Work Text:
Homework was usually boring.
Writing down Barbatos' hymns, the precepts of Mondstadt (the city's name itself was a nightmare to write) or why she shouldn't forget her playmates in public spaces as she was a responsible Knight of Favonius. Horribly boring.
Math and Art, though, were a whole different story. Both very fun, interesting and useful in making more spectacular friends for Dodoco.
But, this time, the sisters gave them an easy task that brought a big smile to Klee's face.
Present your family tree.
At first, she was highly proud of her five-piece-tree; her mom, dad, her brother, her sworn brother (a.k.a. Dodoco) and herself! Her family, surrounded by their beloved colors of crimson and gold.
But then, the other kids shared their own trees, their bigger (even if uglier) trees. And someone asked why hers didn't have anything upon the parents.
This didn't put her down, as she answered that her parents were the greatest travelers on Teyvat and they made the treetop enough flamboyant (nice word learnt through Mona) to not need anything upon. She didn't lack any love nor caring despite their obviously extensive traveling times. The nuns cheered on her reply, but they soon passed onto the next tree, as the presentations for Dodoco (who was truly present) and Albedo didn't take long.
Klee studied the other trees, saw the uncles, grandparents, granduncles, great grandparents and greater (was it?) grandparents of her classmates and finally felt that her tree did, indeed, lack something. Apparently, for her classmates, Dodoco didn't even count as family for not being blood related to her, but this was a mere excuse for not a single one of them questioned Albedo's position.
So, she had one blood relative who had a relation to someone who gave life to Albedo and, due to the relation, he is now her brother... Thus, she can make her tree bigger by making that mysterious person into her aunt, but she still lacks that 'something' recurrent on her mates' trees.
Relations of love, unconcerned by blood, validated through Barbatos' blessing on marriage. That was the point the nuns were aiming for with the exercise, Klee wasn't dumb.
Still, it bothered her.
Her parents loved each other and they loved her, but there was no marriage bonding them. So, no blessing of the Anemo archon was given to their little family.
This is how the girl was found as Mona presented into the house to fulfill her caretaker/friend/responsible adult quote of the month that aided her economy in the shape of a handful of free meals.
The child looked up to the astrologist after getting tired of doodling with her red crayon. Mona, who had barely greeted her and decided to pay her silent company after the lack of an answer, stopped the idle reading of her elemental chart by the sofa.
"Would you like something to drink, Klee?
The child rose from her splayed position on the carpet and knelt with a small frown of her eyebrows. Mona blinked, unsure about repeating her offer or just wait for Klee to finish thin-
"If you start dating my big brother Albedo, will that make you my sister?"
Mona’s smile remained intact for a breath, after which her eyes opened big as the shock truly reached her. The astrologist choked on air and her elemental chart dissolved in shaky drops of water, wetting nor only her clothes (thank The Seven they were waterproof) but also part of the couch (was it waterproof? Why would an interior’s sofa ever be waterproof?!). She got up in a rush, looking around for something to dry up the mess.
Klee’s childish determination seemed to falter upon her reaction.
“Do you… Not like my brother?”
This made the young woman stop.
Mona wondered if this was all some sort of joke darkly schemed by that old hag for having looked into her diary. That crone was wicked enough to have her revenge after so long had passed, when Mona less expected something to break the relative calm she had managed to build around herself.
The astrologist sighed and decided to think later about the furniture, instead going to kneel beside Klee on the carpet. The girl had only asked her two simple questions, regardless of their origin.
"That isn't it Klee, I do like Albedo. He is absurdly skilled in alchemy, literature, arts and I'm sure in whatever else he puts his mind into too. Meanwhile he also is a true gentleman and he's fairlooking, handsome even. I really do enjoy spending my time with Albedo and, also, with you" she reconsidered the first question. "I could be your sister, regardless of-"
"So that is a yes?!" Klee's bright smile was contagious and Mona could only nod. "Then, ask her on a date!" Klee turned her head to exclaim at her right.
Mona, once again, felt dread and remained still.
This had to be a scheme of sorts. From the old hag, or, from any resentful stars.
"I was unaware of Miss Mona having such high opinions of my person" Albedo's voice, as always, was entirely too calm; just like his steps coming closer to them. "And, even considering my distaste for relationships, Klee has made a good choice here" he knelt in front of Mona.
The child made a sound of pride as she walked up to her backpack, probably to tell her toys that her brother just complimented her.
Albedo's smile, meanwhile, was unfairly charming.
"Huh?" she finally reacted when the man held her right hand. She surely was blushing like a toddler on a busy summer day.
"I would like to court you."
Unbelievable.
“That is-”
“Court?” Klee, the sweet thing, interrupted them. “You want to take her to Jean?! I meant you two should date, not be thrown together at the prison gate!”
Mona finally smiled, feeling the situation becoming a lot more familiar.
