Chapter Text
“How disappointing the experiment was a failure after all”
“No Master I’m sorry! I’ll try harder!”
“I have no use for you anymore.”
“No master please don’t! I promise I’ll be better! Please don’t! Master! Master!
“Mother!!!”
Dorian jolted awake with a sharp gasp. His hand flew to his chest as he struggled to steady his breathing, his heart hammering against his ribs.
His mind flashed with visions of blood-red eyes and gleaming black scales.
That same damned nightmare again.
It was getting exhausting.
Every night without fail, he dreamed of his first death. No matter how many times he relived it, no matter how familiar the nightmare became, he always woke with his heart racing and terror clawing at every fiber of his being.
You’d think repeated exposure would make it less frightening.
Apparently not.
Dorian let out an irritated groan and rubbed a hand over his face. Honestly, it was becoming more irritating than frightening at this point. Why couldn’t his brain come up with something new for once?
Yes, he remembered almost nothing about his past life beyond the way it had ended, but that didn’t mean those memories were gone. They had to be buried somewhere in the depths of his mind. Surely a lifetime’s worth of memories contained more than one traumatic experience.
Yet every single time he fell asleep, his mind somehow settled on the same one.
A cruel voice.
The red eyes.
The black scales.
The teeth.
Dorian would happily accept a completely different nightmare if it meant never having to relive the memory of being swallowed whole again.
As it turned out, being eaten by a dragon was just as unpleasant the hundredth time as it had been the first.
With a huff, he kicked the blanket off and swung his legs over the side of the bed. The floor felt cold beneath his feet as he pushed himself upright, his legs still slightly shaky from the abrupt awakening. He looked outside the window it was still dark.
At least there was one benefit to these nightmares. They always woke him up absurdly early. Which meant he could avoid suffering through any awkward interactions with his so-called ‘siblings’ for a few more hours.
As quietly as he could, he got dressed and slipped out of the house, taking care to keep his footsteps light and the doors from creaking. He left his bedroom door slightly open behind him a small signal that he wasn’t there anymore by the time his siblings woke up. If he didn’t, he knew someone would inevitably storm in to try and drag him out of bed.
Outside, the city was still asleep. If he had to guess, it was around four in the morning - far from sunrise. His body moved on autopilot as he made his way through the empty streets.
The world didn’t feel real.
Once he reached the city gates the guards noticed him and gave him a brief nod of acknowledgment which he returned it without a word. They saw him leave every day. It wasn’t unusual anymore.
His legs carried him to the same place he went every single day without fail.
Dragonspine.
Of course. Where else would he go? It wasn’t as if he had a job - nor was he particularly eager to get one. Not that he needed to anyway, since his gracious ‘older brother’ had no qualms about covering his expenses.
Anyways that was beside the point. A job meant people. Which meant socializing and that was precisely what he did not want.
Why else would he willingly spend his days on a frozen mountain alone day after day if not to avoid it all?
By the time he finally reached his small hideout - carefully hidden far from his dear ‘older brother’s’ lab, the sun was already creeping above the horizon, spilling pale light across the sky. The walk had taken far too long, as it always did. It was incredibly inconvenient but there was nothing he could do about it.
Dorian wished he had a Vision. Maybe then he could summon wings of some sort and cut the journey short. Better yet, he could simply teleport wherever he wanted.
If he could teleport, he would leave this place for good.
But that was just wishful thinking the gods would never cast their gaze on someone like him.
A tug at his sleeve pulled Dorian out of his thoughts. He glanced down, and his expression softened immediately. “Hello there.” he murmured with a faint smile. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.”
He bent down and scooped up the small Whopperflower into his arms. The creature responded with a soft pleased chittering sound, nestling comfortably against him.
Fellflower had been his greatest creation. Once it could mimic humans perfectly. Once it had been capable of holding its own against five highly trained combatants at the same time.
Now it was reduced to this.
Barely reaching his knees, unable to speak, unable to do anything beyond simple sounds and movements of a normal whopperflower.
And yet at least it was still alive. That alone was something Dorian was deeply grateful for because Fellflower was the only companion he had left.
“Don’t worry. I’ll do my best to fix you.”
With that promise, Dorian buried himself in his work. Everything else faded until there was nothing left but the task in front of him.
He only snapped out of it when Fellflower tugged at his sleeve.
