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“Okay, Klee. I need you to be on your best behavior while we are here, okay?”
Klee giggled, “Okay! Klee will be extra good!”
“Remember what we discussed? No blowing things up.”
“No problem, Mr. Albedo! Klee and Dodoco will be on our best behavior!”
Klee smiled wide, trying to show she was going to be a good girl but it only made Albedo worry more.
Tighnari had been generous enough to invite Albedo to stay with him in Sumeru for a bit to do some research in the area and show him around.
The two had become pen pals after the Windblume Festival and liked to sometimes share their findings with one another.
Klee had overheard Albedo telling Kaeya about his trip and insisted she join him.
He often had a hard time saying no to Klee as he saw her as a younger sister. Not just that, she saw him as a role model and absolutely adored him.
Albedo didn’t have a childhood and had made it his personal goal in life to protect Klee from all the terrible things in Teyvat. He never wanted her to feel neglected like he did.
Kaeya would’ve been more than happy to babysit but Albedo hadn’t spent much time with Klee for a while because he had been working on research in Dragonspine and wanted to spend some quality time with her.
Luckily, Tighnari had said he and Cyno would be happy to help watch Klee while Albedo visited, which was good because the thought of keeping track of Klee in Sumeru would have been near impossible on his own.
“It was nice getting to meet you both at the Windblume Festival. Thank you for allowing me to bring Klee so I could conduct research here. We really appreciate your hospitality. Isn’t that right, Klee?”
Albedo lightly squeezed the hand he was holding to get the girl’s attention.
“Yes! Klee loves going on adventures with Mr. Albedo!”
Klee used one of her hands to block her mouth from Albedo’s eyesight, turning towards the two men opposite of them so Albedo wouldn’t be able to hear her.
“He can be a little serious but he’s actually really, really nice.”
Klee attempted whispering so Albedo couldn’t hear but it was more like a stage whisper.
Tighnari squatted down to meet eyes with Klee.
“It’s great to meet your acquaintance again, Klee.”
“Nice to see you!” Klee giggled, “Thanks for inviting Albedo, Klee and Dodoco to Sumeru!”
“It is our pleasure. You are all a delight to spend time with.”
Cyno spoke up, “Have any of you read any good books recently? I can't stop reading this particular book about anti-gravity."
Tighnari groaned, “Dare I ask why?”
"It's just impossible to put down."
Tighnari sighed while Albedo gave a friendly smile.
“I swear I can’t take you anywhere without you constantly annoying me on purpose.”
“Tighnari, you don’t mean that. You absolutely adore me and my jokes, don’t you?”
Tighnari’s ears perked up as his cheeks flushed.
“I-I never said that. I find your jokes irritating and stupid.”
The two men continued arguing until Klee spoke.
“Mr. Albedo?” Klee lightly shook the hand she was holding as she glanced up at him.
Albedo looked down at her.
“Yes, is there something you need?”
“Um,” she blushed, “I have to go potty.”
“Oh, thank you for telling me. I’ll walk with you to the restroom”
Albedo looked at the two men.
“We will be right back.”
Albedo led Klee towards the closest bathroom, holding her hand, making sure she didn’t run off. It would be embarrassing if Klee ran away when they had only just arrived.
Once they returned, the three men started conversing but Klee wasn’t paying attention. They were using big words and talking about things she didn’t understand so she was lost within seconds.
Klee started wandering about Tighnari’s place, looking at the various objects which she had no clue what they were.
The men continued their conversation until Klee walked right behind Tighnari, stroking his tail as if it were a puppy.
Tighnari turned around, glancing down at her.
“Hello Klee. Do you need something from me?”
Albedo grabbed Klee’s hand, guiding her away from Tighnari.
“Klee, what do you think you’re doing? It’s extremely rude to touch someone without asking first.”
The blonde man sighed, looking at Tighnari.
“I apologize, Klee sometimes doesn’t understand personal space.”
Albedo squatted down in front of the small girl.
“Klee, you need to say sorry to Tighnari.”
“Klee is sorry,” Klee said with her head hung low.
Tighnari gave a toothless smile.
“It’s no problem Klee. If you ever want to touch my tail feel free to ask.”
The girl smiled, eyes lighting up as she raised her head to look at him.
“Can Klee also touch your ears? They’re so big and pointy.”
“Of course you can. Here, let’s sit down on the bed so you can reach them.”
The short man sat on his bed, patting the space next to him.
Klee giggled, “Yay!”
“Thank you, Tighnari. I really appreciate your patience with Klee.”
“It’s no problem at all. Klee is a curious child who is quite the delight to be around.”
The man brought his tail across his lap so the girl could easily reach it.
Klee was gentle with it, combing her fingers through the tail and petting it.