“Courting is a custom from Fontaine, Klee. It is a period of time where the courting person shows their intentions to the courted person while they get to know each other better. Everyone does it differently but if, by the end of it, the courted person accepts a handmade gift, that means they are officially dating” it was most common for those gifts to be some sort of prototype for a new invention that expressed the pursuit of a bright future in which they could develop it together.
“Ohhh” the child processed what she just heard and nodded. “That sounds nice, but you have already accepted lots of handmade gifts from big brother!”
This, Mona could not deny. She had indeed accepted some pretty craftings, paintings and, most importantly, delicious food made by the man himself.
“Klee” this time, Albedo chose to explain. “That may be right, but those were not courtship gifts… I gift you lots of things too, or do I not?”
“Oh, that is true” the girl stood thinking for a moment again before beaming. “No matter, I am sure this court-thing will go wonderfully. I’ll go make the new tree now!” she announced before running off and up to her room, letting her pages and crayons be forgotten behind.
Mona sighed and Albedo chuckled beside her.
“What was all that about?”
“Klee’s been anxious about fixing her family tree” the man bent on the spot Klee had been doodling and held up a page. Mona leaned to inspect the piece. “She even plans to add my master Rhinedottir in it, you see.”
Beside the big three that occupied most of the page, Albedo pointed to a bunch of deep yellow… Spikes, maybe the resemblance of a flower, like the one around Albedo’s icon. Mona noticed a wobbly circle of blue beside the icon, being the only trace of a color that was no shade of yellow or red.
“And that is…”
“She wants to have you as her sister too.”
“Ha, who wouldn’t?” Mona finally felt some relief and let herself rest beside the man. “Both our masters share the same relationship to Alice, that should make us sisters already. Although, if I were in her place, I would rather omit the old hag from any sort of script, lest it results in being cursed.”
“Well, she’ll see it done one way or another. Klee is as persistent as her mother.”
“You tell me, last week I had to make sure she didn’t fall on a pond while catching dragonflies just because I mentioned they were most abundant close to water” she had watched over the kid three days straight that week since Albedo was out portraying an important commission for some Liyue writer. And now she returned, for the man was supposedly on Dragonspine. “By the way, how did work go?”
“It was fine. I only had to record the progress of some examples, so I managed to return early.”
“Good” so everything was good. Mona almost casted her chart once again but her arms trembled on the act. Sure. Almost everything was fine. “The couch!” she stood up and rushed to it once again, pulling the stained cushions out. At least the water hadn’t managed to get past them.
“What’s wrong with the cushions?”
“They’re wet!” she exclaimed in a hushed voice to evade calling Klee’s attention, but her anxiety was nowhere near ground level. “I can’t believe I was this careless… I know it’s only water but, if this does not dry under the sun it will leave an ugly stain and it’s nighttime already… Just, just tell me how much they cost, I can afford it” she resolved with a heavy sigh.
Albedo took the cushions from her and barely inspected them before placing both on the ground.
“You have to afford nothing. Courtship implies that our mistakes are to be shared too. I’ll see this fixed, as this is my house.”
Mona’s relief was only momentary.
“What? But- did- I thought- you- do we?” she took a deep inhale. “I thought we wouldn’t do that.”
Albedo raised an eyebrow.
“I take this that you don’t want to?”
“I mean… Aside from that silly tree, there’s no reason for you to court me.”
“Well, it seems I wasn’t clear enough” the blond man walked to stand right in front of her. “I don’t like relationships, that much I have made clear. But I do enjoy our conversations, about work or else. I trust you, as Klee does or even more. I worry about you even if you don’t seem to like it when people do that so I refrain from commenting on this, but I am sure it adds to the point now. I already have some doubts about how to qualify both, my feelings and our relationship. Is this friendship? Are we family? Why do I feel so intrigued by this person who seems to be able to communicate with the stars?” Albedo took her hands again, to either steady her or keep her in place. “Mona-”
“Okay” she interrupted, feeling her face burning from the embarrassment of hearing this perfect example of a man showing such interest in a mess like herself. “Okay, I agree to this courtship… If my admiration can turn to romantic interest, or, if you finally decide we’re better off being labeled as friends, then, I guess we’ll find out.”
“Thank you.”
Mona had to laugh, as quiet and helpless as it came out sounding, to the surreal adoration Albedo directed her.
How was it that no stars showed her any sign of this close fortune?
Klee had drawn time and time again different flowers surrounding her sister Mona.
No water flower from Mondstadt, Fontaine or Sumeru did her justice. No matter the royal, the ultramarine, the navy or the deep of their blue.
Finally, the teenage girl chose to add stars surrounding the woman, for she was a gift from the sky; Albedo always said so.
Once she got the time to return home and show her older siblings the finished work, they absolutely loved it!
(How could they not? Their family was precious.)