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“Something wrong?”
Aether wonders at first then laughs when he realizes. “It’s suddenly heavy to walk here again after walking on the moon, my body is just adjusting.”
“Oh, is that so? I’d say it feels the same to me, as for you, I think you adjust pretty quickly.”
Frostmoon Scion are typically a lot colder at night, with all the water and cool, open environment, it was a place to have a good night sleep. Aether felt weird and new not feeling the breeze on his skin, then laughs mentally again when he realizes how exposed he was in his old clothes though it was not inferior to the current one he wears.
“I think I’m going to check on Lauma, she wanted me to tell her my experience after finally going back home.” Columbina said. “I would ask you to come with me but I sense someone has been waiting for you, I’d rather not steal you any longer.”
“Someone..?”
“See you,” Columbina bids and leaves. Something flashes behind and the light coming from Columbina’s statue had dimmed a little, probably responding to her. She was already a mile a head when Aether looked back, watching Columbina skip fluidly away.
Looking up from where the light supposedly connects Teyvat and the moon, Aether catches a flash of white and golden specs moving far behind. Albedo comes into view, looking over the cliffs curiously and the other land across. Albedo nearly looked like someone who wanted to take a big leap and trust his speed and reach was enough to land him on the other side. He was definitely the presence Columbina had sensed and Aether finds it charming.
“I don’t think your flower could carry you across.” Aether prompts as he slowly steps closer. Albedo didn’t flinch from his sudden entrance and his stance remained relaxed in his arrival. Like a sign of trust. “I climbed the cliff on the right first then jumped, but that was before I found a way to cross.. more safely.”
“I strongly doubt gliding would be enough from this angle and point.”
“There’s moonlane, though I honestly don’t know if I could carry you.” Aether admits and halts, stopping a few steps behind Albedo, who hasn’t turned around yet. “It was also thanks to someone.. a certain priestess I’d say.”
“Sounds like you had quite an adventure here.” Albedo comments and Aether nods even if he can’t see. “I am not surprise,”
Aether wasn’t surprise himself when Albedo conveniently pulled a small binder and a pen, then he began writing or sketching. Judging from the sky and the wind, it must’ve been a few hours since the night settled. Aether knew for a fact that the time between the moon and Teyvat should show a significant difference. It was, at least, to his old knowledge. Did a week pass here while he stayed nearly an hour on the moon?
Albedo looked far more composed and fresh for someone preparing for bed or someone who suddenly woke up in the middle of the night and decided to take a walk. Nasha Town and Hiisi Island is more than an hour of walk and certainly not the route someone would go for a night stroll (Well, apparently except for themselves.)
“Have you been waiting here?” Aether asks, then dwells whether he should remove his coat but then decides against it. Aether stepped closer but still not quite standing beside Albedo.
“Miss Nefer told me you met with Miss Nicole but when I arrived there neither you nor Paimon were around.” Albedo narrates while his hand doesn’t stay still and his head perking at the view. “Someone saw you cross to Hiisi Island and I figured you’d be here.”
Aether smiled, he could imagine Albedo’s expression while he was getting to point to another point just to follow his trail. “Sorry, we kinda left in a hurry. Did you need something?”
“I only wanted to see you,” Albedo says. “Then check whether you are resting properly or not.”
Aether peeked over Albedo’s shoulder and saw that he was, in fact, not sketching the landscape in front. Aether was greeted by his own face, looking over his shoulder with a big smile, his long braid hair glossing around his back. It is almost like a candid photo, Aether doesn’t have a recollection of the drawn moment but Albedo always has a habit of drawing him in about anything.
Aether’s cheeks warmed.
“So, I bumped into Paimon earlier and said you and Miss Columbina left for the moon. How was the trip?” Albedo asks casually, Aether was sure if he was a passerby with no knowledge about what happened, Albedo is going to sound like a mad man. “I am curious.”
“I’m sure you are,” Aether says when he recovers. “Well, not much but I did go through the ship’s flight logs..”
“And found another set of questions after answering the previous ones.” Albedo continued.
“Yeah..”
“Hm,” Albedo hummed quietly and finally closed the binder, not without writing something on the bottom right of his drawing— perhaps a date or his alias. “I’m more than happy to listen, even though my knowledge was limited to the ones you already told me, I could still..”
Aether physically felt the moment Albedo finally turned around. Aether couldn’t help the grin that was betraying his face. Albedo didn’t gasp dramatically, no, but he stopped as if the time paused just for him and Aether intensely felt Albedo’s attention on him. It was overwhelming, in a good way. Albedo continues to gawk openly and Aether does nothing to discourage him, shifting in his place while glancing at Albedo.
Even half an hour would be an exaggeration but Aether felt he'd been standing still for Albedo’s viewing for too long.
“It’s not that foreign looking,” Aether couldn’t help when the silence continued. “I’m just more.. covered.”
“You are.” Albedo suddenly agreed quickly and Aether wanted to laugh. Albedo stepped closer and brought a hand to his ear where a star shaped earring replaced the feather. “Was.. did you find this from your ship?”
