Chapter Text
"You're dating the harbinger?" Jean, shocked.
"He is quite the catch. You got lucky, Sir Kaeya." Lisa, said in a teasing manner.
"Really?! Of all people, CHILDE?" Paimon says baffled.
Everyone were gathered in Angel's share to celebrate a victory. I'm quite surprised Master Diluc let us have the tavern for the night. Tables were filled with drinks and snacks while everyone is talking about Kaeya's new relationship with the fatui harbinger. Tartaglia, number 11 of the Fatui harbingers. I once had the displeasure of teaming up with him while farming for materials with the traveler.
He was so blood thirsty and so loud. Always trying to start a conversation with me despite my refusals, and as I hate to admit it, my tries in ignoring the harbinger. I try to avoid any unnecessary social interactions but if someone approached me out of their own will I would always try to be nice. I just can't see why I can be like that towards the harbinger.
"My my, compliment him some more and his ego will soar through the roof." Kaeya chuckled, his hand reaching out to the ginger goes unnoticed by the people at tablqe. Did I forget to mention the ginger was also with us? Despite being a harbinger, the Acting Grand Master let him fight alongside us and was admitedly a huge help. Though some were scared at his lack of fear and death, Kaeya just smiled at him.
"As if you're any better, snowflake" responds Tartaglia. "Compliment him once and he'll take it to his grave" he squeezes Kaeya's hand as I take a sip of my drink. Archons, I want to leave. This is suffocating.
"If he makes you happy, then who are we to judge?" Venti chimes in. I don't remember him being a part of the Knights of Favonious but he had a huge help in the previous battle. I mean, he's the Anemo Archon. It was pretty obvious, if you read the books from the ancient section of the library that is.
My social battery was starting to run out, and seeing the lovers was so suffocating, so I excused myself to go somewhere less crowded. They all know how I am with social gatherings so they understood and thought nothing of it. I went to the counter where Master Diluc was staying. He's more quiet than everyone else and its the only area without a lot of people surrounding it. He just spared me a glance me and continued cleaning glasses. I pulled out my sketchbook and started sketching whatever I saw. The counter, the tables, glasses, the knights, anything.
"Master Diluc?" "You can call me Diluc, Mr.... Alchemist." "Albedo is fine. Can I sketch you?" He raised a brow, "of course, ran out of anything else to draw Albedo?" I gave a slight chuckle and nodded. "Your tavern is quite beautiful, the interior and designs are absolutely gorgeous and definitely worthy of a sketch or too. But I find you quite fascinating. I mean, you are quite attractive", a light blush was seen on his face, "and your articles of clothing are always so complex. With all the layering and the little details on your everyday outfit, it just makes me want to sketch you a lot. Not to mention, you are rarely seen with a high ponytail despite looking..." I stopped, I noticed I was babbling nonsense. All I said was true, but I'm definitely talking way more than I usually am.
"Looking like what, Chief Alchemist?" Diluc teases. Did he always have this side? "Albedo, Master Diluc", he laughs, "you should smile more. You look absolutely breathtaking. Absolutely worthy of a sketch or two." He just looked away and I took that as a cue to start sketching. He was constantly moving but it wasn't that hard to draw him. He'd steal a glance or two on my sketchbook and just continue working.
As I sketched, the sounds of their teasing towards the couple could be heard and I couldn't help my mind wandering. If I hadn't been so ignorant... would we still be together? If I hadn't been so understanding, could we have worked it out? If I asked more from him, would he have complied?
I mean, I was the perfect boyfriend, was I? Always understanding when he was busy. I would accompany him from time to time to make sure he's not overworking himself and to occasionally give him food. Sometimes we would just stay in the same room in silence while we worked on another pile of papers. He was so busy that he rarely went up to my camp anymore and whenever he actually did, it was just for a few 'I miss you's and 'I'm sorry's and then back to work. But even so, I never voiced any complains.
