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“Albedo Kreideprinz,” the guild official says, sitting behind a desk and reading off a sheet of paper with a blank expression. “A vampire recently settled in Mondstadt. He not only evaded hunters in his last area of residence but also incapacitated them.” She taps a pen on the desk. “You’re the guild member most familiar with Mondstadt, so you’re the first I’m telling of this job. If you accept, exercise caution; he is dangerous, but the pay will be beyond sufficient should you succeed in slaying him.”
“I’m interested,” Kaeya answers quickly, straining his eyes to see any additional information on the paper. To his behest, the official quickly slides it back into a folder. Sure, Kaeya has taken assignments with less information before, but to go straight after a vampire that has decimated an entire party of hunters without a glimpse of what to expect is just a bit reckless for his taste, regardless of how well the job will pay. Not to mention that Mondstadt isn’t exactly somewhere he enjoys going. He sets his hands on his hips and cocks his head. “Anything else I should know?”
The woman casts him a cold glance but obliges. “Kreideprinz practices alchemy. He’s been teaching humans. That’s all we know.”
Kaeya’s eyebrow quirks up. It’s not particularly unusual for vampires to tolerate human company, but the arrangement is often one of servitude, not apprenticeship.
His thoughts are cut short by a flick of the official’s wrist. “Now, be off. If you’re not out of town by nightfall, I’ll assign this bounty to someone else.”
Kaeya lifts his hands, palms forward. “Okay, okay. No need for that.”
She nods him towards the door, and he quickly slips out of the guild office. Bounty hunting isn’t the most glamorous job, nor one Kaeya even likes very much, but it pays for his meals and allows him to stay at the guild’s hostel, so he doesn’t complain. There isn’t much more he could ask for.
It’s already nearing sunset, so Kaeya hurries back to the hostel, haphazardly throwing his things into a bag and swinging it over his shoulder. It’s a day’s time to Mondstadt from here, so he should arrive at dusk tomorrow. After a few stops in town to buy food for the journey, Kaeya heads out for Mondstadt in pursuit of the pretty bounty on Albedo Kreideprinz’s head.
Save for a run-in with a small group of bandits that he easily scared off, Kaeya’s trip occurs without trouble. As expected, he approaches Mondstadt’s gates just as the sun sinks below the horizon, the city’s windmills casting long shadows. To say that Kaeya’s been to Mondstadt before would be an understatement, as the sight of the stone walls fills him with a range of emotions he doesn’t want to face. The time when he called this city his home has long passed, even if he hasn’t had another place to call home since.
A bounty’s a bounty, though, regardless of where it is. Kaeya smooths his expression and approaches the guards on duty at the gate. Being the city of freedom, Kaeya doesn’t have to do all that much to be let inside the gates. As such, Mondstadt has always had a particularly high population of vampires, but many of them have remained in good graces with the humans and even find themselves protected from hunters by the citizens here. Regardless, Kaeya doesn’t just kill any vampire he sees—unless there’s a reward in it for him, or humans are in active danger, he’ll gladly stay out of all of it.
Perhaps Albedo Kreideprinz heard of Mondstadt’s liberal treatment of vampires and came here in search of sanctuary. Teaching humans alchemy is certainly one way to gain their trust. Or perhaps he has come here to continue a reign of terror, lurking in the shadows and taking victims by surprise, something Kaeya has seen far too much in his line of work. It matters not to Kaeya which situation Kreideprinz finds himself in, though, because the cash on his head and the blood on his hands speak for themselves.
Kaeya’s shoes click against the cobblestone streets as he walks, watching people mill about the city center. Not many of these people will notice him as he was barely of age when he left Mondstadt, but a few lingering eyes prove him not completely unrecognizable. He’s certain none of them would take kindly to him approaching them for leads, so he stands a bit straighter and pretends he never saw them.
Of all the people around, Kaeya finds the most promise in a young woman working at Good Hunter, the local food stall. She must see many faces each day and night, so she may be able to provide information. A short line queues up to the stall, and Kaeya takes his place at the end, hands in his pockets.
He’s hardly waiting a few minutes before the person in front of him is up to order, and the young woman easily fills his order of various raw herbs before wishing him off with a chipper farewell, “Have a good night, Albedo.”
Kaeya blinks hard.
The man, shorter than Kaeya, with platinum blond hair and a black, veiled hat atop his head, turns to leave but Kaeya stands in his way. Although the veil obscures his face slightly, Kaeya can still make out his features due to their close proximity. His pale hair frames his face, eyes a striking teal, and the very tips of fangs poke out against his lips. Any words that Kaeya had to say shrivel and die in his throat.
“Excuse me,” Albedo says, stepping around Kaeya and offering him a soft, close-lipped grin.
“Sir?” the woman at the stall calls, “How can I help you?”
Kaeya tears his gaze away from Albedo, who continues on his way, and takes a step up to the counter. He could ask the woman for information on Albedo, but being too straightforward will expose him as a hunter with an agenda. Casting a quick glance over his shoulder, Kaeya notices that Albedo lingers near an alchemy table across the plaza, conversing with a taller man. He quickly decides to observe from afar. “A chicken-mushroom skewer, please,” Kaeya orders, procuring a few bills from his leather wallet.
