Work Text:
The silence of Dragonspine usually brought Albedo peace while he painted, but today he found it could not quiet his restless mind. He collected his canvas to go find another view, reasoning that perhaps he was just not inspired enough by the current location. While in the past he had painted the same valley in front of his campsite over and over, capturing the light at different times of day, the skeletal remains of his brother laying below could not keep his interest today.
Trekking further up the path, Albedo glanced upward toward the rocky cliffside above him. He wasn’t sure how much actual climbing he wanted to do in search of an appealing view. If he continued too far along this path, it would slope downward again, and the lower slopes tended to be occupied by Fatui. While he could handle his own in a fight, it was much less troublesome to just avoid the camps they had set up. Perhaps he should go the other way along the path instead, up toward the Statue of the Seven. He had not studied the ruins of the ancient palace much.
The light in the ruins would be poor at this time of day, and he would need to collect more torches if he wanted to see enough of the detail to properly record it on his canvas. Albedo glanced up at the cliffside again and sighed. It seemed nothing held much appeal today. He returned to his campsite rather than continue in search of somewhere to paint, tucking the canvas and easel away. It was snowing softly outside, his favorite weather here on the mountain, but even that was not enough to soothe his mind.
Albedo located his sketchbook and flipped it open, staring at the most recent page of sketches. He suspected he knew exactly why none of the mountain’s charms were holding his attention today, he just hadn’t wanted to admit it to himself. The Cavalry Captain’s charming smile greeted him from the page, though the drawing did not capture the sparkle of his eye the way Albedo wanted it to. Albedo had drawn Kaeya at least a dozen times over the past couple days, unable to focus on the research he had intended to come up here for. The soil samples languished untouched on his workstation, and the mint he had picked had wilted, no longer usable.
He wasn’t due back to Mondstadt for at least three more days, but he wanted to see Kaeya. The drawings pulled from his memory were just not the same as capturing what he could see in front of him. He wanted to paint Kaeya, to capture him properly on the canvas. Kaeya had asked Albedo to draw him before, but Albedo had been trying to deny how much he was interested in the other man at the time and gave him a silly doodle to make him go away rather than actually entertaining the request.
Sighing, he closed the sketchbook, dropping his forehead down to rest against his knee as he curled in on himself. There really was no denying that he was attracted to Kaeya. At first he had just brushed it off as an aesthetic interest, because Kaeya was undeniably beautiful. The man was an artist’s dream model, absolutely gorgeous features with long beautiful limbs and attractively sculpted muscles. Even the way he sat and walked was naturally appealing, and Albedo had been watching him with an artist’s eye for a while before he realized there was some deeper interest.
The problem was that if he admitted it to Kaeya, he was afraid the man would never let him hear the end of it. While he would sneak sketches and draw from memory, he did not dare to actually ask Kaeya to model for him. He definitely did not want to return from Dragonspine three days early specifically because he couldn’t get Kaeya off his mind, even if he couldn’t focus enough to do much of anything else. Groaning in annoyance, he slowly came to terms with the fact that he was going to do exactly that. Maybe if he saw Kaeya in person, it would be enough to clear his mind and he would be able to focus on what he actually needed to do.
Albedo wrapped the sketchbook back up and stood to pack what he wanted to take down to the city with him. It was unlikely he would come back up to the campsite for a day or two, and he would need to collect fresh mint when he came back up. He placed the soil samples on the shelves for when he got back, hoping that he would be able to focus then.
The snow was still falling gently as he headed back out of the cave that sheltered his campsite. He turned his face upward, letting the flakes lightly brush across his skin, feeling them melt as they landed on his cheeks and eyelids. Now that he had decided to go back down to Mondstadt, some of his restlessness had dissipated. He let his mind drift to the idea of Kaeya in the snow, idly entertaining the notion of painting the Cavalry Captain here amid the falling flakes. That would be an absolutely beautiful image.
The trip back to the city seemed to go faster than usual, but perhaps it was the fact that he was looking forward to something more than usual. He headed directly toward the knight’s headquarters, intending to check in on Klee before he went in search of Kaeya, but he ran directly into the Cavalry Captain when he opened the front door. It had always struck him as slightly odd that Kaeya left a patch of skin bare on his chest, but as he inadvertently planted his face into it, he couldn’t help thinking that it was rather nice.
“Do you intend to stay there all evening?” Kaeya asked in amusement when Albedo didn’t immediately pull away. Realizing what he was doing, Albedo abruptly stepped back.
“My apologies, Captain Kaeya.” Albedo snuck a glance at the other man, wondering if just this brief encounter would be enough to rid himself of the ridiculous notions that had not let him work on Dragonspine. Instead, it merely made his fingers itch to paint Kaeya more. He seemed to have forgotten just how attractive Kaeya actually was, his mental images not doing the other man justice.