“It’s like a fluffy puppy!”
Tighnari blushed at the comment.
“Can I also touch your ears?”
Tighnari lowered his head, giving her access to his long ears.
Klee felt his ears for a bit before patting his head.
It was a little awkward for Tighnari as only Cyno was allowed to touch his tail and ears but he was more than happy to allow the curious child to feel them.
Cyno had been watching this whole social interaction in silence.
Unlike Tighnari, Cyno wasn’t always great with kids.
Usually the man would turn to making jokes to seem more approachable but he worried that the jokes would go right over Klee’s head.
He didn’t want to confuse or make her uncomfortable.
“Cyno! Come sit with us!”
Klee motioned for him to sit next to her.
Cyno gave an awkward smile as he slowly approached the two, sitting beside the girl who giggled with excitement.
“Cyno, I wanna play a game with you!”
The man gave a half smile to show his interest.
“What game would you like to play?”
“Oh, I’ll show you! Klee and Dodoco made up a secret handshake. I wanna teach you because you’re my friend now.”
Klee turned to face Cyno, sitting with her legs crossed. She then put her hands out for him to mimic her movements. Albedo and Tighnari watched this interaction in silence while Cyno learned the entire handshake.
Watching his boyfriend interact with Klee melted Tughnari’s heart. The two had been keeping their relationship secret as they weren’t sure how others would react. Aside from their closest friends, nobody knew the two men were dating.
“Klee and Dodoco are having the best time ever! We could stay here forever!”
“Alright Klee, you’ve had your fun. It’s time for Tighnari and I to start our research now.”
“But Klee was having so much fun,” she sighed before perking up.
“It’s okay! Klee and her friends will have time to play later!”
Klee and Cyno watched the two men collect their things to head off.
“Cyno, could you watch Klee really quick? If not, it’s no problem. Tighnari wants to show me The Withering Zones and I don’t think it would be safe for Klee to tag along.”
“It’s not a problem. Klee is a great kid. You can leaf her with me”
“Nice one but are you sure? She can be quite the destructive troublemaker.”
“Don’t worry. I’m the General Mahamatra. I’ve handled way worse than a child.”
“Great, thank you! If she becomes too much, come find us and I’ll deal with her.”
Tighnari and Albedo left, saying their goodbyes.
Klee waved frantically while Cyno gave a tiny smile.
Cyno took Klee on a walk outside of the town so he could keep the girl entertained and show her what Sumeru was like. Not only that, it was far enough away from people that he wouldn’t have to worry about others getting hurt if Klee tried throwing her bombs.
Klee kept dragging Cyno around asking him to tell her all about the plants they passed.
“What’s that weird green thing over there?”
Klee pointed at a Sumeru Mushroom.
“That is a Sumeru Mushroom. You can jump on it. It’s pretty easy.”
“Klee loves jumping on things, especially bombs!”
“Would you like to try?”
“Yes please!” Klee ran until she stood right in front of the Sumeru Mushroom. Looking at Cyno, she waited for him to catch up.
Before he could explain, Klee climbed up on Mushroom, standing in the dead center before jumping as hard as she could.
Cyno watched the girl play until she started looking tired.
“Are you ready to head back now?” Cyno asked the girl who was panting hard.
Klee smirked, “You have to catch me first!”
The little girl ran as fast as she could, giggling as she did so.
Cyno watched her go. He could have easily caught her but wanted Klee to further wear herself out.
Though she had run somewhat far, her hiding spot wasn’t far from him. Not just that, she was terrible at hiding. Cyno could see her a mile away.
“Heehee, you found Klee! Good job Cyno!”
“Klee, please don’t run off. It’s not safe out here on your own.”
“Don’t worry, Klee has Dodoco and plenty of bombs with her! Klee is an official Knight of Favonius afterall!”
The little girl yawned, rubbing her eyes.
“Mr. Cyno?”
Cyno nodded, “What is it Klee? Is there something you need from me?”
“Can you carry me? I’m tired from running around and hiding. Usually Albedo carries me but he’s busy being a science person with Tighnari.”
Nobody but Tighnari had ever asked to be held by him.
He didn’t always know how to interact with kids and yet here Klee was, wanting him to hold her.
“Are you sure? We could always ask Albedo to carry you. I'm sure he wouldn’t mind.”
Klee’s eyes started to water.
“Cyno doesn’t want to carry Klee? Did Klee do something wrong?”
Oh Archons. She looked like she was going to cry and Cyno was terrible at comforting people who cried unless it was Tighnari.
What should he do? He didn’t want to upset Klee. This is exactly why he stayed back when Collei was around. She was a sensitive soul like Klee in a way and the last thing he wanted was to make the girl uncomfortable.
Cyno bent down, speaking to Klee in the most gentle tone he physically could.