Once he’s received his order, he sits at the table in front of the food stall, where he can just barely see Albedo through the corner of his eye. It would be unwise to do anything more obvious now, hardly half an hour after he’s arrived in town—but time is of the essence, and the faster Kaeya gets this over with, the faster he can be far from Mondstadt and any memories the place dredges up. Just briefly, he recalls running around this plaza as a child, sticking pudgy hands into the chilled water of the fountain and watching as the submerged spare change glinted in the sunlight.
He lets out a sigh. Perhaps fortunately, he’s not able to linger much longer with his own thoughts, as Albedo bids the man beside him farewell and disappears around the corner. Kaeya clears the table before he heads in a separate direction from Albedo—although their paths differ, Kaeya knows they’ll end up in the same place. In the years he’s been gone, the street layouts at least remain unchanged.
The sun has fully set now, streetlamps flickering on and lighting Mondstadt’s corners and alleys. And, there—Kaeya spots Albedo slipping into one of the local taverns, Angel’s Share. Immediately, Kaeya’s mouth goes dry. Following Albedo ceases to be an option; to casually set foot in his estranged brother’s bar after all this time would draw more attention than Kaeya can afford. No, he’ll just have to wait another day. He’ll just have to find Albedo elsewhere.
“Well, well, well.” A voice from behind Kaeya startles him, and he turns to see a familiar mage. “I never thought I’d see your cute face here again.”
Lisa, Mondstadt’s librarian and one of Kaeya’s friends from his time here, eyes Kaeya with a smooth, pleased expression. “To what does Mondstadt owe the pleasure?” she asks.
“I’m here on a job,” Kaeya replies vaguely. Lisa hums, contemplative, and again sweeps her gaze ever-so-slowly over Kaeya’s attire. Although nothing visible on Kaeya’s person would clue an average person in on his profession, Lisa far surpasses the average.
She smiles. “I won’t say a word,” she says, lifting a finger to her lips. “Are you going inside?”
Kaeya shakes his head, and Lisa sticks out her bottom lip in a pout. “Come on, let’s catch up.”
“It’s best for everyone if I don’t go in there,” Kaeya replies firmly. “If you don’t recall, the last time Diluc and I were face to face, he was trying to kill me.”
“You’ve both grown since then,” Lisa says. “You were practically still children.”
Kaeya huffs; just talking about the past makes him feel like a teenager again, reaching out for acceptance at the worst moment and being punished for it. He left this feeling and everything that came with it behind for a reason. “We made mistakes, but I don’t owe him anything, and he doesn’t owe me anything.”
Lisa holds Kaeya’s gaze, steady. “Do you believe that?”
A moment’s hesitation is all she needs to pounce. “One drink with me and I’ll let you go. You can just say hello to him; it’ll probably do you both some good.”
Kaeya suppresses a groan and allows Lisa to lead him into the tavern by the wrist, partially because he does miss her and partially because being with her will look less suspicious to Albedo. He has no intention of making any serious conversation with his brother, and if Diluc’s anything like he used to be, he’ll feel the same way.
As the tavern doors swing open, Kaeya’s relieved to see how busy it is inside. Neither Albedo nor Diluc notices him immediately, but as he and Lisa approach the bar, Diluc’s gaze settles on them and he freezes.
“Hi, Diluc, sweetie,” Lisa greets, sliding onto a barstool.
Diluc clears his throat. “Lisa,” he says and looks to Kaeya again. “Kaeya.”
“Long time no see,” Kaeya says with a forced smile, stamping out the hot anger that simmers just under his skin.
Diluc doesn’t bother mustering any kind of grin, not that Kaeya expected him to. Still, he remains civil, scarred hands resting on top of the bar. Kaeya almost wishes for some drama—for Diluc to cuss him out, force him out of the tavern, react in some satisfying way, give any indication that this hurts—but he wouldn’t, not here and not now.
Lisa places their drink orders painlessly and sends Kaeya off to find a table, to which he happily obliges, settling in a secluded corner. It was unwise of him to think he could come to Mondstadt and avoid Diluc entirely, but Lisa’s presence surely soothed what could have been more of a disaster. Not that he’ll thank her for dragging him in here.
As he waits for Lisa, Kaeya refocuses on his actual purpose, gaze drawn to Albedo who sits across the room. He’s engaged in conversation with a woman dressed in a modified nun’s habit, though neither of them has a drink in hand. Kaeya squints, watching as Albedo discreetly passes what seems to be a vial of red liquid into the woman’s hands.
“There,” Lisa interrupts his observation, setting down a glass of wine in front of him. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
Kaeya just stares at her, unamused.
“Alright, alright, I get it. Let’s talk about something else, then.” Lisa pauses, taking a sip of her wine. “Are you staying in Mondstadt for long?”
“Until the job’s done,” Kaeya answers, swirling his glass.
“Ah, right. I’m surprised you’d take such a job in Mondstadt, though.”
Kaeya shrugs. “The reward’s worth it. Plus, I got to see you.”