“After all these years, it’s still in the cabinet inside the ship untouched.” Aether said and let Albedo do his own prodding: from the earring down to his neck vest, the flower pinned on the left side of his chest, to the symbol and crescent contrast on his undercoat. Albedo looked so much like he was in awe except for the frown when his hands went at each side of Aether’s waist under his coat. Aether had to cough, getting what Albedo was frowning about. “Albedo..”
Albedo reached behind him and Aether gasped at being pulled so suddenly. Albedo breathed against the tip of his ear and Aether barely muffled his own sound when Albedo touched his hair, deft fingers brushed on his nape and tugged at the base of his ponytail. Oh, Albedo is a menace if nothing.
“Stop..” Aether groans weakly and leans at the side of Albedo’s neck. Albedo made a noise and Aether liked that he felt a rumble, like a goosebump.
“Mn, was this also part of the outfit’s aesthetic?" Albedo asks, twirling his hair, Aether can feel it. “You rarely changed out of your braid.”
Albedo still doesn’t loosen his hold around him and Aether sees no reason to pull away either. No one was probably up and about from the Frostmoon Scion, however.. Aether peeked sneakily to see if any animals were around, he would be embarrassed if Lauma got told by her animal companions and friends: ‘We found your friends smooching at the edge of the cliff, don’t they think it’s dangerous?’— Aether would willingly jump with a smile.
That being said, the massive statue was a big help to hide them unless someone intentionally walks in behind it.
Aether already expected Albedo to react in a certain way, that was a given. But predicting how Albedo would react was tricky, Aether finds himself off guard often than not.
“.. you didn’t throw away your old clothes, didn’t you?” Albedo asks though his tone sounded more accusing. Aether was now beginning to confirm which are Albedo’s favorites.
“Of course not. I just hid it..”
“Your hair looks longer than it was in a braid.” Albedo commented. Albedo taps his finger behind him and begins moving lower and lower until he reaches where the tips of Aether’s hair ends— which fortunately happened to be at the curve of his ass, perhaps longer if Albedo was undermining it to use an excuse to touch. “Mn..”
Aether grips behind Albedo’s coat and breathes in deeply, ignoring the wandering hands getting dangerously close. “Based on your words, I left earlier then came back a few hours after. Is that right?”
“Yes,”
“Huh.. curious.” Aether whispered. Albedo went back fiddling with his tailed cape. “The pathway Columbina made between Teyvat and the Frostmoon was not affected by time. I mean.. in other worlds, it takes months just to get from their planet to the moon and they were already using a ship.”
“In other worlds?”
“Yeah, I wish I could remember clearly..” Aether pulls away enough to look at Albedo’s face. “Ah, Columbina said she doesn’t mind having friends over her place, just not right now because she wanted to decorate and settle in first.”
Albedo gave him a look that is both teasing and amused. “And how would that work? Enough studies have shown that the quality of air on the moon is far more different than a habitable land.”
Aether feigns thinking deeply and grins, throwing his arms around Albedo’s shoulders and pulling him close to whisper: “You’ll adjust,” Aether kisses him quickly on the lips and despite advancing first his face warmed up a little.
Aether didn’t battle it off when he saw Albedo’s eyes darken then he was the one leaning this time. Aether exhaled quite shakily when Albedo tried to pull him up close, as if they’re not close enough. The tension of the past weeks seems to melt and Aether felt truly relaxed, kissing Albedo now feels more rewarding and sweet after everything. The days of stress, running around and sleeping on edge was not just exhausting but draining their spirits.
“Mn..!” Aether gasped when Albedo’s hand managed to slip underneath his vest, not directly touching his skin but the cloth had been thin it was almost the same. Albedo feel around, like finding a way to remove the vest and Aether felt weak to actually stop—
They were interrupted by a rather loud thud from below, a blunthorn rhino rams into chunks of ores and smashes them into pieces. Aether peeks around and is relieved there was no one, except for the Kuuhenkis hanging around casually. He gaped quite silently. Aether heard Albedo clicked his tongue and then he was being dragged somewhere else.
“Aether,” Albedo called and halted a few walks into the Frostmoon Scion.
“Huh?”
“Do you..” Albedo started but stopped himself shortly. “Teleport us to the Flagship. Quick.”
Aether would’ve the gall to ask if Albedo’s look wasn’t scorching and he felt nervous but anticipation burns inside him deeply.
In a flash they were standing at the backdoor of the Flagship, seeing the narrow pathway and less crowded space. Bypassing the surge of customers and ignoring waves of offers and drinks, Albedo reaches the door first as it opens easily for them. Aether’s vision goes black, his back slamming against the door and rattling it when he leaned his weight. Albedo hovered and trapped him between. Aether didn’t protest when Albedo got his hands on him, slipping under his clothes and slowly urging it to slide off until it fell on the floor with a metal clink.
“I thought you liked it?” Aether is already starting to breathe heavily.
“I do.” Albedo said, no pausing with his nimble fingers. “But this needs an adjustment."
Aether doesn’t know how Albedo does it but the vest slowly comes off, Albedo didn’t waste time grabbing his waist. “Wait— you just hate this vest don’t you.. Albedo..!”