“It’s okay, Klee. You did nothing wrong. I can carry you if you want me to.”
The child squealed, jumping up and down.
“Yay! You’re the best!”
“Do you want to climb on my back?”
“Um, well Mr. Albedo carries me in his arms and holds my backpack for me with Dodoco.”
“I can do that. Come here,” Cyno held out his arms for Klee to run into.
“Here we go! Off on an adventure!”
Once in his arms, the man picked her up, standing before walking in the direction they were headed.
Cyno took the girl’s backpack off her, holding it in his free hand. The girl weighed nothing to him. Even carrying Tighnari was super easy.
It didn’t take long for Klee to drift off to sleep, hugging Cyno’s body close as she snuggled up.
Cyno made sure to tread lightly so as not to wake Klee but soon realized she was a heavy sleeper to the point where he was able to fight off a few slimes on the way.
After a short walk, the man could see Tighnari and Albedo waiting for them. The two were smiling at him, obviously finding what Cyno was doing as cute.
Once he met them, Albedo held out his arms to take the girl.
After handing over the girl and her backpack, Cyno took a step back.
Seeing Cyno with a child in his arms made his heart swell. Tighnari loved seeing Cyno’s sensitive side, especially with children. He’d never seen Cyno hold a child so delicately before.
“Thank you so much for taking care of Klee for me. I know she can be pretty difficult to watch at times.”
“It’s no problem. She’s young afterall,” Cyno paused, “It’s dangerous out there. Did you hear about the kidnapping at Aaru Village?"
"Do I know the victim?" Tighnari asked.
"Nah, it's okay. He woke up."
“Archons, will you ever stop with the stupid jokes?”
The man smiled, “I know you love my jokes. I’ll never stop and you know it.”
Tighnari blushed, trying to hide his embarrassment from Albedo.
“Alright, let’s get Klee to bed before you make us cringe further.”
Cyno smirked, ready to piss his boyfriend off further.
"You’re right. We should allow her to sleep with a roof over her head.”
“I swear if you’re about to say another joke I will lose my mind.”
“Did you hear the joke about the roof?"
"I'm not interested,” Tighnari groaned.
"Never mind, it would go over your head."
“I swear to Celestia. If Albedo and Klee weren’t here I’d choke you out.”
Cyno gave a mischievous smirk.
“Sounds nice, Tighnari.”
Tighnari’s cheeks flushed bright red.
“C-Cyno! I-I would never do that! Why must you be like this in front of Albedo?”
Albedo awkwardly shifted his hold on the little girl in his arms.
“How about you show me somewhere Klee can rest.”
Thankful for Albedo for breaking the awkwardness of the situation, Tighnari let out a sigh of relief.
“Follow me back to my place.”
The three men headed back to Tighnari’s place while Klee slept soundly, conversing until Albedo bent down to gently place Klee in the bed. He tucked her in before getting down on his knees.
Albedo set down her backpack and pulled out a stuffed animal in the shape of Dodoco. He moved the girl’s arm so she could hold in against her.
Still on his knees in front of her sleeping form, he leaned in to push the hair from her face and kiss her forehead.
One wouldn’t think Albedo the type of person to be such a softie until they saw how he treated Klee. Though it didn’t seem like it, Klee was the most important thing in his life.
He treasured every moment with her even when she was a pain in the butt and blowing things up. She was essentially a little sister to him and he felt it was his job to be her primary caregiver.
Though he couldn’t always be there for her, he loved her very much and made sure someone he trusted was always around in case she got herself in danger or needed some company.
Once Albedo was done, he stood up and faced the two men waiting for him.
“I know I’ve already said it but thank you for making us feel so welcomed during our stay.”
Tighnari smiled, “It’s no trouble at all. We know you’d do the same for us.”
The men then sat at a table together, talking late into the night before heading off to sleep.
Albedo and Klee stayed in Sumeru for about a week until it was time to head back to Mondstadt.
“But Klee doesn’t want to say goodbye! Goodbyes are sad and Klee loves being friends with Tighnari and Cyno.”
The little girl fake pouted which made the three men smile.
Albedo knelt down to meet eye to eye with her.
“Think about everyone in Mondstadt who misses you dearly. Not only that, the people need their favorite Knight of Favonius. I bet Jean and Kaeya need your help around Mondstadt as well.”
“Hmm,” Klee pondered, “You’re right Mr. Albedo. The people of Mondstadt do need me.”
Albedo stood back up, facing the two other men as he took Klee’s hand in his own.
Shyly, Klee spoke again.
“Mr. Tighnari?”
“Yes Klee?” Tighnari asked.
“Can we come visit you and Cyno again sometime? Klee had a ton of fun and is going to miss you both.”