Lisa laughs, setting her elbows on the table and leaning forward. “Ever the charmer, Kaeya. But you don’t fool me—I know you very well intended to get in, get the job done, and get out. Old friends were never on the agenda.”
“Maybe not,” Kaeya concedes, “but it’s still nice to see you before I’m off again.”
Lisa doesn’t hesitate. “You could always stay. I mean, you’d have to give up the whole, you know—” she whispers her next words, “—vampire hunting thing.”
Kaeya blinks at her. “I can’t stay.”
“Think what you want,” Lisa replies, “but Diluc’s opinion of you isn’t the only one that matters.”
He sighs. “I thought we were talking about something else.”
“You caught me,” Lisa says with a wink, taking another drink and continuing in a hushed tone. “Well, maybe I can help you with your job, then. I assume your target is in here now?”
Kaeya clicks his tongue to the roof of his mouth. “Lisa, you don’t need to get involved in this.”
“Hmm,” Lisa hums. “Partially, I just want to make sure you’re not set out to kill someone I’ve taken a liking to.”
“I don’t just kill anyone,” Kaeya responds, eyes flickering around the tavern. There are at least five vampires in the room, and only one that Kaeya is contracted to. Only one that catches Kaeya looking, gazes held taut for a fraction of a moment.
“What qualifies them, then?” Lisa inquires. “Besides the bounty.”
“Being an active danger to humans, mostly,” Kaeya says, taking a swig from his glass. “My target has a high kill count.”
“So do you, I presume.”
Kaeya bites at the inside of his cheek. “Never said it was honorable work.”
Lisa hums again before she finishes off her wine. Kaeya is close behind. “Okay, I won’t keep you any longer. A promise is a promise.”
Kaeya nods, standing from the table. Sometime during their conversation, Albedo left the tavern, so all Kaeya can hope to do tonight is find a place to rest up for tomorrow.
“Don’t be a stranger, Kaeya,” Lisa says, standing and wrapping Kaeya in an embrace. “I mean it.”
“I’ll see you again soon,” Kaeya responds, not entirely sure if he means it as a lie.
The next day, Kaeya decides to lie low while the sun’s out. He visits a few local shops, gathering supplies he doesn’t easily come across outside of Mondstadt, and then burns the rest of the daylight hours reading a book just outside Mondstadt’s gate. He’s struck with familiarity as dandelions around him sway and trees whisper overhead, the wind gentle but ever-present. Although Kaeya’s keenly aware that he’s wasting time, he doesn’t quite feel guilty about it—after all, vampires won’t be out until the sun has set, and inquiring publicly about Albedo would draw unnecessary attention.
He does ponder the information he’s already gathered (the herbs, the strange vial, the way Albedo fits into Mondstadt’s community) though he doesn’t have enough to draw any conclusions. But he wasn’t hired to draw conclusions, and he’s hunted vampires for far less than killing an entire party of humans.
When the sky begins to shift into a deep shade of purple, Kaeya makes his way back inside Mondstadt’s gate, heading up one of the city’s many staircases and finding a table with a vantage point over the plaza. There’s no sign of Albedo, though Kaeya hadn’t expected to be so fortunate as to find him immediately two days in a row.
He doesn’t have to be fortunate, as it turns out; he’s only there about fifteen minutes before he hears the light sound of footsteps from behind and turns to see that Albedo has found him. He casts an appraising look over Kaeya, his own sharp teeth glinting in the moonlight. Many vampires, especially those uneaten by madness and the passage of time, have a striking beauty about them, and Kaeya has had to learn to overlook that. Still, as Albedo’s eyes trail over Kaeya’s form, a shiver runs down his spine.
“Hello,” Kaeya says, as nonchalant as possible.
Albedo nods. “May I sit?”
“Be my guest,” Kaeya answers, the hairs on the back of his neck raised as he closely watches Albedo take the seat across from him.
“I haven’t seen you around before,” Albedo observes, pulling what looks to be a leather-bound journal from his bag and setting it on the table. “Are you new to Mondstadt?”
“No,” Kaeya replies, suddenly feeling the weight of the daggers holstered beneath his shirt. They’re coated in a substance lethal to vampires, specifically created by the hunters’ guild. “I grew up here.”
Albedo nods again, flipping open his journal and touching pen to paper. “Can I draw you?”
Kaeya hesitates, heartbeat in his ears.
“You’ve been following me since yesterday, Kaeya Alberich,” Albedo says calmly. “I’ll draw you, and we can have a conversation.”
Kaeya squints at him. He had known he shouldn’t have pursued Albedo yesterday, and yet… being here in Mondstadt messes with his senses. Still, an average person wouldn’t have thought a thing. “You’re sharp,” he says.
“Yes, well,” Albedo looks at Kaeya for a few moments before beginning to sketch. “I’ve dealt with this kind of thing before. How much are they offering on my head these days?”
Shit. In public like this, neither of them can make a move.
Albedo smiles ever-so-slightly. “Sorry to be so forward, but I’d rather just have this over with.”
“Sure,” Kaeya replies, leaning back in his chair. He may be cornered, but he doesn’t have to lie down and roll over. “You’ve killed a lot of people, Albedo.”
The pen in Albedo’s hand stills for just a moment. “Yes. I’m not proud of that.”