“Hm, I seem to recall telling you just ‘Kaeya’ is sufficient. We are the same rank after all,” Kaeya commented. “Back from Dragonspine already? I take it research went smoother than anticipated?”
“There were some unforeseen complications, unfortunately,” Albedo admitted. One in particular, and that complication was still standing in the way of him going into the building. He realized he was staring and tore his eyes away from Kaeya. “I need to rework some of my calculations and rethink some of the research strategies.”
“Well, if you need a break from all that work, you know where to find me,” Kaeya told him, finally stepping to the side to let Albedo by. Albedo started to walk by, and before he could think any better of it, he stopped and looked back up at the other man.
“Would you mind waiting a moment while I drop my bag off? I will accompany you.” Kaeya gave him an incredulous look, but it was gone in seconds, replaced by a smile so charming that Albedo was dazzled for a moment.
“I will gladly accept your company. Allow me to join you while you head upstairs rather than just waiting here.” Albedo nodded mutely, words momentarily lost as he stared at the curve of Kaeya’s smile and the playful glimmer shining in his starry eye. Kaeya’s eyebrow quirked upward in question when Albedo did not move, and Albedo shook himself out of his stupor to finish walking into the building.
It didn't take him long to set down the minimal items he had brought back from the mountain, though he kept his sketchbook. He informed Kaeya that he wanted to stop by and say hello to Klee, and the other man nodded in understanding. Klee was delighted to see both of her brothers at once, begging them to stay and play with her. Albedo promised he would be back in the morning and spend the day with her. To his surprise, Kaeya promised the same. He supposed he might get more chances to observe Kaeya for reference than he had initially expected.
“So what prompted you to actually accept my invitation for once?” Kaeya asked curiously as he and Albedo headed down through the city. Albedo fumbled for an excuse, as he had accepted on the impulsive desire to see more of Kaeya.
“If I turn you down every time without ever seeing what it is you invite me to, I cannot make a truly informed decision on if I will enjoy it or not.” He stole a small glance at Kaeya before continuing. “With the information I collect this evening, I will better understand if I should continue to turn down future invitations.” Kaeya chuckled.
“Always so calculating.” He put one hand on Albedo’s waist to steer him and the alchemist stiffened slightly. “Relax, I’m just guiding you toward our destination.” Albedo took a steadying breath and forced himself to relax, trying not to focus too much on the feeling of Kaeya’s fingers on his hip. The absurd thought that he wished his jacket wasn’t in the way briefly crossed his mind.
As he had suspected, Kaeya guided him toward a bar. “Angel’s Share?” Albedo commented. “You are predictable, Captain.”
“Just Kaeya,” Kaeya reminded him, leaning in so close for a moment that Albedo forgot to breathe. “I’ll admit, my original purpose of this visit was business, but since you’ve agreed to come along, I suppose it’s just an evening out for fun now.” He guided Albedo inside, hand still on his waist, and Albedo didn’t miss the way his fingers tensed briefly at the sight of the redhead behind the bar. “Ah…it’s not Charles tonight.”
“Is that a problem?” Albedo asked curiously. Kaeya withdrew his hand and Albedo missed the weight on his hip.
“Not a problem, just not as pleasant of a bartender. Let’s head upstairs, shall we?” Albedo did not mind that, he suspected he might be able to sneak a sketch of Kaeya easier up there, as the lighting was slightly more sparse. He nodded in agreement, starting toward the stairs. “I’ll meet you in a moment, pick us a table out. I’ll grab some drinks.”
“Nothing alcoholic,” Albedo instructed. Even if his artificial nature made it difficult for him to get drunk, he was not here to take risks. Kaeya chuckled.
“Spoilsport. I’ll get you something sweet and fruity, but I’m still getting myself alcohol.” Albedo headed upstairs quickly and chose a table where he could see through the railing to watch Kaeya below. His sketchbook was in his lap almost instantly, capturing the way Kaeya leaned onto the counter as he spoke to the redhead behind the bar. The urge that had been eating at him on the mountain seemed to lessen slightly as his pen danced across the page, Kaeya’s figure swiftly captured on the page in several places.
Albedo tucked the sketchbook away as Kaeya disappeared from sight, a drink in either hand. Kaeya was at the top of the stairs a moment later, and set one of the drinks in front of Albedo.
“Non-alcoholic, as ordered. This is called a ‘Snow Covered Kiss.’ Fitting for someone who spends so much time on the mountain, hm?” Albedo tried not to think too deeply into the fact that Kaeya had chosen a drink with the word ‘kiss’ in the name for him.
“And yours?” he asked curiously, though he suspected he already knew. Kaeya’s preferred drink was fairly well known among the knights.