The way she asked so politely was so cute. She was such a kind little soul even though she could be quite the handful.
“Of course you can!” Tighnari responded.
“Can Klee and Dodoco send you letters like Albedo does?”
“Absolutely! We’d love that. Isn’t that right, Cyno?”
The man nodded, “Don’t worry Klee. I’ll make sure to write whenever I get the chance.”
“Yay! Did you hear that, Albedo? Tighnari and Cyno are going to write to Klee as well!”
The girl let go of Albedo’s hand then ran towards the men in front of her. She spread her arms out wide and waited for a hug.
“Can we have a group hug? Albedo says I have to ask for a hug first instead of running at and jumping into their arms.”
The men gave each other a look before kneeling down to be level with her. They each held their arms out, signaling that she could in fact hug them.
Klee squealed loudly as she ran into their embrace.
The three held one another in a group hug for a bit until Klee let go, taking a step back to look at them.
“Tighnari and Cyno are the best! Klee and Albedo are going to miss you both so much. Promise you’ll write to us.”
The little girl gave puppy eyes which melted everyone’s hearts.
“Of course we will,” Tighnari said.
“Absolutely,” Cyno agreed.
Klee turned around to face the person behind her.
“Come on Mr. Albedo! It’s time to go on an adventure back to Mondstadt!”
The girl yawned, stretching her arms up over her head.
“Klee is getting sleepy though. Mr. Albedo is going to have to carry her and Dodoco.”
Albedo was already carrying both of their things on his back as he held out his arms.
“Come here, Klee. It’s time for us to go.”
“Okay!” Klee jumped into Albedo’s arms, hugging his neck as she drifted off to sleep.
“Thank you both again for your hospitality. I really appreciate your help with Klee. She really tried being on her best behavior. Sorry about the few incidents where she blew things up. I’ll make sure to send money to cover the costs.”
“It’s no problem,” Tighnari said, “We prepared ahead of time for some possible explosions to go off.”
Cyno nodded, “Yes, no problem at all. We wish you both a safe journey back to Mondstadt.”
“Thank you both very much.”
The three said their last goodbyes as Albedo headed off, the sleeping girl held tight in his embrace.
Albedo and Tighnari continued to be pen pals and occasionally invited one another to visit. It was nice to have someone who showed interest in and enjoyed discussing various topics of research with.
Having someone to share findings with and bounce ideas off of was also nice to get feedback and recommendations. Not just that, it was nice to have a long distance friend.
“Are you sending another letter to Tighnari and Cyno?” Klee asked.
“Yes, would you like to send your own letter to them? I can send it with mine.”
“Kaeya, can you help me get my paper and crayons? Klee needs to draw something and it needs to be beautiful.”
Albedo watched fondly as his boyfriend helped Klee set up her art supplies and dump her crayons on the floor to draw a colorful picture.
The little girl scribbled aggressively with her tongue sticking out from deep concentration. Kaeya sat next to her, handing her crayons when she asked for them like a helpful assistant.
Once Klee was done, she ran up to Albedo while holding it out in front of her.
“Look at what Klee made! It’s a picture of us with Tighnari and Cyno! Klee even added Kaeya in since he’s the best!”
The image had sloppy stick figures of the seven of them. The Tighnari and Cyno ones were on the left of the Klee shaped stick figure while the Albedo and Kaeya were on the right.
“It’s beautiful! You did an amazing job!”
She handed him the drawing and he folded it up to put in an envelope, placing it next to his and Sucrose’s letters.
Albedo had encouraged Sucrose to write to Collei, seeing as the two got along so well at the Windblume Festival.
It was nice seeing Sucrose becoming good friends with Collei as she usually kept to herself.
The way she lit up when Collei wrote back was cute especially because he knew Collei reacted the same way when receiving a letter back.
Albedo carefully tied the letters together so they wouldn’t get separated on the way to Sumeru.
Once done, he faced Klee and Kaeya who had stood up to join them.
Being able to spend time with the two gave him purpose and a reason to keep going.
Albedo held his arms out for Klee to run up and jump into his arms.
“Klee loves you, Albedo!”
She turned around, “Klee loves you too Kaeya! Come hug us!”
Kaeya walked over and wrapped both of them in his arms.
The three stayed like that until Albedo decided it was time to drop the letters off. Klee was allowed to carry them and drop the letters off.
For the rest of the day, the two men played outside with Klee until she fell asleep. They then took the girl home and tucked her in bed with her Dodoco stuffed animal.
That evening, the couple talked late into the night while cuddled up in bed.
Before Albedo fell asleep, he took a moment to think about how fortunate he was to have the two in his life and ponder how his life had gotten to be so domestic.
He hoped his life could be like the day he had with his boyfriend and Klee forever.