Kaeya watches the sweeping movements of the pen which replicate long, smooth strands of hair. “How do I know you aren’t a danger to Mondstadt?”
“You don’t,” Albedo answers swiftly. “I can’t expect you to take me at my word.”
“Let me hear it,” Kaeya demands.
A breath, another glance up at Kaeya’s face, and then back down to the paper. “I’ve never killed anyone who wasn’t trying to kill me first. When it comes down to it, it’s me or them. Me or you.” A pause, a punctuating stroke of a pen, a finishing touch. “I have a life, goals, and people to protect, just like anyone else.”
Kaeya stills as Albedo’s eyes flicker up to meet his, their gazes holding for several moments. The atmosphere weighs heavily around them.
“Listen, Kaeya.” Albedo puts his pen away, carefully tearing the sketch of Kaeya out of his journal and sliding it across the table. “I don’t want to be killed, and I don’t want to have to kill you. Perhaps we can come to a different agreement.”
Kaeya surprises himself when Albedo’s words don’t make him bristle. Instead, he picks up the drawing, observing the delicate way that Albedo has portrayed him, with the soft details of wispy hair and long eyelashes. “What do you propose?”
“It’s mostly dependent on you. I understand you have valid reasons to be wary of me.” Albedo closes his journal and puts it back in his bag. “I would allow you to observe me until you decide how to proceed. For wasting your time, and given that you let me live, I would provide ample evidence you have killed me. That way, I’m dead in the guild’s eyes, and you still receive the reward.”
“What kind of evidence?” Kaeya asks.
“One of my students collects bones,” Albedo replies. “I’m sure she could fashion a set of fangs identical to mine.”
Kaeya blinks at him. Although there are risks to Albedo’s plan—namely, should faking his death fail, Kaeya will be the one to deal with the fallout—there are also risks to hunting Albedo, which he has made obvious. As Albedo reaches his hand forward, Kaeya meets him in the middle for a handshake, his pale hand cold to the touch.
They head off to the plaza not long thereafter, Kaeya following Albedo as he makes his way through Mondstadt, picking up a variety of materials he says are for alchemy. Kaeya mulls over the prior events in his head—at this point, he realizes there’s no way he can outsmart Albedo, but there doesn’t seem to be a need for that anymore. He still keeps a few paces behind Albedo, not ready to let down his guard; Albedo had threatened him several times during their conversation, and that doesn’t go unnoticed.
But Albedo certainly doesn’t have the violent drive that Kaeya’s so used to facing in the vampires he’s been contracted to before, and that must count for something. He’s calm, collected, infuriatingly smart, and he hasn’t run from Kaeya nor tried to bite out his throat with no concern for witnesses. However, first impressions are hardly enough to convince Kaeya to collude with Albedo’s plan to fake his own death in the eyes of the Hunters’ guild at the risk of Kaeya’s career and reputation.
“Let’s head to the lab,” Albedo says then, pulling Kaeya from his thoughts.
Mondstadt has always had a lab upstairs from the library, where Lisa could work on her potions and experiments in relative peace. Lisa only ever needed Kaeya in the lab a handful of times to drop off supplies or test some sort of concoction she’d created.
Kaeya supposes that once Albedo came into town, the lab began to serve more than one purpose. He can’t help but assume Grand Master Varka had been the one to approve a vampire working and residing in the Knights’ Headquarters, which means Albedo gained his trust incredibly quickly, whether or not through legitimate means.
The walk to the Knights’ Headquarters is a quiet one, the weight of their agreement—of both of their lives—still hanging over their heads. When they arrive and step into the library, Lisa sits at her desk, a tall stack of books to her side. She quirks an eyebrow at the pair before her.
“Hello, Lisa. I’ll be upstairs,” Albedo says, turning towards the staircase. “I’ll let you talk.”
He’s gone before Lisa can say a word. She quickly turns her attention to Kaeya. “I was worried he was your target,” she says, standing from her desk to approach Kaeya. “And if he is, what in the world are you doing going up to his lab?”
Kaeya swallows thickly. “He has experience being hunted. He figured me out before I said as much as a word to him.”
Lisa muffles a laugh behind her hand. “So, what now? Is he going to keep you prisoner?” she jokes. “That might not be so bad. He is a cutie.”
Kaeya stares at her. “Lisa, I’m supposed to kill him.”
“But you aren’t going to, are you?”
He clears his throat. “We’ll see. He’s trying to convince me he isn’t dangerous by allowing me to observe him.”
“Hm. He’s quite grown on me,” Lisa says, tapping a finger to her cheek. “He’s polite and usually keeps to himself. He has a few students. Jean thinks he’s a genius, and I’m willing to agree—so if you do decide to… well, you’d better be cautious. And extremely sure it’s what you want to do.”
Somehow, Lisa not trying to make the decision for Kaeya reiterates the respect he already had for her. For what it’s worth, she knows Kaeya and she knows that circumstances are messy—that whatever choice Kaeya makes will end up messy.