Dorian blinked slowly, then let out a quiet groan as he pushed himself up from the chair and rubbed at his eyes. “I can’t believe it’s this late already…” It had felt like barely an hour. But the world outside told a different story. The moon was already high in the sky and more importantly, Fellflower wouldn’t be tugging at him unless he’d gone far past the limit - he’d trained it to do that.
After all he didn’t have the luxury of staying out past midnight. Not unless he wanted one of his ‘brothers’ coming to drag him home. Again.
He frowned as he stared at the unfinished potion on his desk.
Another day, another failure.
He still couldn’t replicate the original formula he had created. No matter how carefully he followed each step, no matter how precise his measurements were, the result never changed. The liquid refused to shift from gold to red.
It made no sense.
“Maybe your alchemy has just gotten shoddy over time.”
A cruel voice echoed in his head it was disturbingly close to his own.
Dorian ignored it.
Instead, he crouched down and gently patted Fellflower’s head. “I’m sorry. Today was another failure.” he said quietly. “But I promise I’ll fix you.” The Whopperflower let out a soft sound in response and nuzzled against his hand.
Dorian sighed as he put everything away and began to get ready to leave. He always hated leaving Fellflower behind especially in a place as dangerous as Dragonspine but there wasn’t much choice. Bringing it back home was far riskier.
In fact, the chances of it being killed there were higher than they were here.
“I’ll be back tomorrow.” he said softly, giving it a final look. “If you hear anything… just hide, alright?” With one last pat on its head, he turned and left the hideout.
The return to the city was thankfully uneventful. By now, Dorian had long since learned the safest paths through the wilderness, avoiding most encounters with wandering monsters. Still he kept his guard up. Carelessness was never worth the risk.
He passed through the gates and gave a brief nod to another pair of guards as he entered. The city was nearly as quiet as when he had left it though a few people still lingered in the streets. Which meant that it was not midnight yet. That was at least some relief.
However for some reason the thought of going home made something twist uncomfortably in his stomach so Dorian took a detour, taking the long route home. During his walk he stopped at random intervals to do meaningless stuff like petting the cats or observing the pigeons in their nests. He only realized that he had taken far too long when he couldn’t see anyone else on the streets anymore.
It must be way past midnight by now.
He quickly returned home and using the spare key he had been given, he unlocked the door opening it - then he froze.
The lights were on.
“You’re back. A little later and I might have assumed you were in trouble.”
Albedo’s voice broke the quiet as soon as Dorian stepped inside the house. He was sitting on the sofa halfway through a book which meant that he was probably waiting for a while.
Waiting For him.
Dorian closed the door behind him. “I always come home around this time. This isn’t anything new.” He exhaled through his nose, forcing himself to stay composed. “Why are you awake at this time anyways.”
Albedo’s eyes remained on the book as he spoke “How could I go to sleep when one of my siblings isn’t safely at home?” he said, the words making Dorian’s skin crawl uncomfortably. “I would prefer you didn’t stay out this late.” he added, finally removing his gaze from the book to look at Dorian instead.
A faint tension crept into Dorian’s shoulders. This wasn’t good… he didn’t want to talk to Albedo anymore. He started walking towards his room without fully acknowledging the conversation, attempting to pass it off as something irrelevant. “I can take care of myself just fine.” he said flatly.
“I disagree.”
Dorian stopped turning his head back sharply to look at Albedo, irritation flashing across his face before he could fully contain it.
“You do not have the training of a knight,” Albedo continued, “nor do you possess a Vision.”
“I know how to fight.” Dorian said, voice tightening with anger despite his effort to keep it level. His hands curled into fists at his sides. “I’m not helpless.”
“I do not doubt your intent.” Albedo said, tilting his head slightly. “but intent is not the same as capability.”
That did it.
“Why are you bringing this up now.” Dorian hissed in anger. “You were fine with me being out late for the past few weeks.”
Albedo closed the book in his hands and set it aside on the sofa. “The Knights require my presence in the city.” he explained. “I will not be able to return to my laboratory in Dragonspine for the foreseeable future. As a result I will also be unable to keep watch over you while you are there.”
Dorian went still.
“You-” he started, but the words caught in his throat, nothing came out - the implication behind that sentence was something Dorian desperately wished wasn’t true.
Albedo ignored his sputtering and continued as if there had been no interruption in the first place. “Once I have completed my duties in the city and can return to my lab, you may resume your work as usual. Until then I would prefer you avoid Dragonspine.”
