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Kaeya had been worried, in all honesty.
Albedo was supposed to report back to the Knights of Favonius three days ago, and although Kaeya was never one to show his worries, anybody who spoke to him and mentioned the alchemist’s name could see the concern slowly seep into his expressions, his mannerisms.
Kaeya had been worried, and he was quite right to be.
On the evening that Kaeya was about to set out to Dragonspine to search for Albedo, Jean received a letter from the man himself. Albedo stated that he made a mistake in his experiments, and due to the result of the mishap, he would have to stay in Dragonspine for an additional few more days until the effects of the serum wore off.
Kaeya had been worried, some might say a little too much.
He stated that Albedo might need more food, might be held hostage. Jean understood his concerns, but said that if Albedo really was being held hostage, he would have sent some sort of signal in the letter; Lisa herself said that there was nothing out of the ordinary in the letter, just that Albedo might have said a little too much than usual — it was nothing that warranted the Ordo’s concern.
But Kaeya liked Albedo, and he was going to the mountain whether they would approve of it or not.
Fortunately, they did. Jean could see that Kaeya was going through something, while Lisa just liked to see whenever Kaeya’s facade would fall. The calvary captain fancied the alchemist, that much was obvious, but they could never get Kaeya to admit to what extent.
They watched as Kaeya grabbed his sword and some essentials from his office, then made haste to begin his journey towards the cold mountains of Dragonspine. They also couldn’t help but giggle to themselves when Kaeya failed to question what ‘serum’ Albedo spoke about in the letter.
By the time Kaeya reached Albedo’s laboratory in Dragonspine, it was well past midnight.
He didn’t bother trying to stay quiet, as he knew Albedo would still be up, forcing his body to work until it would force itself to shut down. It was an unhealthy habit, but Kaeya knew he wasn’t going to be the pot calling the kettle black.
“Albedo,” the cavalry captain called out into the lab, not surprised to see Albedo fixated on an experiment. He was met with teal eyes widening in surprise, quickly followed by Albedo rushing to Kaeya’s side.
“Kaeya, are you alright? Why are you here?” the alchemist asked, putting a hand on the other’s back.
Kaeya takes his time to catch his breath before speaking. “I should be asking you that. Did something happen? Are you hurt?” he gently grabbed the alchemist by the shoulders and looked around the lab for any sign of danger, only to find it completely peaceful, save for a mess at the table and a certain sweet smell that was lingering in the space.
“I’m fine, Kaeya,” Albedo assured, releasing himself from Kaeya’s grip. “I didn’t know you were so strong.”
“What?” the cavalry captain had never whipped his head so quickly before. He looked at Albedo with knitted brows, thinking that he must have heard wrong.
“I said you were strong,” Albedo repeated. Since when did Albedo give compliments like it was candy?
Kaeya blinks and decides to brush it off. “Thank you?” he said, unsure of what else to say. He always received compliments, but getting them directly from Albedo, especially when the alchemist didn’t seem embarrassed by it, certainly did something to him. “Sorry, I was just worried. I was about to leave when Jean got your letter. I’m sorry if I was bothering you,” he tried to fill the awkward silence.
“You’re never bothering me, Kaeya,” Albedo said. Then, with a smile, he added: “I like it when you worry for me.”
What?
Kaeya glances down to Albedo’s neck, making sure that the star was present; surely enough, it was. Since when did Albedo become so… honest? The last time Kaeya visited Albedo in his lab, the alchemist didn’t even pay a second of attention to him, no matter how much teasing and compliments he offered.
“Since you’re here, why don’t you have a rest?” Albedo offered, gesturing inside the lab. He grabs a seat for Kaeya and puts it next to the campfire, where something was in the middle of cooking.
Kaeya thanks Albedo for his hospitality and takes a seat next to the fireplace. “Oh, I brought some extra food supplies in case you were running out,” he said, pulling out a box of ingredients and quick meals.
“Thank you,” Albedo said, accepting the items. He puts them next to the campfire, possibly to keep them warm, and wordlessly sits down next to Kaeya. He checks on the food, then lets out a hum as he confirmed that it was finished cooking.