“Death After Noon,” Kaeya confirmed. “Why, did you want a taste?” Albedo shook his head and picked up his own drink instead. He watched the way Kaeya surveyed the tavern below, studying the way the other man slouched slightly as he relaxed in his seat. As Kaeya lifted the glass to his lips, Albedo took advantage of the fact that he was on Kaeya’s blind side to do a quick figure study on his napkin. Even if he wasn’t going to ask Kaeya to model for him, he had accepted the fact that the man was apparently his muse.
“You could just ask, you know,” Kaeya commented, and Albedo jumped.
“What?” he asked, guilt in his voice despite himself.
“I’m not as unobservant as you seem to think I am,” Kaeya said, turning back to fully face Albedo and leaning over to snag the napkin before Albedo had a chance to react. “Hm, not much of an improvement from the doodle you gave me before. Just a figure sketch?”
“It’s a pose study for reference,” Albedo corrected, and immediately realized he’d said too much as a smug smirk curled Kaeya’s lips.
“Reference for a more detailed drawing? Or perhaps a painting?” He slid the napkin back toward Albedo. “If you’d just asked, I’d have been happy to model for you, you know.” Albedo leaned forward and placed his head in his hands, unable to deny anything now that he’d been caught.
“...I can’t stop thinking about painting you,” he admitted, though Kaeya had to lean forward to hear him with how low the alchemist’s voice was. Now he was going to have to deal with Kaeya being insufferably smug and teasing him. The expected self-satisfied tone never came.
“You were thinking about me?” Kaeya’s voice sounded a lot more subdued than Albedo would have guessed. He lifted his face from his palms to look at Kaeya, who was watching him with an expression Albedo couldn’t read.
“Yes. I couldn’t focus on my research because all I could think about was how much I wanted to paint you.” He sighed, crumpling the napkin he’d been drawing on. “I know I shouldn’t be drawing you without your permission.” Kaeya caught his hand before he could pull the napkin away to crumple it further.
“You have my permission.” Albedo blinked at him.
“What?”
“You have my permission. I’ll model for you.” Albedo just stared at him, and Kaeya added “I’m free all day tomorrow, though we did promise to meet Klee in the morning. If you can multitask, you can draw me while we play with her.”
“I want to paint you,” Albedo blurted, cutting off anything further Kaeya might have been planning to say. “I want to have you to myself while I work.” He realized as soon as he said it how awkward that sounded and flushed. “Er, I mean…”
“You can have me to yourself anytime you like,” Kaeya said, a hint of a smirk on his lips again. “No need to use a painting as an excuse.” He dropped the teasing tone and added “If you’d asked, I’d have said yes.”
“Can I paint you now?” Albedo asked, suddenly impatient now that Kaeya had granted permission. He’d been thinking about this for so long, he could barely believe that Kaeya was agreeing with hardly any of the teasing he’d been expecting. Kaeya laughed.
“Done with your drink already?” He drained his own so quickly that Albedo was not certain how he’d managed to swallow it all, setting the empty glass on the table and pushing his chair back to stand. “Let’s go then.”
“Oh,” Albedo said, blinking up at him in surprise. “Yes, ok.” He did drink another gulp from the glass before standing himself, the sweetness of the juice and the smoothness of the milk a pleasant combination. If he ever came back, he would remember this drink and order it again. Kaeya gestured for him to lead the way, collecting the glasses from the table before following Albedo down so that he could leave them on the bar on his way out. It would save Diluc a trip up the stairs.
“Did you have anything in particular in mind for this painting?” Kaeya asked curiously as they left the tavern. Albedo shook his head.
“I have so many ideas that I’m not sure which I want to pursue,” he admitted.
“Well, if you need me for more than one session, I’ll find some time for you.” Albedo nearly missed a step, stumbling up it as he stubbed his toe against it. Kaeya caught him before he could actually fall, tugging him back upright. “I know it’s a generous offer, but I didn’t expect you to fall for me that easily,” he teased.
“I…” Albedo started, but he had no response. His brain slowly processed the phrase ‘fall for me,’ and he realized he had indeed fallen for Kaeya. It wasn’t just an aesthetic attraction, or even an interest in friendship as he’d thought before. “Oh.” Kaeya nudged him lightly to encourage him to start walking again, but he turned on the stairs to face Kaeya instead.
“If I did…what would you say?” Kaeya just stared at him, perplexed by the question.
“If you did what? I already told you I would model for you, and that you could paint me.” Albedo shook his head.
“Not that. If I fell for you.” Kaeya’s eye widened slightly, the star of his pupil blowing a bit larger. He let out a long breath.
“That’s not the sort of thing I’d expect you to joke about Albedo,” he said with an awkward laugh. Albedo frowned.
“It’s not a joke.” He sighed. “I…I think I already did. I suppose that’s why I couldn’t stop thinking about you on the mountain.” The fact that Kaeya had called it a joke made him think he probably shouldn’t say anything further on the subject. “Never mind.”
