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“I did not realize the library had its own building,” Albedo remarked, his eyes terribly wide as he stared in awe up at the domed roof high overhead, the tiles blending together into a fuzzy sort of gray like a cloudy sky. It was so vast, with its vaulted windows and huge volume, that he could easily have been convinced that this was a place of worship rather than learning. Though, in Sumeru, these were likely the same thing.
“The House of Daena,” filled in Tighnari. His tail swished from side to side as he trotted along, though Albedo couldn’t tell if this was out of anxiety or excitement. “It’s probably the largest collection of records in all Teyvat. I can’t say that the Favonius library measures up at all.”
Albedo hummed in agreement, letting Tighnari know he’d heard but too lost in his thoughts to do much more than admire the space. So much knowledge… If he hadn’t already settled his roots in Mondstadt, he was sure he could spend the rest of his immortality here, slowly piecing together the truth of this world just from the scraps of information he could wring out of the depths of this place. No doubt he could find something useful, something conflicting that he could yank on, pulling the knots loose until he had the strings of the universe wrapped around his finger to finally pull back that veil of mystery…
“Najmi, are you with me?”
Tighnari’s gentle voice drew Albedo back into himself. He was always so gentle to him.
“I am here, my love,” he said. Albedo gave a little smile to assure him. His fingers itched to wrap around those of his beloved, but he held back for the sake of appearances. It wouldn’t do for the leader of the Forest Rangers to become entangled with a foreign political group, at least not without properly honing the public to the idea. “What were you saying?”
Though the concern in his eyes was not so easily dissipated, Tighnari seemed to take this as just another of his boyfriend’s quirks and brushed a gloved palm over the small of his back to guide him. “I was saying that you might like to wait here. This is where the Akademiya keeps all of its texts on alchemy, though I’m sure you have a better knowledge than all of this put together.”
Tighnari didn’t seem pleased, Albedo noted, presumably about having to leave him behind. Though he had yet to learn the true depths of the rift between the alumnus and his former school, Albedo understood that he would attend meetings here only of his own accord and when he deemed necessary.
It just so happened that this symposium – planned for many months in advance – happened to fall right in the middle of Albedo’s spur-of-the-moment vacation to Sumeru.
“I can make myself comfortable,” Albedo said with a smile. He would wait however long was necessary to be reunited again. He wanted to savor every moment with his beloved.
“Are you sure?” Tighnari asked, his ears low. His fingers twitched towards Albedo’s hand. “I’m sure they would understand if I had to miss just one lecture. No one would have to know. I just have so much I want to show you, but so little time –”
The rambling was cut short when Albedo finally snagged Tighnari by the elbow and pulled him close, his arms winding around his waist to tuck them both under the shadow of the stairs away from the prying eyes of the main pathway. Soaking up Tighnari’s warmth, he tucked his nose against his collar and took a deep breath. Tighnari always smelled like life, be it the damp, earthy scent of the fungi that he cultivated or the tantalizing sweetness of freshly-bloomed lotus flowers. He was alive, and he was real .
“Najmi?” came the delicate prompt from above, curious but amused.
Albedo turned his head to the side so that his cheek squished against Tighnari’s shoulder, peering at him out of the corner of his eye with a glint of adoration that wouldn’t be amiss in the gaze of a jealous dragon. “We will have plenty of time together, my love. I know you do not like to spend any more time in this place than necessary, but this meeting is incredibly important to you and you should not make excuses to avoid it simply because you are nervous. I will be here when you are done, so go with confidence.”
It only took a soft sigh from above for Albedo to know he’d hit the mushroom on the head.
“It’s not that I hate being here, just…” Tighnari let out another breath, then straightened up. He ran a hand over Albedo’s hair, smoothing the curls down for a moment before they bounced right back. “Well, aside from the Akademiya, it’s not often we get to see each other. It’s… hard.”
Hearing this, Albedo felt something in his chest melt. With a soft noise, he pulled back from Tighnari’s shoulder and stole a quick kiss from his cheek, then gave him a final squeeze. “I know it is. If it will help, I can promise anything you want for when you are done with work. We both know you will beat yourself up if you miss this.”