Something inside Dorian snapped as his worst fear came true.
“You’ve been stalking me!” he shouted, eyes sharp with anger and disbelief.
Albedo frowned at that. “Lower your voice.” he said glancing briefly towards the hallway. “You will wake up Durin and Klee.”
Dorian froze for a split second.
Albedo stepped closer to him. “And no,” he continued, “I would not call it ‘stalking.’ I was merely ensuring you did not come to harm. There is a difference.”
Dorian stared at him in shocked silence as his thoughts tried and failed to catch up with what he had just heard.
Ensuring he did not come to harm…
So that was it.
That was the explanation he was going with.
“If you were watching me… then how were you already home before me?” Dorian asked weakly, clinging to the possibility that Albedo was lying.
“I arrived when you decided to take a small detour through the city.” Albedo replied without hesitation.
Dorian stared at him in silent horror. So he really had been watching him.
“The city is safe.” Albedo continued. “I don’t mind you going out for a walk, but you should still be mindful of your sleeping schedule. Please try to get home before ten.”
Was he… being scolded right now?
Albedo stood in front of him talking to him way too normally as if nothing about this conversation had gone off course. As if he hadn’t admitted to completely violating Dorian’s privacy.
“Now then,” Albedo said, tone smoothing back into something almost domestic. “I assume you have not eaten yet. Would you like me to prepare something for you?”
Dorian let out a short, disbelieving laugh. “Are you serious?”
Albedo waited looking at him expectantly.
That was enough. “Go to hell!” Dorian snapped.
Before he could hear another word he turned on his heel, storming down the hall. His footsteps were loud this time as he shoved his bedroom door open and slammed it shut behind him. The sound echoed through the house.
If Durin or Klee woke up so be it. If the entire city woke up so be it. At that moment it didn’t even matter.
He didn’t care.
Albedo could go to hell.
Mondstadt could go to hell.
Everything could go to hell.
Dorian slid down the door until he hit the floor, burying his face in his hands. Albedo had been watching him this entire damn time. He had genuinely believed he had found a place beyond Albedo’s reach. For the first time in months, he had felt something close to freedom.
And it had all been a lie.
Dorian pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes and let out a bitter laugh. Of course he had never been alone. Of course Albedo had known exactly where he was. Looking back it seemed obvious now. The freedom he had been clinging to so desperately had never truly existed and Dorian was a fool to believe it.
What an idiot he was to think that Albedo would ever let him out of his sight after what had happened in the past. Dorian knew he could scream at him until his voice gave out, throw every fit he could muster and hurl every insult he could think of at Albedo and none of it would even matter. None of it would change a single thing.
The way Albedo had admitted to fucking stalking him so casually made it painfully clear that he didn’t see a problem with it. Dorian’s opinion had never factored into the equation in the first place.
Why would it? After all he was nothing more than a prisoner.
A chill ran down Dorian’s spine as a new realization hit him - if Albedo kept watch over him in dragonspine did that mean he knew about fellflower?
He must have. There was no way he hadn’t noticed it, Dorian spent nearly all his time in Dragonspine with it. Something that visible couldn’t have escaped his attention.
What if Albedo hurt it?
No. That didn’t make sense. If he had wanted to do something, he would have done it already. Was that what this was really about? Was Albedo’s sudden insistence on him avoiding Dragonspine meant to keep him from fixing Fellflower?
Of course it would be. That was exactly the kind of logic someone like him would use.
Dorian let out a shaky breath his anger overtaking his fear. Albedo could go to hell. There was no way he was listening to him. No way he was staying away from Dragonspine and absolutely no way he was abandoning Fellflower.
If Albedo has a problem with it he’ll just have to kill Dorian.
Won’t be the first time he’s done it anyways.
Dorian didn’t know when he fell asleep but of course, he couldn’t be allowed a peaceful night. He jolted upright with a sharp gasp, hand flying to his chest as if he could still stop the blade that had already passed through him. His heart was racing so hard it physically hurt, he struggled to steady his breathing.
How strange, tonight it hadn’t been the dragon instead it had been Albedo.
His second death.
Why’d he have a different dream? Was it because of their argument before he went to sleep? Dorian didn’t know for sure… but what he did know was that this wasn’t an improvement. Ironically the day before he had wished for anything other than the dragon but this wasn’t any better.
