn’t speak right away, his fingers tracing along the edges of his clipboard. If Kaeya hadn’t known any better, he would have said Albedo was nervous, but he doubted Albedo would have any reason to hesitate when asking him something.
“Why do you keep coming to the lab?”
‘ To see you .’ Kaeya thought, but out loud he said “Your experiments are interesting.” Albedo made a small sound that Kaeya couldn’t decipher.
“Why did you ask me to come walk with you today?”
‘ Because I like your company and want to spend time with you .’ “Because it’s a nice day, it’s a shame to be cooped up indoors.” Albedo’s gaze pinned him down, as if he was trying to lay Kaeya bare and read the thoughts he was withholding.
“Is that really all?” Kaeya had to be imagining the slight tone of disappointment in Albedo’s voice.
‘ No. ’ “Does there need to be some deeper meaning in an invitation to come enjoy the sunshine? You’ve been listening to too many rumors about me, my dear Chief Alchemist.” Albedo was still studying his face, a slight frown creasing his brow.
“You spread those rumors yourself,” Albedo pointed out. Kaeya was surprised Albedo had picked up on that. He did tend to deliberately make his own reputation worse, because if people expected nothing from him in the first place, he wouldn’t let them down. His reputation as a slacker was 90% rumors started by him and 10% pretending to actually be as lazy as he made himself out to be. Jean knew better, and it seemed Albedo had seen through him too.
“Is that so?” he asked, rather than confirming what Albedo had said. Albedo looked down at his sketchbook and didn’t answer, his fingers gripping it slightly tighter now. Kaeya wondered if he’d upset the other man.
“Kaeya, I…” Albedo began, but then he stopped. “Nevermind.” He tore the page from the sketchbook. Kaeya didn’t take it.
“You what?” he prompted. Albedo bit his lip and wouldn’t make eye contact, turning his head to look at the fountain instead of Kaeya.
“It’s nothing.” Kaeya somehow doubted that. “I was just wondering if…” He trailed off again, fingers curling even tighter around the sketchbook, wrinkling the edge of the loose page that Kaeya hadn’t accepted. Albedo took a deep breath, as if to steel himself, and turned his gaze back to Kaeya.
“I was wondering if there was another reason you keep visiting. I’m not very good at picking up social cues but I thought maybe…” He sighed. “I’m sorry, I probably was just being socially inept as usual. I have difficulty reading other’s intentions, and I think I misread yours.” Kaeya felt his pulse quicken at the potential implication of Albedo’s confession.
“Did you want there to be another reason?” Kaeya asked. ‘ There is. There is another reason. ’ He wondered why it was so hard to just admit.
“Maybe.” Albedo’s voice was so small and quiet that Kaeya barely heard it. His pulse jumped again, his chest suddenly tight.
“I visit to see you,” he admitted in a quick rush before he could talk himself out of it. Albedo’s face flashed through several emotions so quickly that Kaeya couldn’t read them, settling on hesitant curiosity.
“Just me?” Albedo asked, his voice still very soft, barely audible over the sound of the fountain. Kaeya thought there was a tiny hint of a hopeful tone in there, but he wondered if that was just him hearing what he wanted to hear. He nodded, afraid to speak in case he said something stupid and scared Albedo away from whatever he appeared to be teetering on the brink of. Albedo swallowed hard and took another deep breath.
“Can I…kiss you?” Of all the things Kaeya had expected to come from Albedo's mouth, that had not been on the list. He stared, flabbergasted, and Albedo quickly backpedaled. “Oh, that’s probably out of line, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t…” Kaeya grabbed his hands as Albedo started to pull away.
“Wait, no, come back. You just caught me off guard.” Kaeya tried to tug Albedo back toward him, trying to reassure the other man that he hadn’t upset him. “I’m sorry, please come back.” Albedo was still very tense, but he stopped pulling away. “I would like it very much if we kissed,” Kaeya told him quietly.
“Oh.” Albedo said softly, and Kaeya wasn’t sure if that was a good response or a bad one. Albedo seemed frozen, and Kaeya was afraid to move too suddenly himself as if the motion might frighten Albedo away.
“Please kiss me,” he urged, keeping his voice low and trying not to sound as eager as he felt in case too much enthusiasm scared Albedo out of moving forward. Albedo tentatively leaned forward, one hand hesitantly reaching toward Kaeya’s face. Kaeya barely dared to breathe as Albedo leaned forward further, tilting his head for a better angle to kiss Kaeya. It was soft and delicate, the barest brush of Albedo’s lips against his own before the alchemist pulled back, looking embarrassed.
“I'm sorry, I’ve never done this before and reading about it isn’t enough to prepare me after all,” he said in a flustered whisper. Kaeya caught him before he pulled away too far, reaching up to cup Albedo’s face as Albedo had done to him a moment earlier.
“It’s fine. You did fine. Can we do it again?” Albedo hesitated, his eyes scanning Kaeya’s face as if he was trying to determine whether Kaeya was just humoring him. Kaeya gave his hand a gentle squeeze to reassure him, and Albedo leaned into his touch, his cheek pressing against the hand Kaeya had placed on his face. Kaeya took that as permission to proceed and leaned in, closing his eye. Albedo leaned forward the smallest bit to meet him, and they kissed again.
There was still hesitancy in Albedo’s kiss, but as Kaeya took the lead he grew more confident, his hand coming up to tangle in Kaeya’s hair. Kaeya eased him into a deeper kiss, hardly daring to believe this was happening. When they broke apart, both breathing a bit harder, Albedo looked slightly dazed. Kaeya wasn’t capable of dreaming, but the look Albedo was giving him made him wonder if he had discovered the ability to dream after all. It was so soft and hopeful, the faintest tinge of pink coloring his pale cheeks.