Kaeya nods and then heads up the stairs. When he enters the lab, he’s not exactly surprised that it looks entirely different than how he remembers; after all, the windows are now perpetually blocked by sheets of paper and long curtains. It isn’t dark, though, as several lanterns hang from the ceiling, casting light across the room. Besides Albedo, there’s another person in the room, and she’s surrounded by multiple vials of a viscous red liquid. Kaeya watches as she carefully combines fluids in several beakers, observing as the colors shift from blue to green to that deep, bloodlike red he had seen in the tavern.
Oh, Kaeya thinks. Synthetic blood.
“Kaeya,” Albedo greets, and the girl across the room startles and drops a vial, having been so focused she apparently didn’t notice Kaeya come in. “This is Sucrose, one of my students.”
“Sorry!” she chirps immediately, leaning down to wipe the spill with a stained rag. “Albedo doesn’t usually… er, ever bring people in here.”
“It’s okay,” Kaeya responds, walking closer to her. She fidgets. He notices that she has animal-like ears, but lacks any of the distinctive features of vampires. “What are you working on?”
She glances at Albedo, who nods to her, before she speaks. “It’s an alchemical solution that provides nutrients to vampires they would otherwise need to get from blood. It isn’t blood; rather, it is something new completely,” she says, scratching at the back of her neck.
“That’s incredible,” Kaeya replies earnestly, and a deep blush rushes to Sucrose’s cheeks. “How effective is it?”
“Um, one vial will last a vampire about a week. It is incredibly potent.”
“And it completely sates their hunger?” Kaeya’s gaze flickers to the plethora of notes that litter Sucrose’s workstation.
“I’m still working on it,” Sucrose admits. “Vampires may still feel hunger pains and urges, though they don’t actually need blood. It really depends on their own willpower at this point, but…” She pauses for just a moment. “I’m working hard to improve it. I’m just happy to help the vampires around town through my work.”
The stark difference between Kaeya and Sucrose’s work does not diminish how impressed Kaeya is by her discovery. “You’re doing something revolutionary,” he says, and again she is flushed. Then, he turns to Albedo. “I saw you pass a vial to another vampire at the tavern,” he comments.
Albedo looks up from his own work. “Perhaps you’d be surprised how many vampires are interested in a non-violent way to feed.”
“Do you ever—”
Albedo quickly cuts him off. “I have fed on humans, yes. Sometimes there’s no choice. I’ve never killed anyone that way.” He goes back to his work, and Sucrose looks on with wide eyes.
The less she knows is probably the better, Kaeya decides before taking a seat on a purple couch pushed up against the wall—a remainder that he recalls from Lisa’s days in the lab.
Albedo works quietly, rarely making conversation with either Sucrose or Kaeya. Sucrose is prone to talking to herself, though Kaeya can hardly make sense of the alchemical jargon. After a few hours, Kaeya’s bored enough to risk bothering Albedo, getting off the couch and walking over to him.
“Do you work all through the night?” he asks, watching as Albedo scribbles something down in a notebook. Amidst his notes are scattered sketches of flowers.
“Not usually,” he responds, not looking up. “I take breaks to sketch, read, and just get some air.” He glances at the window and at how paper plasters the glass, blocking the sky.
Kaeya hums. “I couldn’t help but notice that you draw quickly—I mean, when you sketched me, it was impressive.”
“Ah.” Albedo does meet Kaeya’s gaze now, though he hesitates a moment before he says, “I found you exceptionally natural to draw.” He looks away again, though Kaeya wishes he hadn’t. Unsure how to respond, Kaeya sits with this complicated feeling in his chest—again he feels the weight of the daggers beneath his clothes, and in turn, he feels the weight of Albedo’s drawing in his pocket.
Despite Kaeya’s disdain for staying longer than he needs to in Mondstadt, he begins to fall into Albedo’s routine. They spend several days similarly: Albedo sleeps during the day and Kaeya finds himself doing the same, waking around dusk to head into town, get supplies, and then spend most of the night in the lab. Kaeya starts to learn Albedo’s idiosyncrasies, like how he often rolls and stretches his joints while researching, and how he prefers to go for walks at two in the morning, leaving him plenty of time to sketch before the sun comes up if he finds something interesting along the way. Tonight, though, Albedo has to do deliveries.
“There are six vials to be delivered tonight, Mr. Albedo,” Sucrose says, passing the vials to him in a small black case. Albedo looks anything but thrilled, and Sucrose notices Kaeya’s resulting inquisitive expression. She lowers her voice and says, “I used to do deliveries, but… There was an, um—well. Someone attacked me. So Albedo does them now.”
Kaeya feels a hot flash of anger under his skin but reigns it in.
“He was killed by a hunter,” Albedo comments, casting a glance at Kaeya. “Though if that hadn’t happened, I’m sure another vampire would have killed him instead. Sucrose has her protectors, especially considering what she’s doing for us.”
Sucrose looks away, bashful.
“Anyway, I don’t mind doing the deliveries for her. Talking to the other vampires can sometimes be… bothersome, though.” Albedo tucks the black case inside his coat, and nods for Kaeya to follow him.
They step out into the crisp night air, gusty wind ruffling their hair and clothes. Kaeya pulls his jacket a little closer, and asks, “How did you know I was a hunter?” The question’s been on his mind, though now he has a reason to ask. “Considering we’ll be seeing other vampires tonight, should I keep my distance?”