He let out a shaky breath and stared at the ceiling. Why was his mind so obsessed with replaying his deaths.
A morbid thought slipped into his mind before he could stop it. If he died for the third time… would that be added to the collection? Another memory for his mind to replay on loop everytime he closed his eyes?
Most probably.
Dorian let out a quiet, dry chuckle at the idea, archons at this rate he’ll probably jinx himself again.
He pushed himself up slightly, frowning as his eyes finally focused on the window. The sun was peaking out from behind the curtains.
It was morning?
Oh no had he slept for longer than he usually did? Dorian shot upright immediately, the realization hitting him properly now. There was still time… right? It couldn’t be that late. He rushed to the window, fingers fumbling slightly as he yanked the blinds open and was immedietly proven wrong as soon as the sunlight attacked his eyes.
Yep it was definitely morning.
Dorian let out a long groan and leaned his forehead against the window frame, accepting his fate and as if on cue, footsteps hurried down the hall towards his bedroom door.
The door swung open with a bang.
“Big brother Dorian you’re still here!” Klee burst into the room, practically bouncing on her heels with excitement.
“I am.” Dorian said with a tired little smile, pushing himself up from the bed.
“Yay! Klee is so happy!” she cheered, running straight at him and wrapping her arms around him in an hug.
Dorian exhaled through his nose, a little startled by the sudden physical contact but he steadied himself and gently returned the hug
Klee clung to him, her voice muffled against his clothes. “Klee hasn’t seen big brother Dorian in soooo long. She’s always asleep when he leaves and comes back.”
She pulled back to pout at him accusingly and guilt settled heavily in his chest. “I’m sorry, Klee. I’ve just been really busy… how can I make it up to you?” He forced a small smile. It was the only excuse he could come up with on the spot and it wasn’t entirely a lie - he had been busy. Just not in any way he could explain to her.
Klee was his only ‘sibling’ that he could actually stand being around without feeling constantly on edge. She had never hurt him, never even tried to and he knew with absolute certainty, that even in the future she never would. It probably sounded stupid. He had only truly known her for a few months, most of which he’d barely spent around her because he’d been cooped up in Dragonspine but still he knew she wasn’t a threat, she would never be and for that she didn’t deserve anything less than kindness in return.
How was he supposed to explain to her that he had been avoiding their ‘brothers’ that their ‘happy family’ wasn’t really as ‘happy’ as she believed it to be?
Or maybe it was before you came along and ruined everything.
“Klee is thinking… we should have a picnic together!”
Dorian blinked, pulled out of his thoughts so abruptly it took him a moment to refocus on her face. He had drifted again spiraling too far. For a second he just stared at her, trying to remember where the conversation had even been headed.
Oh right he had to make up to her for being a shitty older brother. Thought he doubts a picnic would be enough.
“A picnic with just the two of us?” Dorian asked carefully a faint suspicion already forming in his head.
Klee shook her head immediately, as if the idea was unacceptable. “And big brother Albedo and big brother Durin too!”
Right. Of course.
Dorian quickly smoothed his expression, forcing his face into something more neutral than he felt inside. “That sounds fun,” he said, his tone flat despite the words and if Klee noticed the lack of enthusiasm, she didn’t comment on it or more likely, she simply didn’t care.
“Yay!” she chirped, already grabbing his hand. “But first, let’s have breakfast! Big brother Albedo is making pancakes. They’re your favorite!” Before he could respond, she was pulling him toward the door, Dorian followed without any resistance.
He didn’t have the heart to tell her he didn’t even like sweet food but he supposed it was his own fault after all he didn’t hang out with her long enough for her to get an idea of his likes and dislikes.
As soon as they stepped into the kitchen, Dorian felt his throat tighten. Albedo stood by the stove, methodically flipping pancakes while Durin was already seated at the table humming a cheerful tone.
Being near one of them was bad enough. Both at once felt like a cruel punishment.
Dorian’s instincts screamed at him to turn around and leave before anyone noticed he was there. But he didn’t. The only thing stopping him was the surprisingly firm grip Klee still had on his hand and the fact that he wouldn’t bring himself to disappoint her by walking away.
“Big brothers, guess who’s joining us for breakfast today!” Klee announced brightly as she tugged both of them toward the table. She climbed into her own chair and with far too much strength for someone her size forced Dorian into the seat right beside her.
The moment he lowered himself into the seat, his gaze dropped straight to the tabletop. He didn’t need to look up to know that both Albedo and Durin were staring at him with a little too much intensity.