“Chicken-mushroom skewers?” Kaeya asked as he saw the familiar dish.
“Yes,” Albedo handed him one, then without much thought: “I missed you, so I wanted to cook something that reminds me of you.”
What?
Maybe Albedo got hit in the head, or maybe he ate something bad; what else could explain this oddly affectionate behaviour of his?
Kaeya takes a chance. “You missed me?” he chuckled, taking a bite out of the skewer. It tasted a bit like his fruity skewers, but it wasn't an exact replica—since when did Albedo study such things? He intended to say more, but Albedo had beat him to it.
“I did,” the alchemist smiled. “I wanted to send a personal letter to you, but I didn’t want anyone else reading the letter.”
In all honesty, nothing was making sense. Albedo had always given the impression of someone who was reserved, never speaking unless he was needed to, much less spend time with people other than the ones he truly cared for. So far, Klee and the traveller were the only people who seemed to be on the list, but Kaeya was secretly trying his best to be the new addition. It should be understandable that Kaeya was perplexed by the alchemist’s words.
“You wrote me a letter?” he asked. It couldn't hurt to know, right?
“I wrote several,” Albedo replied. “I don't want you reading any of them.”
Kaeya doesn't realize that he's laughing until he notices Albedo giving him a confused look, his adorable eyebrows knitted together. “And why is that, dear alchemist?” he said, daring to lean a little closer.
Albedo looked away as he seemed to hesitate with his answer, but he spoke nonetheless. “They are, simply put, very personal and embarrassing,” he stated, a faint blush appearing on his pale cheeks.
“Aw, but they're intended for me, are they not?” Kaeya teased. This was normal; Albedo showing disregard to his teasing, urging Kaeya to pry for a little more. “C'mon, it can stay between us. What happens in the cave, stays in the cave, right?”
Albedo met his gaze again, this time with a hint of uncertainty. “I don't think it can, Kaeya,” he said, his tone suddenly heavy. “I'm sorry, I should explain to you first, my condition,” the alchemist stood up from his seat to retrieve a piece of paper, then wordlessly handed it to Kaeya.
‘Report #009
It seems the healing serum I was making for the fish in Dragonspine ran into a mishap. In the middle of making it, I dropped the vial and the substance was released. As a result, I cannot stop speaking the truth—writing doesn't seem to have much of a difference. It would be quite difficult if I were to return to Mondstadt in this condition. I will write a letter to Jean explaining the situation soon. Should I write one for Kaeya as well? He must be worried, he always is. I think if Kaeya were to appear—’
The words after that were covered in scribbles, rendering the rest of the report unreadable. Kaeya looks up at the alchemist with a skeptical expression.
“A truth serum?” he asked. It would most certainly explain what's been happening.
Albedo gives him a nod. “It should wear off some time soon, it's been a few days, after all,” he stated. “I believe speaking or writing the truth also helps to speed up the process,” he added.
Kaeya considers his options. He already made sure that Albedo was okay, so he could leave while the alchemist recovered from the effects of the serum. The second option was to stay.
“Would you like me to help you?” Kaeya offered anyway.
Albedo, seemingly against his will, had begrudgingly nodded. “Yes, please.”
“Okay,” Kaeya smiled, sincerely wanting to help Albedo out of this predicament as soon as possible. He invites Albedo to take a seat next to him — there was nothing better than a late-night conversation next time a campfire up in the snowy plains with your colleague. “So,” he wanted to start simple, something that Albedo had answered before.
“What do you think of my appearance?”
Albedo had told Kaeya before that he looked quite easy to draw, and that the smile he gave to the average person was more often than not very obviously fake. It hurt to hear the first time, but that's what Kaeya liked about Albedo: he was honest, even when it wouldn't benefit him.