“That was nice,” Kaeya breathed, still somewhat astonished that this was even happening. Albedo nodded in agreement, squeezing Kaeya’s hand. Kaeya squeezed back, unable to do much more than stare at Albedo, completely entranced by him. “I thought you didn’t like me,” Kaeya confessed. “I thought you were only tolerating my visits to be polite.” Albedo winced slightly at that.
“I apologize for making you feel that way. I am still learning the nuances of this kind of thing.” He swallowed, looking down at their joined hands. “It made me nervous when you visited, because I wanted very much to believe you visited to see me, but you talked just as much to Sucrose as you did to me, and from my past observations, your commentary can often be interpreted as flirting but is rarely sincere.”
“It was sincere when it was directed at you,” Kaeya assured him. Albedo offered him a tentative smile, and Kaeya returned it.
“I do like when you visit.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I’ll be sure to continue to stop by.” A faint flush crept into Albedo’s cheeks again.
“Can we kiss again when you do?” Kaeya chuckled lightly.
“We can kiss whenever you want.” He supposed this did make them more than friends, as he’d been hoping to be for months now. “Do I still have to knock when I visit?” he joked.
“You never do anyway,” Albedo replied, shaking his head slightly, a brief exasperated expression crossing his face. It was quickly replaced by a hopeful expression again. “Whenever I want though?” Kaeya nodded. “Right now?” Albedo prompted, and Kaeya chuckled again, leaning in. Albedo met him halfway, eyes drifting closed.
Kaeya heard a discreet cough and broke off the kiss to discover Goth had wandered into the plaza and seen them. Goth did tend to frequent this plaza a lot, he seemed to enjoy the tranquility of the park. The hotel owner politely averted his eyes and turned to leave, but it was a good reminder that the pair of them were in a very public place. He wondered if Albedo minded other people seeing the two of them kissing.
“Is this ok?” he asked. “People seeing us?” Albedo just blinked up at him.
“Why would it not be ok?”
“Some people prefer to keep relationships discreet,” Kaeya explained. He had been one of those people when it came to past relationships, at least before falling out with Diluc. Diluc had been very overprotective when it came to Kaeya’s partners, so Kaeya had tended to avoid telling his brother for as long as he could get away with it. After they had fought, Kaeya had lost interest in dating, slightly jaded by the closest relationship he had falling apart. Even Jean’s longtime friendship hadn’t really been enough to temper that sting. He hadn’t had any interest in dating again until he’d met Albedo.
Realizing he hadn’t actually confirmed what Albedo expected, he cautiously asked “You did intend for this to be a relationship, right?” Albedo nodded, and Kaeya felt a rush of relief at that confirmation. Glancing down at the sketchbook, he saw that Albedo had damaged the drawing of the fountain even more, the loose page half crumpled. Albedo followed his gaze and sighed.
“Sorry, I suppose I should draw you something else.” Kaeya tugged the wrinkled drawing from under Albedo’s hand as the alchemist attempted to crumple it the rest of the way.
“I’ll keep this one,” Kaeya said, smoothing it out as best he could against his thigh. “You drew it for me.”
“I drew it because it was there.” Kaeya wondered what that was supposed to mean, but Albedo continued. “I wanted to sit with you.”
“Why did you choose the blind side?” Kaeya asked. Albedo flushed slightly.
“I wanted you to turn and look at me, so I could attempt to gauge your interest. You walked away and seemed…bored?” He sounded hesitant, as if uncertain that was the right word.
“You can call it what it was. I was sulking,” Kaeya told him. “Because I thought you didn’t like me, and I’ve been flirting with you for months with no results, and I thought I had upset you.” A tiny smile formed on Albedo's lips.
“The esteemed Cavalry Captain, sulking like a child denied a toy?” Kaeya huffed in annoyance to hear it put that way, but Albedo technically wasn’t wrong. “You didn't upset me. I’m sorry I gave you that impression, I was just nervous. I was trying to figure out how to ask you if you were interested in me.” Kaeya thought he had been pretty obvious about his interest, but apparently not.
“How long have you been interested?” he asked curiously. Albedo looked at the fountain again, worrying the edge of his coat between his fingers.
“A while,” he said softly. “At first I tried to ignore it, because I didn’t know what to do about it. I couldn’t tell if you might be interested back, and it took me some time to work up the courage to ask.”
“I’m glad you didn’t keep trying to ignore it. I had more or less given this up as a doomed, one-sided interest, especially because you’ve been so quiet whenever I visit lately. I thought I had annoyed you too much.” He supposed Albedo had merely been quiet because he was nervous.
“Did you still want to watch the sunset?” Albedo asked quietly. Kaeya wondered if the alchemist hadn’t accepted that option earlier because he had needed to see how things would play out.
“I’d love to. We still have a few hours though. Would you like to go somewhere outside the city? Somewhere with a better view?” They could easily make it up to the cliffs above Springvale, or even go out to Windrise and look toward Falcon coast from under the great tree. Albedo nodded and Kaeya stood, offering the other man a hand to pull him to his feet as well. He tentatively laced his fingers through Albedo’s, checking the alchemist’s face for his reaction. A small, content smile bloomed on Albedo’s lips, and Kaeya felt better than he had in weeks or even months at the sight of it.
“Can we kiss again when we get there?” Albedo asked in a quiet, hopeful voice. Kaeya chuckled.
“You’re insatiable now that you’ve had a taste, hm? I like that.” He squeezed Albedo’s hand lightly as they started to head down toward the city gates. “We can kiss as many times as you like when we get there.” Albedo’s smile grew wider and Kaeya knew he would never get tired of seeing it. He was glad he hadn’t given up on pursuing Albedo, and glad he’d taken the evening off. It was well worth it.