Durin was the first to speak. “Good morning Dorian.” His voice was cheerful, probably had a smile on his face.
“Morning.” Dorian said simply, keeping his eyes fixed anywhere but on the boy in front of him.
Durin however remained completely unbothered, not giving a damn about the fact that Dorian clearly did not want to talk to him. “I think this is the first time in a long while that all four of us have been together in the same room,” he continued cheerfully. “It’s nice. It feels like the whole family is finally together again.”
“Mmh.” Dorian replied flatly.
Of course he would say something like that.
“Right!” Klee nodded eagerly. “And big brother Dorian said we can all have a picnic together soon too!”
Dorian’s eye twitched.
He very clearly had not said that.
His fingers tightened slightly against the edge of the table, but he forced himself to stay silent choosing not to correct her after all there was no version of that conversation that wouldn’t spiral into something awful.
“Did he really?” Albedo’s voice cut in as he set a plate of pancakes down in front of Klee. His question was directed towards Dorian but too bad Dorian was not in the mood to speak with him. Not after what had happened yesterday.
“That’s right! Big brother Dorian felt sad he couldn’t hang out with all of us because he’s been so busy, so he promised to make it up to Klee by having a family picnic.” Klee said brightly as she immediately dug into her pancakes while Dorian stared at her blankly.
So that was how she had understood it.
He let out a soft sigh, gaze dropping back to the table.
It didn’t matter. No one here was going to take her interpretation seriously anyway.
“Wow really? That’s so nice of you Dorian. We missed hanging out with you as well.”
Well.
Okay. Maybe someone did believe it.
Dorian’s head snapped towards Durin for the first time, his gaze locking onto those bright red eyes. Durin was smiling at him fully believing the bullshit Klee had just said.
Dorian stared at him with an are you stupid? glare to which Durin’s smile faded immediately his shoulders sank a little as he visibly wilted under the glare, his expression shifting into something far too pitiful for Dorian’s liking.
Whatever.
“Oh!” Klee suddenly said, making all three of them snap their attention toward her. “I forgot to bring Dodoco. He’s probably hungry too.” she explained. Before anyone could respond, she pushed herself up from her chair and hurried off towards her bedroom.
Leaving Dorian alone at the table with Durin and Albedo.
Albedo let out a quiet sigh. “She could have at least finished her breakfast first.” He reached over and placed a plate of pancakes in front of Dorian.
Dorian had the sudden urge to grab the plate and smash it - preferably against Albedo’s face, however he knew if he did that it wouldn’t end well for him so he refrained from making any rash decisions. “I can cook for myself you know.” Dorian scoffed resisting the urge to roll his eyes.
“But Albedo always cooks for us.” Durin replied. At that exact moment Albedo set a plate down in front of him. Durin wasted no time and immediately started digging into his food.
“That’s right. I quite enjoy taking care of my younger siblings.” Albedo said with a small smile. If Dorian had been eating, he was fairly certain he would have choked.
Enjoy taking care of them? The audacity.
“Do you also enjoy stabbing your younger siblings through the chest with your sword?”
The words left Dorian’s mouth before his brain had a chance to even comprehend them and Dorian regretted them immediately as the kitchen dropped into absolute silence.
Durin’s fork slipped from his fingers and clinked against the table. He froze entirely, staring at Dorian with a shocked expression as if his brain couldn’t comprehend what he had just heard.
Dorian looked away immediately, wishing the floor would open up and take him with it. He couldn’t bring himself to see Albedo’s face - whatever expression was there, he wasn’t ready for it. A tight knot of anxiety coiled in his chest, he didn’t understand why it was there. He hadn’t said anything wrong had he? If anything, he should have felt justified seeing them shocked into silence like this.
After all he was the one who had died twice.
And they were the ones who had killed him.
The silence dragged on for far too long.
Every second seemed to stretch into an eternity, Dorian felt like he was being pricked by a thousand needles all at once. His chest felt tight and he was having difficulty breathing. Dorian knew what was coming.
He needed to get out of here.
Now.
His chair scraped faintly against the floor as he started to rise, not caring where he went. Out the front door. Through the nearest window. Back to his room. Anywhere but here.
A hand suddenly closed around his shoulder, forcing him back down to his chair and Dorian went still. Every muscle in his body locking up.
“Dorian.” Albedo began.