“No, wait,” Kaeya said, voice low and tight. “You really mean that?” There seemed to be an almost desperate undertone in his voice.
“I came back because I wanted to see you,” Albedo admitted. “Because I couldn’t stop thinking about you and couldn’t focus on my research. I couldn’t paint anything else, all I wanted to paint was you.” Kaeya let out a small disbelieving laugh and Albedo wondered if the other man was about to mock him after all.
“Of all the sorts of confessions I might have imagined, this wasn’t among them,” Kaeya said, his hands finding Albedo’s hands. “I’ve certainly daydreamed a number of scenarios, but I thought I was just being foolish to even think about harboring feelings for you.”
“Oh,” Albedo said eloquently, words deserting him as the meaning of what Kaeya was saying sunk in.
“Albedo, can I kiss you?” Kaeya asked suddenly. Albedo made a small sound in an attempt to accept, but no words came out. He nodded his head instead, and Kaeya’s hand gently cupped his cheek. The other man leaned in, their height difference less noticeable with Albedo standing a stair above him. While this had not been Albedo’s end goal when he had asked to paint Kaeya, it was certainly a pleasant detour along the way. Kaeya’s kiss was soft and warm, tender against his lips.
“...oh,” Albedo breathed again as they seperated. Kaeya’s other hand was still holding one of his own, and he squeezed it lightly, unable to articulate any particular thought at the moment.
“We’re blocking the stairs,” Kaeya informed him with a low laugh. That was enough to shake Albedo from his daze, and he turned around to continue up them, though he didn’t release Kaeya’s hand and Kaeya didn’t pull away.
“I do still want to paint you,” Albedo said quietly as they headed back toward the headquarters.
“I’ll still model for you,” Kaeya promised. “For as many sessions as you like, just like I said I would.” A pleasantly warm feeling bubbled up in Albedo’s chest at the words.
“I want to paint you on my bed,” he said, making a quick and impulsive decision on the sort of painting he wanted the first one to be. Kaeya made a startled choking sound. “Not like that,” Albedo corrected him, realizing immediately where Kaeya’s mind had gone. “I just want to see the way your hair will spread across the sheets, and the wings of your cape.” He wanted Kaeya on a horizontal surface, and the bed was a more comfortable option than the floor.
When they reached his room, he arranged Kaeya on the bed before creating a geo structure he could sit on to look down at him, canvas in hand. Kaeya was even more beautiful in person than he’d imagined. It took him a moment to even start the sketch study for the painting, as he was too absorbed in just admiring the man laid out on the bed beneath him.
“If I fall asleep while you’re working and you need the bed for yourself, you can kick me off onto the floor,” Kaeya commented, letting his eye drift closed. Albedo finally began his sketch, quickly capturing the general position of Kaeya’s body and marking out the way his clothes fell when he was lying like this. He didn’t answer Kaeya, but if the other man did actually fall asleep in his bed, Albedo had no intention of moving him. It seemed quite a mark of trust that Kaeya would even consider falling asleep around him.
Although he could work quite quickly when necessary, Albedo intended to take his time with this painting. He mixed colors again and again, trying to perfectly replicate the colors of Kaeya’s hair and match the richness of his skin tone. The geo construct was not particularly comfortable to sit on after an extended period, but he ignored his discomfort in favor of continuing to work on his painting. He would have been surprised if Kaeya didn’t fall asleep with how long he was taking in his attempt to capture every detail.
The painting still didn’t do the real Kaeya justice, and Albedo wondered if he even had the skill to capture Kaeya in a way that he would be happy with. People had praised his art many times, but as he compared his painting to the sleeping figure on the bed below, he was not satisfied with his results. He was glad Kaeya had agreed to model for him as many times as he liked, because he suspected it would be a long time before he was pleased with what he could capture on the canvas.
After several hours of painting and repainting over what he’d drawn, he decided his efforts would not yield the desired result until he had practiced more. Albedo dismissed the geo construct and stretched his stiff back, washing his brushes and setting them out to dry as he put his paint away. Kaeya definitely seemed to be asleep, as he hadn’t even stirred while Albedo was putting everything away, nor did he shift when the alchemist shrugged out of his jacket and crawled onto the bed beside him.
Albedo felt slightly guilty that he’d made Kaeya stay in the full uniform, as it did not look particularly comfortable to sleep in. He did not feel quite guilty enough to wake Kaeya up though, afraid that if he did so Kaeya would leave. It might be selfish of him, but Albedo wanted to keep Kaeya here with him through the night. He carefully shifted some of Kaeya’s uniform around so that he wouldn’t be resting his face on anything metal and curled against the other man’s side. As he drifted to sleep, his mind was already stirring with possibilities for paintings featuring Kaeya. He hoped Kaeya would keep his promise to model as many times as Albedo wanted.