“You're very handsome,” Albedo said instead. “Your chest especially is a distraction. Don't you get cold? Your hair would look wonderful in a braid as well. Klee showed me a picture of you in that dagger bandit costume, was it? It was quite disappointing that your chest wasn't on display anymore, but I—”
“Okay, okay, that's enough!” Kaeya exclaimed, putting a hand on the other's mouth before he could say anything more. The cavalry captain felt his face growing warmer than the campfire in front of them. “I see that you have very… strong opinions about my appearance,” he said, suddenly aware of the chest window on his clothes.
Albedo removes Kaeya's hand from his face. “I always have, but there are a lot. For instance, your gloves—”
“Okay, we can save that for another time,” Kaeya quickly interrupted him before the alchemist started saying something potentially more embarrassing than what he already had. “Let's talk about something else. How is it working in Dragonspine?”
The alchemist shrugs. “Nothing much changes. I get to focus on my work, but there's nothing much besides that. It's quite lonely, if anything,” he stated.
Kaeya remembered when he asked the same question a long time ago. The answer hasn't changed much, but Albedo never mentioned that he would get lonely.
“I always look forward to you coming here. I don't always get a lot of visitors, and your company is quite nice,” Albedo suddenly added when it was quiet between them. “You make me happy, Kaeya.”
“I—” Kaeya paused, unsure of what he should say. Should he even say anything? What does someone even say in this situation? “You… make me happy too?” he said anyway, his heart knowing it's true, but Albedo doesn't. Albedo doesn't need to know that Kaeya stays awake thinking about how lovely Albedo's smile is, how lovely he is.
“You're adorable,” Albedo chuckles. He turns his attention back to the campfire as if he didn't leave a trail of butterflies in Kaeya’s stomach.
So are you, Kaeya wants to say. It feels a bit unfair—it's as if Albedo doesn't have a filter and speaks whatever he wants. Kaeya is the one who's supposed to do that. He's supposed to be the one who charms Albedo off his feet.
“What do you think about… me,” Kaeya asked, his voice faltering by the end of his sentence. The truth serum would make Albedo tell the truth, but whether the alchemist wanted to speak was another thing.
The alchemist continued to stare at the campfire, and Kaeya almost thinks that Albedo didn't hear him. That would've been for the better, then Kaeya wouldn't have to face the truth that—
“I think you're… amazing,” Albedo whispers, voice as gentle as the night breeze outside. “You're a wonderful swordsman and kind at heart. You're smart but you don't show it, you're ridiculous sometimes but you don't tarnish the Favonius name. You're a good brother, even if you don't believe yourself to be.”
The more Albedo spoke, the more taken aback Kaeya was. His mind could not at all properly digest what Albedo was saying; did he really think of Kaeya that way? Did he really believe in the parts of Kaeya that he himself could not believe?
“Sometimes I wonder if you'd make a good lover as well,” Albedo ended, and it held more weight than his heart could handle.
Kaeya wonders that too. He wonders if he'd be a good lover to Albedo. He wonders if he would make Albedo breakfast, if he would kiss him good morning and good night, if he would love Albedo like he'd been doing so for the past year.
“Maybe I would to you,” Kaeya dared. He dares to lace his fingers with Albedo's, to look him in the eyes as Albedo tells him the truth.
“Do you like me, Albedo?”
Albedo looks at their hands, then meets Kaeya's gaze with a smile. “I think I love you, Kaeya.”
It's not a lot — scratch that, it's more than a lot. It's as if Kaeya has been given the world and more. He leans in for a kiss, giving Albedo the opportunity to refuse if he wanted to. But instead, Albedo meets him halfway, much to the cavalry captain's surprise.
They stay like that for a moment, exploring each other's feelings and accepting the new explosion of emotions. Kaeya finds that Albedo can be eager, and the captain himself to be gentle. He discovers that he likes kissing Albedo, and the alchemist shared the same sentiments.
“Oh, and Kaeya?” Albedo spoke in a gentle tone, cupping the other man's face with his hands. “Don't read the letters. I'm serious.”
Kaeya lets out a chuckle, planting a kiss on the alchemist’s forehead. The sun was slowly peeking out from the horizon, so the truth serum must be wearing off soon. If that was the case, then the captain would surely have to read the letters.
“I love you too, Albedo.”