His heart stopped.
No.
No, no, no.
Don’t.
Dorian squeezed his eyes shut, panic flaring in his chest. Whatever Albedo was about to say, Dorian didn’t want to hear it.
He just wanted get out.
Out of this room.
Out of this conversation.
Out of Albedo’s reach.
“I—”
Albedo never got the chance to finish.
“Klee is back!”
The cheerful announcement rang through the kitchen as Klee came running back into the room, Dodoco clutched tightly in her arms. She hurried to her chair and climbed back into it. Then she paused her smile faltering as she looked around. Her eyes darted between the three of them. “Did something bad happen?” she asked, confusion creeping into her voice.
For a momemt nobody answered, then Albedo let out a quiet sigh. Whatever he had intended to say would have to wait. He withdrew his hand from Dorian’s shoulder and turned his attention to Klee instead, a small smile settling onto his face. “Not at all.” he said smoothly. “We were simply waiting for you. It wouldn’t be much fun without you here.”
At that Klee brightened up immediately and Dorian wished it were that easy for him. He stared down at the table, forcing air into his lungs and trying to get his heartbeat to slow down. The panic was still there but he pushed it down as best he could eventhough it felt like his heart was going to explode at any moment.
After all Klee was here and he could hold himself together for her sake.
“R-Right.” Durin stuttered, picking up his fork again. He returned to his food, but it was obvious his appetite had vanished.
For a moment, the atmosphere slowly settled back into something resembling normal. The only sounds were the quiet clinking of cutlery against plates. At some point, Albedo had taken his seat at the table as well but Dorian didn’t even notice when. He remained still, his eyes fixed on his plate. The food had long gone cold but he hadn’t moved.
Nothing felt real.
Then Klee nudged him. “Big brother your food is getting cold!”
Dorian blinked slowly. “Oh… yeah.” He lifted his fork, his movements were stiff almost robotic as if he were copying what a person was supposed to do rather than actually doing it himself.
The pancakes didn’t taste like anything.
“Big brother seems really distracted lately.” Klee said, tilting her head as she studied him with an openly curious look.
The words made Dorian stiffen. “Oh-” he started, forcing his voice to stay steady. “I’m just… thinking about our picnic.” He hesitated trying to think of an excuse that sounded believable. “After all, it has to be the best picnic ever,” he continued a little too quickly, “since it’s the first time we’ll be having one as a family.” He almost cringed at himself as soon as he finished speaking. That was terrible but it was the only thing his scrambled mind could come up with at the moment.
Thankfully his excuse seemed to work. Klee’s face lit up immediately. “Klee is excited too! She can’t wait!” she said, practically bouncing in her seat. “Today will be the best day ever!”
Wait she meant today???
Before he could fully register that, Albedo spoke up. “I’m sorry, Klee, but I won’t be able to join you. I have some work to attend to.” For the first time this morning Dorian felt a flicker of relief go through him.
Too bad it was because of Albedo.
Klee deflated immediately. “Aw… but Klee wants all her big brothers to be there.” Her shoulders dropped as she stared down at her plate, disappointed before she straightened again with determination. “We’ll just have the picnic tomorrow!”
“Oh sorry Klee tomorrow I have to attend Miss Lisa’s class. She said she has a test for me,” Durin said this time sounding apologetic.
Klee let out a frustrated huff, cheeks puffing slightly as she pouted. Then her attention snapped to Dorian. “If Klee says we do it the day after tomorrow, will big brother Dorian say he’s busy on that day?”
Of course he wanted to say yes. He wanted to say anything that would push this whole “family picnic” further and further away until it disappeared entirely.
But Klee was looking forward to this and he could not bring himself to break her heart.
“Not at all. I’m free that day. We can do the picnic the day after tomorrow if Albedo and Durin are also free.” Dorian replied, glancing between them with a raised brow.
“Uh- I’m free,” Durin replied quickly, nodding a little too fast. He looked at Dorian like he hadn’t expected that answer. Dorian’s eyes narrowed. Was he really that surprised because of his answer? Or was it just because Dorian had actually acknowledged him properly for once?
“My schedule should be free that day.” Albedo said calmly. Their eyes met for the briefest moment and Dorian looked away immediately.
“Okay then day after tomorrow!” Klee beamed. “Klee is a little sad it’s not today, but that just means she has two whole days to make it the best picnic ever!” She quickly finished the rest of her breakfast, clearly over the moon now that a plan had been made.