Albedo stops walking, turning to Kaeya and reaching a hand towards his torso. Instinctually, Kaeya seizes his wrist, slowing Albedo but not stopping him from setting a hand on the other man’s lower abdomen, where various daggers rest in a holster. “This is how I knew,” he says, not removing his hand, though Kaeya’s grip loosens. “The fabric of your shirt bunches—just so. No one else will notice.”
The gentle pressure of Albedo’s hand on his stomach holds for another moment, and then it’s gone. Kaeya lets out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding before they continue walking.
The first few deliveries bring them to the dark corners of alleys, where vampires eye Kaeya suspiciously, but take their vials from Albedo and quickly head off on their way. One of the vampires is rather talkative, telling Albedo about his past week much to the alchemist’s behest. And then, once again, Albedo steps into Angel’s Share and Kaeya hesitates behind him. Albedo holds the door open, raising an eyebrow at Kaeya, and Kaeya decides to bite the bullet.
He walks straight into the tavern and up to the bar, where Diluc is serving a customer. Albedo watches with keen interest, following closely behind Kaeya.
When Diluc has finished with the customer, he catches Kaeya in his sights and physically tenses. “Is this going to become a common occurrence?” he asks in lieu of a greeting.
“You haven’t changed,” Kaeya responds, almost teasing. Almost.
“What can I get you,” he deadpans in response, not taking the bait.
“Nothing,” Kaeya answers, looking over to Albedo. “His work brought us in here.”
Diluc states, “I’m aware of Albedo’s deliveries.”
After years, Kaeya still feels the cold chill of rejection when his own brother takes no interest in conversing with him. “Isn’t there anything you want to know?” he blurts, “I’ve been gone for years. You’re not even curious?”
Kaeya’s words catch Diluc off guard, his eyes widening slightly. Albedo beside him shifts his weight and says, “I can go finish the deliveries, Kaeya.”
His mouth feels dry. “Okay,” he says weakly, and after a moment, “Sorry.”
Once Albedo has set off for the deliveries, Diluc clears his throat. “Listen,” he says, not looking Kaeya in the eye, “I was impulsive back then, I admit that. But you didn’t have to leave. I never told you to leave.”
Kaeya stares at him.
“I don’t know why you’re back in Mondstadt or if you plan to stay,” he continues, turning around to grab a bottle of wine. He pours a glass and slides it across the bar to Kaeya. “Just… don’t leave again on my accord. You have friends here.” He pauses, letting out a breath. “You have a place here.”
Kaeya’s throat feels unbearably tight, so he takes a swig of the wine. They sit together in an understanding silence, though neither of them looks at the other. Kaeya finishes the wine quickly and casts a glance around the bar, where he sees Albedo standing near the door. He’d expected Albedo to leave without him, not wanting to deal with whatever trouble Kaeya caused, but there he stands, patient. Kaeya slides the empty glass back to Diluc and balks for a moment. “I’d better, uh—”
“Yeah,” Diluc responds. “See you around.”
Kaeya nods before he turns and meets Albedo at the door, feeling a bit lighter. “You waited,” he says to Albedo, and Albedo tilts his head slightly.
“Did you not want me to?” he inquires, stepping out of the tavern as Kaeya holds the door for him, following behind.
“No, it’s not that,” Kaeya says as they begin to walk in tandem. “I just… expected you to leave and spare yourself the trouble.”
Albedo is quiet for a moment. Then, “I wasn’t sure what to expect of the situation. I know you can take care of yourself, but if it went south, I didn’t want you to be alone.”
There’s a warm swell in Kaeya’s chest. “Thank you,” he says.
“No need,” Albedo responds, looking up to meet Kaeya’s gaze, his teal eyes just as striking as the first time Kaeya had seen them. As they walk, they are close enough that their hands accidentally brush.
Their next excursion a few days later brings them to Dragonspine, where Albedo wants to get some researching done. Having spent nearly every waking moment with Albedo for about a week now, Kaeya doesn’t bat an eye at the prospect of research in such a place. Kaeya had never gone while growing up—it was much too dangerous for children, and no matter how much he and Diluc pleaded to their father, he always firmly denied them. Now he can understand why.
The winds are blistering here, making the already freezing temperatures extra deadly. Snow drifts and pine trees tower over the pair as they trudge to Albedo’s camp, the moon and stars blotted out by dark clouds.
There is a strange beauty to it, too. As much is evident to Albedo, who pauses several times on their trek to pull out his journal and pen. The cold doesn’t seem to bother him much, but he still stops near heat sources, which Kaeya appreciates.
Before they’re able to reach the camp, though, they hear a pained yowl. Both men halt in place, but Albedo’s heightened senses allow him to spot blood spatter in the snow first. Kaeya observes carefully how Albedo’s pupils blow out at the sight of blood, how he twitches so slightly.
They follow the blood trail to a white fox lying in the snow with an injured leg. Blood stains the snow red, and Kaeya’s hand moves towards his daggers—any vampire with hunger pangs would have difficulty around this much blood, and Kaeya can see the way Albedo’s breathing fluctuates.
