Chapter Text
Compared to the frigid air on Dragonspine, the ever-present breeze of Mondstadt was warm and kind. The sun smiled down on the City of Freedom and its inhabitants, thawing the last remnants of frost from Albedo’s body. He shaded his eyes as he looked up into the clear skies.
His trip to the icy mountain had lasted just over two weeks, during which he explored the snow covered trails and tried his hand at cartography. The climate was vastly different from the rest of Mondstadt, and the creatures who called the mountain home exhibited unique adaptations to the harsh conditions.
Albedo had felt an inexplicable pull from the mountain ever since he first arrived in Mondstadt. There were days he found himself staring in its direction without realizing it. It felt as if an invisible hand was tugging at his heart, urging him towards it.
Of course, this was not the reasoning he gave to Grandmaster Varka when he suggested an expedition.
Now he was finally returning to give his report and make plans for further exploration. His next course of action would be to set up a campsite and lab. He’d already found an ideal spot, a sheltered cave overlooking Wyrmrest Valley. But he was getting ahead of himself.
Despite his desire to run back to the mountain, Albedo found himself excited to be back in the city. The expedition had already been decided upon before the Windblume Festival. There had only been a few days between the festival and his departure. As such, he hadn’t found the chance to sit down with Kaeya and discuss their newly formed relationship.
His horse’s hoof steps turned to a more audible clopping sound as they crossed the stonework bridge. Swan and Lawrence saluted and welcomed the small team home as they entered the gate.
Albedo took his time dropping off his horse while the rest of his team unpacked and began bringing their belongings up to headquarters. The stablehands offered to take care of his horse as well, but he turned them down. Maybe Kaeya was rubbing off on him more than he’d thought. The Cavalry Captain always took the time to take proper care of his own horse, rather than let someone else do the job. Now Albedo found himself doing the same.
By the time he was walking up to headquarters, it was mid afternoon. After a brief stop at his quarters, tidying up his travel worn appearance, he headed straight for the Grandmaster’s office. He knocked on the door, three crisp notes, then stepped back and waited. From within, a deep voice called out.
“Enter.”
Varka was working at his desk, a powerful and imposing figure. There were hints of bags forming under his eyes, but his smile at Albedo’s arrival was anything but tired.
“Ah, Albedo! Welcome back.”
He approached, stopping just in front of the desk, “Glad to be back, Sir.”
Varka gave a hearty laugh and placed his pen down, “I’m sure! That mountain will chill you to the bone, the monsters there are as unrelenting as the snow.”
The Grandmaster gestured for him to take a seat, which Albedo did so gratefully.
“So, how did it go?”
“It was very informative,” he replied. “Dragonspine’s ecology is…fascinating. There are unique species only found in that region, not to mention the unusual energy readings. I believe there is merit in setting up a laboratory.”
Varka clapped his hands together, “Wonderful! This assignment seems to be right up your alley. I’m grateful for your expertise.”
“And I am grateful for the opportunity,” Albedo said, deflecting the compliment. Varka’s energy always seemed to be a bit too much for him. “I will have a written report ready within the next few days.”
“No problem,” he nodded. “And please, take some time to rest. I’m sure you could use it.”
Truthfully, Albedo was hoping to get back as soon as possible, but if he said as much it would only make Varka more insistent on him resting.
“Thank you for your concern, Grandmaster.”
Sensing that the conversation had concluded, Albedo began to stand. However, before he could excuse himself, Varka spoke.
“Oh, and Albedo?”
He froze, “Yes?”
There was an unusual look in Varka’s eyes, a knowing look mixed with something he couldn’t identify.
“You and Kaeya have been a popular topic of conversation these last few weeks.”
Albedo fought against the urge to flinch as if he’d been caught, “...I see.”
“Albedo,” the knight’s eyes narrowed.
“Yes?”
"Take good care of him.”
Well, he wasn’t sure what he had been expecting to hear, but that certainly wasn’t it. He felt the dryness in his throat lessen, and tilted his head in a silent question. Varka sighed, a sad little smile forming on his face.
“Kaeya, that child…he needs someone by his side. Someone who will support him,” he looked up at Albedo. “I hope that you can be that for him.”
Albedo nodded, not quite sure where this was coming from but understanding the sentiment, “I will.”
There was a moment of silence as they just stared at each other. Then Varka cleared his throat and the strange atmosphere dissipated like mist in the sun.
“Good. Good, very good,” he said. “Well, I won’t hold you any longer than I already have. I look forward to your written report.”
Albedo excused himself and left the office as quickly as was polite. He stood at the closed door for a moment, collecting his thoughts.