Was that why he left? Because I was so understanding? Did he want a clingy boyfriend? Someone who would get mad? If so, I can gladly be like that for him. I'd gladly act a certain way just for him. I'd go out of my comfort zone if it was for him. Why didn't he just say so then? Would it hurt his pride? Probably.
Perhaps he simply just found the harbinger better than me. Perhaps he was never mad at me, he simply just found someone better. Maybe I just wasn't enough. I mean, a Fatui harbinger is definitely better than an anti-social chief alchemist.
"Yeah... that's probably why."
"Albedo?"
Diluc wiped a tear from my eye. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice that I was crying. I blinked away my tears and angled my face away from Diluc. Archons, this is embarrassing. I did not mean to cry in front of him. I did not mean to cry at all.
"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me." I nervously laughed. I tried to stop the tears but they just kept coming. I guess it finally dawned to me that we're over.
I never cried when he asked to end whatever we were mainly because I didn't get the chance to cry. It was one of the busiest weeks of the month and the stress was too much for me to handle. I wanted to cry, I really did, but I didn't want Timaeus and Sucrose to see me like that. What would they think of their chief alchemist? Besides, no one knew about me and Kaeya. We promised each other to keep it a secret to prevent rumors.
"Do.. you want to talk about it?" He asks. I really want to.
I want to talk about what happened. I want to talk about how I felt about what happened. I want to talk about how I feel right now. I want someone to listen. I want someone to comfort me, tell me its alright to feel like this. I want someone to distract me.
I think I can trust him. I want to trust him. He is Kaeya's brother, well sworn-brother, adopted? I don't know. But he won't tell others, right? Can... can he be the distraction?
"Can I?" I hesitantly ask. It should be okay, right?
Is it alright to use him as a distraction? "Do you mind?" Being the distraction, that is.
"Its alright with me, Albedo."
"Even if its about him?"
That made him pause for a moment, I swear his cheeks flushed for a moment, then nodded as if it wasn't a delayed for a moment. "I don't mind, not like I have a chance with that lying bastard anyways."
That made my eyes widen. Master Diluc... likes... no way... right? Is that even allowed?
"Master Diluc.. do you like sir...." I didn't even finish my sentence when he gave me a slight glare. "No, we're brothers. Sort of, its complicated. I think you misunderstood. The other lying bastard, Chief Alchemist. " The other?
Who's the other lying bastard?
Oh.
Oh. Well, that is a surpise.
"So I take you're interested in him then, Albedo?" I nodded. "Honestly, what do you guys even see in him?" "I could ask the same to you. The harbinger? I thought you despised them?" He sighed. "I thought so too." He then placed a cup full of juice on the counter infront of me. "Freshen up a bit and meet me upstairs. I'll be at the very last room on the right, I assume you want some privacy."
With that, he went up the stairs. I took some deep breaths, prayed that it wasn't obvious that I just cried, downed the drink in one go slightly regretting it because the drink tasted divine, then also started going up the stairs.
As I walked through the bar, I felt eyes on me. A familiar subtle icy stare and another pair of eyes, but I can't tell from who. I paid it no mind, let them stare. He's probably curious since Diluc went up before me. The other one, maybe it was just Aether worried for me.
I gave the tavern another look back, Aether and Paimon are talking lively with the Acting Grandmaster and Lisa, looks like Amber is teasing Eula at the back, Bennett, Fischl and the boy from Wolvendom are all in a corner laughing cups of juice in hand because Diluc refuses to give them alcohol, Sucrose and Timaeus are conversing near the counter probably moved there once I left and Kazuha and Xiao, Aether's new companions who were also a huge help in the previous mission sat in a table in a far isolated corner. The adeptus looks like he wants to leave while the poet beside him just teases him. Kazuha catches my eyes and smiles at me, I just wave back and ascend the stairs.
As I scanned the room, I figured out who the other pair of eyes belonged to. It was from the harbinger. When we locked eyes, he just smirked. I raised my brow and just turned away. No use finding out the meaning behind the stare. Like I said, let them stare. I have more things to worry about, like how I'm supposed to face Diluc now.