Work Text:
As Kaeya looked away from what looked to be two days worth of food lovingly plated and delivered to the chemist's workbench he shook his head disheartened. He could see the effects of time on his target. The sandy blonde strands unraveling from the hastened braid created to keep the longer tresses out of the way of study. The abandoned staple jacket that identified the man he knew would respond to the title Chief Alchemist tossed haphazardly aside, puddled on the floor, the hem caught up on the arm rest of the closest chair.
Kaeya reached out tentatively, his fingers screaming at him to land on the smaller frame he approached. Against their will they balled into the fist he forced them into, betraying his presence with the squeak of his leather gloves.
"It's ," Kaeya uttered, ignoring how ridiculous he felt as Albedo's unblinking pools of crystal aquamarine took him in as he watched the man turn full circle with a slight look of puzzlement on his face, "It's just me.."
"I-I umm.." he stammered as his thoughts scattered like dandelion seeds on the breeze while he was dead focused on the jugular notch below the golden star flanked by the man's uncommonly unzipped high collar. "I well, like, you know....I "
He could feel his facial features warming as the blood left every part of him to convey his embarrassment. The babbling brook his lips acted as he attempted to return to the chemist's eyes had him wondering if he was actually the man with the golden tongue he was known as or a lumbering fraud that couldn't talk his way out of a wet paper bag.
"I'm glad you're here," the lithe creature spoke in an unclouded even tone. "I need your help."
Kaeya felt himself return to his physical form when Albedo's hand took his still lifted fist. His reaction time left him inside of what felt like a hydro slime, he found himself a voyeur to the experience of his limb extended as the Lead Chemist turned back to his work. All he could muster was a clumsy step forward to peer over a shoulder he wanted nothing more than to sink into.
Magnetism took him by force as he found his hand led to rest on Albedo's waistband. His lips then moved to convey his innermost workings as the man then leaned back into him while turning his head enough for their gaze to meet.
"You have to try this." The blonde's flat demand surprised him. His mind scattered then and brought up the files he had stowed away of trying experimental batch XXI variant VI and the recovery from Pre-release module VII.IX. "Open."
Kaeya's lips pursed of their own accord. His eyebrows lifted speaking for him as he stared at the Chemist who looked away but for a second to glance at what he could make out was a blurred spoon lifted near by.
"You're adorable," Albedo's comment had him then struggling to suppress a smile in return, " this isn't the usual sort of formula that I'm working on."
"Which is why, " Kaeya spoke sweetly, his other hand gaining the courage to move to alight opposite it's twin on the man he now held "I really don't wanna try it, pumpkin."
"But," Albedo's rebuttal had him questioning his stand on the subject, "You trust me."
"Yeah," he agreed with a smile, "and I trusted you with that green slush that left me staring at the ceiling for two days too."
"This," the Chemist countered, leaving his gaze to collect the morsel from the spoon to hold aloft as if it would change his mind. "Is different, as I said"
Kaeya tried to deny that claim as he fell victim to the display. His eyes devoured the sight of Albedo's bare fingers moving to place whatever experiment it was between his own lips. As the man's hand fell from view he was paralyzed by the gaze that met his. The aquamarine void of the eyes that took him in he felt enveloped in. Their perfectly synced movements that followed he found had more power than any will he contained.
There was no questioning his fate as his greedy fingers spread over the upper back of the smaller frame he contained. Having slightly chilled fingers run up and around his neck and into his hair had Kaeya feeling as if the electro element itself had awoken inside of his being. His closed eyes sealed his exposure to the outer world as his lips moved carefully to land around the offering. His breath paused along with his heart as his body did the exact opposite of what he wanted it to do.
Despite it all he came back into reality as his lower lip was released. He regained his focus, standing with his mouth holding a perceived capsule of eradication gaped open as the handsome creature leaned away enough to study him.
"You know," the blonde spoke while Kaeya's attention was torn between fear for his life and wanting the hands that smoothed his collar to do much more, "we could continue if you'd be so nice as to eat that."
"I believe," Albedo's eyes Kaeya saw were on his finger that Kaeya found teasingly trailing down his bottom lip, "It is what is commonly known to be an apple, my frost flower."
"I told you," the Chief Alchemist continued, Kaeya left bewildered by the reveal staring blankly, unmoving as no jest was made at his shock that took over his features, "This is different. Now, if you would please."
Kaeya did not need any help to comply. He then found himself savoring the flavor of fall in a perfectly seasoned and baked pome as he was told a heartwarming tale.
The imagined vision of Albedo looking up into the face of Klee while seated on his heels had him smiling. The idea that he applied his alchemy knowledge onto culinary arts just to help the girl present her mother with an appropriate birthday gift had his heart swelling with more emotion than he knew he already had for the man.
"I think," Kaeya admitted whole heartedly while tracing the blonde's jawline with a finger, "You've completely outdone yourself, pumpkin. That was delicious."
"But not," he admitted with a pause to appropriately wet his lips, "as delicious as you "
× × × × × ×
"Deeluc~" Klee who Kaeya found running in the foreground of Albedo's approach had him rolling his eyes before glancing over at his brother who had stopped explaining a story from Adelinde about a supposed spirit living in a well at the winery to see him halting in his steps to crouch down to accept the young maidens approach. "Kaeyyyaaa~!"
"You haveta see!" Klee nearly squealed as Kaeya devoured the sight of the Alchemist continuing to approach, "Albedo made Klee's mommy something!"
As the youth explained that Albedo had carved the flesh of apples away to mimic the look of Jumpty Dumpty Kaeya let his mind replay the memories of earlier that morning. When she pointed out that they used Sucrose's syrup he met the same aquamarine eyes that watched his reflection as he refreshed the braids that now held sandy blonde away from the handsome face he then studied.
Diluc moving to stand and peer into the box the Alchemist held had Kaeya exhaling while taking in the expanse of the ceiling. The moment his ruddy headed kin was led away by the spirited Klee he smiled. His 'tough ' brother, the pushover softie that lifted the pixie up to continue in his path finally gave him the space he needed.
"Thank you for your assistance," Albedo's formality had a brow rising above the height of the other on his face."Kaeya."
"My pleasure," Kaeya spoke cautiously, his voice conveying only the usual tone it held in normal conversation,"Chief Alchemist Albedo"
"Would you," the blonde spoke softly, the even tone unchanged as he watched the man look down at the box he held and back up to his gaze,"Care to stay with me again tonight?"
"I'm afraid that I know this formula is slightly off, "Albedo continued, "and if not for you I would have not slept at all."
"I'd love to," he openly admitted, his hands lifting automatically to rest on those holding the box that stood between them, "and I'll stay with you for as long as you need."