He needs someone by his side. Someone who will support him.
Of course Albedo would support him. But why Albedo specifically? The way Varka had spoken…it was as if none of Kaeya’s other friends could do that for him. Why would that be?
He knew something had happened prior to his arrival in Mondstadt. Something big. But enough time had passed for healing to set in. He likened it to a forest that had been burned, a blackened scar on the land. Only, when he first laid eyes on it, new trees were beginning to fill in the gaps, and the dark grays were slowly turning green once more.
Perhaps as an ‘outsider’, someone who had not been involved in the event, Albedo was the only one who could play that role of support.
As he reasoned through this line of thinking, he had been unconsciously wandering towards his laboratory. When he opened the door, he was interrupted by an excited squeal.
“Oh my Archons! Sucrose, you’re the best!”
“O-oh! Um, it was really no trouble…”
Amber was crowding Sucrose, who was holding a small box in her hand. Green ears flicked at the sound of Albedo stepping into the room and his assistant looked over to him with a smile on her face.
“Mr. Albedo!” she said. “Welcome back!”
Albedo nodded in greeting. He looked at the box in her hand, a plain white box with an unfamiliar logo printed on its side, then at Amber who had a few crumbs around her mouth and a fork in hand.
“What do you have there, Sucrose?” he asked, approaching her a bit more quickly than she must’ve been expecting since she nearly flinched away from him.
“Ah, this,” she opened up the top to reveal three slices of cheesecake, each a different flavor. “I shared some of my sweetflower stock with the new bakery that opened up recently, and they gave me some sweets as a thank you gift. Would you like to try some?”
“Yes,” Albedo replied without hesitation.
Sucrose carefully took the slices out of the box. Amber had already had a bite out of the chocolate one. The other two were valberry and vanilla. Sucrose handed Albedo a fork.
“Why don’t we try a bit of each one?” Amber suggested.
They rotated slices, tasting each flavor. The crust was perfectly baked and the filling was smooth. They were sweet, yet balanced so as to not be overly so. Albedo’s eyes fluttered shut in utter bliss. A treat as nice as that after two weeks on the mountain was heavenly. It was only when he noticed Amber giggling that he opened his eyes.
“I didn’t know that you liked sweets,” she said between laughs.
“Mr. Albedo says that sugar is important for brain function,” Sucrose replied before Albedo got the chance. Albedo simply nodded in confirmation.
“This is from a new bakery, you said?” Albedo asked.
“Yep! It’s called Sugar & Spice. It’s in midtown,” Sucrose chirped. “If you’re thinking about going, you’ll need to get there early. It’s pretty popular.”
He hummed, taking another bite of the valberry cheesecake.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Come in.”
Kaeya had been sitting in his office for, well, several hours without so much as an ounce of entertainment. There was always paperwork to be done, but following festival time there always seemed to be more. When he looked up to see who entered, he was extremely happy to see familiar light blond hair and teal eyes.
“Well, if it isn’t our dearest Chief Alchemist,” he smiled and stopped what he was working on. “Welcome home.”
Home. Welcome home. Albedo returned the smile, light and natural.
“Thank you,” he closed the door and walked up to the desk. “It’s good to be back.”
“How was Dragonspine?”
“Cold,” Albedo said as he sat down.
Kaeya laughed at the simple answer, “I thought you said that cold weather doesn’t bother you?”
“It doesn’t bother me, but it’s not like I don’t feel how cold it is.”
“Fair enough,” he placed his hands on the table. “I am curious, though. How was your trip?”
“Fascinating,” Albedo sat up a bit straighter in his seat. “The weather aside, the leyline activity on the mountain is completely unique to that terrain, I’ve never come across anything quite like it. There is something inside the mountain that is causing these changes. It’s almost alive, yet not.”
He talked about the samachurls and other unique variations of monsters and plant life he had found. Kaeya watched him intently as he spoke, paperwork long forgotten. It was a few minutes later that Albedo paused, remembering that he had a specific reason for coming there.
“Ah, sorry I didn’t mean to ramble,” he said, fiddling with his gloves.
“No need to apologize,” Kaeya replied smoothly. “It’s something you’re passionate about.”
Albedo cleared his throat, unsure what to say to that.
“Well, there was actually another reason for my visit,” he paused. “Tomorrow morning, would you like to meet up at the new bakery?”
Kaeya blinked owlishly, then a smirk settled on his face, “Are you asking me out on a date?”
“Call it whatever you want,” Albedo waved him off. “Well?”
“Sure, what time?”
“Eight?”
Kaeya nodded.
“Eight it is.”