“Go ahead,” Albedo says, his gaze flickering between Kaeya and the animal. “I understand.”
Kaeya swallows thickly, unsheathing one of the knives and holding it firmly in his hand. He feels a wave of guilt as soon as the weapon is out.
“I’m going to help it. We can rehabilitate it back in Mondstadt,” Albedo says as they both kneel beside the animal. He quickly rummages through his bag and pulls out a few vials of different colored potions and a roll of bandages.
Albedo softly cradles the fox’s head—it seems to react to his presence, calming significantly—before he begins to tend to its leg, his pale fingers carefully cleansing the wound and applying solution. The way Albedo tends to the animal with complete care and compassion forces Kaeya to the realization that he doesn’t know what he’s doing here. Surely it’s been days now that the thought of killing Albedo has been unthinkable—even now, with his dagger drawn, Kaeya knows he could not bring himself to plunge it into Albedo’s flesh.
There should be nothing keeping him here. Albedo has proven himself trustworthy, and that was his end of the deal; for Kaeya to trail him any longer would be undignified. He should be leaping at the prospect of leaving Mondstadt and receiving Albedo’s bounty, and yet…
As Albedo carefully picks up the fox and cradles it in his arms, Kaeya can’t help but just be fascinated by him—to want to stay at his side. How troublesome.
Albedo brings the fox to Sucrose, who in turn takes it to Mondstadt’s church, while Kaeya lingers in the library. Lisa isn’t around when he comes in, though he hadn’t expected her to be considering it’s well past one in the morning. Still, he leaves Albedo to his own devices in the lab, finding a spot to rest in the library. About an hour after she’d left, Sucrose returns, waving to Kaeya before heading back up to the lab.
Kaeya considers going up with her, but part of him just needs some space from Albedo; being fully submerged in his life for a week is making Kaeya’s head spin, not to mention the way it’s dredging up a lot of guilt. Albedo is a vampire, but he’s also just Albedo. How many vampires that Kaeya has killed were the same way, just trying to survive? Seen as animals, forced to act like animals, and slaughtered like animals?
More and more, the idea of returning to the hunters’ guild is becoming abhorrent. Kaeya doesn’t have doubts that he’s done some good with his work over the past years, but just as with humans, some vampires are monsters and some are people just trying to get by. He’s always known that, but having a place to belong—food and shelter paid for by his work, at the very least—blinded him to it.
Still, he can’t stay in Mondstadt. He and Albedo have an agreement, and Kaeya needs to hold up his end of taking the fake proof of Albedo’s death to the guild. That, at least, should keep Albedo safe. Whatever Kaeya does after will be of little consequence to him, and he can resume his life as normal.
After some time, Sucrose again comes down from the lab, an excited glimmer in her eyes. “Kaeya!” she greets, holding a little black pouch in the palm of her hand. “I’m not… quite sure why you need these, but I—” she cuts off and starts again, “Sorry, it’s none of my business. But these are two fangs nearly identical to Mr. Albedo’s. I just finished them.”
“Oh,” Kaeya breathes, taking the pouch from Sucrose. He peers inside, seeing two sharp teeth sit stark against the black fabric. “Thank you.”
So he has his proof. It seems Sucrose has made his decision for him. He stands abruptly and says, “Tell Albedo that I thank him for his time.”
Sucrose looks up at Kaeya with wide eyes. “You’re leaving?”
Kaeya smiles, ignoring the sad twinge in his chest. “I couldn’t stay forever, my dear. Thanks for your help.” He salutes her before turning on his heel and heading out of the Knights’ Headquarters, a lump in his throat.
He has some supplies to pick up from the inn where he rented a room, though he rarely slept there. After he’s gathered his things, he heads straight for Mondstadt’s gate. Leaving now ensures he’ll be gone before anyone—namely Lisa—notices a thing.
He’s made it about halfway across the bridge just outside of Mondstadt before he hears telltale footsteps on the stone behind him—he turns to see Albedo jogging to catch up to him.
“You didn’t say goodbye,” Albedo says when he and Kaeya stand face to face. The wind jostles his hair and the thin black veil on his hat, the one he’d been wearing when they first met.
Kaeya hesitates, but says, “I didn’t think you’d—”
“Don’t be hasty,” Albedo interrupts.
“I’m not being hasty,” Kaeya replies, beginning to walk again. Albedo matches his pace. “If anything, I’ve overstayed our agreement.”
“Forget the agreement,” Albedo says. “Do you want to go back to the guild?”
Kaeya ignores his question. They walk off the bridge and start towards the woods. “If I do this, they won’t send any more hunters after you.”
“I don’t care about that.”
Kaeya snips, “You can’t say that.”
“I can,” Albedo replies immediately. “And it’s true. You may have gotten to know me during our time together, but I also have gotten to know you.” He pauses, looking up at Kaeya. Kaeya meets his gaze, only for a moment. “Mondstadt is where you belong.”
“Everyone seems to be saying that.”
“You light up at the sight of dandelions. I draw all sorts of flowers, but you always linger over Mondstadt’s blooms: the cecilia, the windwheel aster, the calla lily…” he pauses, but not long enough for Kaeya to speak. “You know your way around the streets, and you smile at strangers. The city reacts to you, too.”