“Yeah, because of the sheer amount of forest fires I could’ve prevented,” Tighnari grumbled. Then, with shining eyes, “Anything I want?”
“Anything you want.”
…
By the time Tighnari had stolen a few more kisses and given Albedo five more “one last hug”s, the warmth spreading through the homunculus’ body was so intense that one might have thought it came from his own flesh rather than the boyfriend trying both to cling to him and peel himself away. It was endearing, really, how the normally-aloof man stuck to his side like slime condensate when there was no one else around to spot them.
And Albedo was more than okay with keeping their relationship a private one, honestly. He’d never intended to get attached to the humans of this world, always preferring to keep to his own little cave, but… There was something refreshing about blending in with them. One could say it was his entire purpose, not so different from Subject Three.
Only, he was a lot less carnivorous.
Turning a page in the alchemical text he was reading, Albedo smiled to himself. Apparently, while only Akademiya students and researchers or other guests with a certain clearance could check out books, anyone who had already been granted permission to enter could read whatever they pleased so long as it wasn’t restricted. Since he was only going to be present for a few hours while he waited for Tighnari to finish his lecture – in both senses of the word, as his speech on the dangers of forest fires was educational on the verge of scolding – Albedo decided to entertain himself with what he had at hand.
Which, to be honest, wasn’t much. He’d expressed to Tighnari in the past that humanity’s understanding of alchemy was rudimentary at best and downright incorrect at worst. The basic transmutation practiced across the seven nations was little more than a simple transfer of energy, so to compare that to the great unknown power of the field was like saying a hunk of bush meat charred with matches could rank with the likes of the Hotel Debord’s finest filet mignon. Not that Albedo or his vegetarian boyfriend had ever tried either, but the point stood.
This tome he was reading, for example.
Written by a Monstadtian philosopher several hundred years ago, it was more fiction than anything educational. Albedo was informed that the true path to alchemical enlightenment was ascetic and puritanical, and that through abstinence from all mortal pleasures, one could rise to immortality with nothing more than sheer force of will. If only it were so easy. Oh, and consuming mercury would also assist the process, along with consuming earth, ash, cinnabar, and gold, in that order. He had a feeling that this sort of immortality was the one that would land the practitioner among the stars rather than the peak of humanity.
Humans were so funny.
…
Albedo was only drawn out of his reading when he saw a pair of black, pointed ears poke over the cover of the book he had buried his nose into. He lowered it, then returned Tighnari’s smile.
“You seem to have been very productive,” Tighnari commented, gesturing around at the sizable stacks of books now surrounding Albedo, strewn over the mahogany desk in front of him like a wall of buffoonery. “Learn anything new?”
“Only the meaning of life, the universe, and everything.” Sitting up, Albedo closed a diary detailing one man’s attempts to grow himself wings and fly. He’d died falling off of the roof of the Akademiya, the publisher noted after the last entry. “I only flipped through these. Will you help me put them back on the shelf?”
Tighnari rolled his eyes and hauled Albedo up by the elbow. He blinked and allowed himself to be dragged away without question.
“They have people to shelve those correctly, you’d probably just mess up the sorting system,” said Tighnari, making Albedo pout. However, he perked up as he continued, “Besides, I want my reward now.”
Curious, Albedo mused for a number of minutes to try to figure out whatever this reward was supposed to be. It couldn’t be something tangible, since he’d brought so few belongings along with him for the trip, and he doubted that the idea of stealing his lab coat for wearing around the hotel room would have Tighnari’s tail swishing like that. Maybe it was something… more intimate? Albedo narrowed his eyes, but he wasn’t against the idea. It was only that Tighnari could get so very insatiable, and he intended to take him out for dinner.
“What sort of reward?” he asked at last, giving up as the doors to the Akademiya swept open and they caught to the face a blast of hot, humid air. After so long spent in the cool, regulated interior of the House of Daena, Albedo couldn’t help but cough, while Tighnari fluffed out his tail.
Finally, his hazel eyes flicked over, sparkling with mischief. “You’ll have to see. Lead us back to the hotel? I don’t visit that part of the city often.”