Kaeya doesn’t realize he’s blinking back tears until they’re stinging his eyes. He wipes furiously at his face. “I thought you’d be eager to wash your hands of all of this,” he says. “I didn’t think you’d come after me.”
“Perhaps you need more time to get to know me better, then.”
Before Kaeya can respond—before he can put a name to the swelling in his chest, to the giddiness that dances at the tips of his fingers—Albedo freezes, his expression falling. They’re surrounded by trees, but he murmurs, “Someone’s here.”
Kaeya immediately unsheathes a knife.
“Several people,” Albedo says, voice still low.
“Hunters,” Kaeya responds, voice strained. “I should’ve known. I should’ve—” And then a bush is rustling, and Kaeya does the only thing he can think to do—he puts his weight in front of Albedo as a hunter throws a knife, and the weapon hits him square in the abdomen. Though the coating on hunters’ knives is meant to be lethal to vampires, it still hurts like all hell on a human. Kaeya rips the weapon out of himself and drops to the ground, the pain searing and hot.
His vision blurs, but he catches glimpses of Albedo, lightning quick, and hears the thuds of bodies against the dirt. Kaeya can’t make sense of the action, black seeping into the edges of his sight, but just as quickly as it began it ends.
Faintly, Kaeya can hear Albedo say his name. When Albedo reaches his arms under Kaeya and hoists him up into a bridal carry, Kaeya can hardly make out the shapes of Albedo’s face, but he still tries to choke out some sort of thanks.
“Don’t speak,” Albedo tells him. “Focus on breathing. I’ll take care of you.”
Kaeya can’t do much more than let his eyelids droop shut.
When Kaeya wakes, he’s on the purple couch in the alchemy lab. He isn’t wearing a shirt, and his torso is wrapped in bandages. Albedo sits in a chair next to the couch, quickly setting down his journal as he watches Kaeya’s eyes flutter open. Lisa and Sucrose also sit nearby, their faces lighting up.
“Hi,” Kaeya says weakly.
“Hi,” Albedo responds, soft. “How do you feel?”
He quickly scans over his body, though it mostly just feels numb. He says as much.
“We took you to the church. They treated you, though it may take some time for you to fully heal,” Lisa says, “Gods, you had us worried.”
“We heard what happened,” Sucrose says, frown pulling at her lips. “Albedo says you saved him.”
Kaeya bites his tongue. He wants to say that he’s the one who got Albedo into this mess, but he knows if he hadn’t accepted the bounty, someone else would’ve. Still, Albedo’s obviously capable of holding his own. Instead, he says, “When a hunter has taken too long on their bounty, it becomes free reign. With such a high reward… I should’ve known they would come.”
“You’re quite the sought-after man, Albedo,” Lisa comments as her gaze flickers from Kaeya to Albedo.
“Yes, well, hopefully the hunters’ guild receives this message loud and clear. Though they didn’t seem to last time.” Albedo casts a pointed, teasing glance at Kaeya, but it instantly softens.
Lisa immediately catches wind and sets a hand on Sucrose’s shoulder. “Let’s get Kaeya something to eat and drink,” she says with a wink, ushering Sucrose to the door. “We’ll be back soon, boys.”
Kaeya clears his throat. “I guess I won’t be leaving Mondstadt anytime soon, then.”
Albedo huffs, amused. “I guess not. Lisa has already been talking to Jean about getting you situated as a knight.”
“That woman,” Kaeya laughs.
“I may have also voiced my support of that idea,” Albedo admits. “It’s been… nice, having you around.”
“Here I’d been thinking you couldn’t wait to get rid of me.”
Albedo chuckles, his laugh revealing his fangs. “Well, a little space from 24/7 surveillance might be nice.” He pauses. “But not too much.”
“But not too much,” Kaeya echoes, feeling giddy. He tries to sit up but feels a sharp sting in his abdomen. Albedo sets a gentle hand on his chest, leaning slightly over him.
“Just rest,” he says. They’re only quiet for a moment before he speaks again, “Thanks for what you did back there, Kaeya.”
Kaeya’s breath catches in his throat. He wants nothing more than to surge upwards now, taking Albedo into a tight embrace, but he can’t.
Albedo’s always shown that he’s observant, though. He leans down smoothly, pressing a kiss to Kaeya’s brow. Kaeya looks up at him, heart beating in his throat. Another kiss, to his cheek.
“Is this okay?” Albedo asks, hushed.
“More than okay,” Kaeya replies, and then Albedo’s lips are pressed to his own, cold but not unpleasant, his fangs jutting out just the slightest amount and grazing Kaeya’s skin. Albedo’s hands slide into Kaeya’s unruly hair, their lips parting and connecting again.
Kaeya feels like he could burst. A week ago, he set foot in Mondstadt expecting Albedo’s blood on his hands within a few days so he could hightail out of the place that had hurt him. Now he’s held in Albedo’s gentle hands, feeling more at home than he has in years.
They pull apart, eyes fluttering open. Albedo grins sweetly, and for the first time in a very long while, Kaeya feels like everything might turn out okay.