Hm. This did not bode well for Albedo’s evening plans.
Still, he was more than happy to start down the path, finally winding his arm through Tighnari’s once he was sure they weren’t within sight of his immediate colleagues. Though there wasn’t much in the way of a breeze, the shade made the late-afternoon sun bearable, a golden film cast over the surroundings and made warm by the chatter of merchants and customers. Albedo allowed a smile to curl his lips, his eyes shutting for just a moment to savor it. This was pleasant, feeling the weight of Tighnari against his side while he explained the final notes from his lecture, brushing up against ferns and palm fronds that hung out of planter boxes onto the path, soaking up the sense of belonging in this place where neighbors were just as good as family.
Maybe one day, he could see himself here.
At last, Albedo’s steps slowed and he paused to produce a key. The hotel was less a hotel and more a temporarily-rented home, though it barely had the furnishings to qualify as an apartment. Really, it was just a shed with a bed and room to hang up one’s clothes, with a kettle, stovetop, and simple cooler for basic food preparation. It was comfortable enough to share, and that was all that mattered.
“Eager, hm?” Albedo hummed, as the moment the door clicked shut he found his personal space full of Tighnari. He was shushed and made to stand still, soon relieved of his coat, boots, and Vision.
However, when Tighnari made no effort to begin kissing him, he was confused.
“Just go lay down and get comfortable,” Tighnari said with a laugh. His fingers brushed over the front of Albedo’s sleeveless shirt, smoothing it down. He’d only popped the top button.
Comfortable, right. Well, Albedo was nothing if not obedient, and so he crossed the room to settle down on the bed. Should he undress, he wondered? Or maybe set up some pillows to lean on, if Tighnari wanted to do things that way? He hadn’t been given any additional instruction, so he settled with just laying on his back in the middle of the bed and closing his eyes. Whatever Tighnari wanted, he trusted him to be gentle.
Another chuckle sounded to his left. The mattress dipped, and Albedo felt a warm weight against his side. A warm arm was slung around his middle like the most affectionate boa constrictor, and soft hair brushed his cheek. He opened his eyes to look up at Tighnari, who grinned and said, “Why do you look like you’re resigning yourself to your own funeral?”
“That is not how I look,” Albedo argued, his voice a murmur for Tighnari’s sensitive ears. There were hardly a few inches between their mouths. “This is only my face. I made plans for a dinner reservation, so we should be quick.”
“Quick?” Now Tighnari blinked. And then he broke into laughter, collapsing on Albedo’s chest. For several moments, Albedo could only frown up at the eggshell ceiling, his brows creasing of their own accord as, for the first time, he was truly confused.
“Am I mistaken in assuming your intentions?” he asked. If Albedo was capable of blushing, he was sure the embarrassment would have stained his face with blood.
His boyfriend only continued to giggle, and it took a few minutes of playful pouting and tickling on Albedo’s part before Tighnari finally calmed down enough to bat his hands away. Finally, he propped himself up with his elbows on Albedo’s chest and wiped the mirth from his eyes, his tail still waving in the air behind him.
Tighnari grinned. “Yes, very mistaken. You thought I was..? Oh, silly, I only wanted us to cuddle a little. I’m pretty tired from standing and speaking all day. Unless you wanted…”
“This is fine,” Albedo assured him. Relief spread through his chest, knowing his carefully-manufactured plans would not be thwarted this time. Wrapping his arms tight around Tighnari, he buried his face into his neck to hide. His black hair made a perfect shield, blocking out the light so Albedo was tucked away in his safe cave. He let out a cool breath against Tighnari’s skin, relaxing. “This is a perfect reward.”
Settling down, Tighnari cradled Albedo’s head to his shoulder and made a happy sigh. Silence fell, unbroken by the gentle rustle of sheets and fabric as they fit their bodies together just right. Albedo had always admired Tighnari’s ability to squeeze himself into his embrace just as securely as his affections, tangling them together in a puzzle of gentle adoration. Running his hand over the soft fur of his tail, he knew in every ounce of his being just how much Tighnari adored him.
Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to drift off in his arms, knowing that when the day came that he had to choose between this world and his destiny, he would always choose this.