Dorian gave a small hum in response. His gaze stayed fixed on his plate as he tried to continue eating, even though something in his stomach had already begun to turn. It was getting worse with each bite.
Being an artificial human meant he didn’t really need much food, days could pass without it and he’d be perfectly fine. His appetite was naturally minimal, so small that even something as simple as a full plate of pancakes felt like too much.
“Do you not like the pancakes?” Albedo asked.
Dorian snapped his head up, caught off guard. “What?”
“You don’t look pleased while eating,” Albedo continued. “Would you like me to make something else?”
Oh Archons.
He hated this. He really really hated this.
With Klee sitting right there, watching them both with open curiosity, he couldn’t afford to snap at Albedo or tell him to drop it. So he forced himself into something resembling normality.
“No thanks.” he said evenly. “I’m just not used to big breakfasts.”
It wasn’t even really a lie. He genuinely couldn’t remember the last time he’d had breakfast properly or any proper meal at all, if he was being honest.
“…Alright then.” Albedo said after a brief pause. The topic dropped but Albedo’s eyes didn’t leave him right away, lingering on him for far too long before he finally returned to his own plate. It had taken all of Dorian’s willpower to ignore his creepy stare.
Once they finished eating, Albedo collected the dishes without a word and carried them over to the sink to wash. Dorian used the moment to slip away. He returned to his room and only then realized something unpleasant.
He hadn’t changed out of yesterday’s clothes.
Oh no.
Did he stink? He hoped not just the thought of it made his expression twist in horror. With a low groan he dropped onto his bed and flopped back against it staring at the ceiling.
Archons he’d wish someone would strike him down already.
Whatever. At least he was finally alone now, breakfast had felt like it would never end. He loved Klee he really did but being around Albedo or Durin for longer than necessary always left him drained in a way he couldn’t properly explain.
He must have spoken too soon because a knock came at his bedroom door right after. Dorian went still, irritation flashing up immediately. For a split second he almost snapped at whoever it was to go away but he stopped himself because what if it was Klee?
He just wanted to be alone. Was that really too much to ask?
“Dorian… um, can I come in?”
That was Durin. Of course it was, Klee would never bother knocking.
“No get lost.” Dorian snapped immediately.
“Oh… um, okay then.” Durin replied, a little awkwardly. “I’ll be waiting in the kitchen. Albedo said we need to drop Klee off at Springvale. There was a brief moment of hesitation as if Durin wanted to say something more but in the end he didn’t. Dorian heard the soft retreat of footsteps down the hallway growing quieter until they disappeared completely.
Huh? We? Why were they dragging him into this?
Dorian let out an annoyed sigh and got dressed anyway. By the time he reached the kitchen, Klee was already there dressed up for the day. She had Durin’s hand locked in what looked like a surprisingly firm grip. The moment Klee spotted Dorian she immediately switched targets. She let go of Durin and grabbed Dorian’s hand instead. “Let’s go already! Klee is gonna be late for meeting with Diona!” she whined, pulling insistently at him as if the matter was urgent. Well in her case Dorian assumed it was.
“Why can’t Durin just fly you over there?” Dorian asked, genuinely confused. With Durin’s speed, they’d reach Springvale in minutes.
“But Klee wants big brother Dorian to come too!” she huffed, tugging at his hand for emphasis.
“Klee, listen, I’m- ” Dorian started, ready to say he had things to do, places to be, anything that might get him out of this.
Of course, nothing in this family ever made things that simple for him.
“Though it does seem logical for Durin to simply fly Klee to her destination,” Albedo cut in, “I believe it would be beneficial for Klee to spend some time with Dorian on his day off.” Dorian slowly turned to look at Albedo as if he had lost his damn mind.
Day off? Day off???
He was already late like seriously late. Fellflower had probably been waiting for him for ages by now. Then it hit him.
Oh.
So this was what it was.
Albedo didn’t want him going to Dragonspine. Dorian’s jaw tightened as last night’s conversation resurfaced in his mind. Albedo had made his intentions clear enough not that Dorian would was ever going to listen to him.
Apparently, Albedo had accounted for that too.
So now he was pulling every excuse in the book to stop Dorian from going there. First it was escorting Klee. Then it would be spending time with her and Diona until it was late at night and after that? Probably something else planned for tomorrow too. Really Albedo had thought it through perfectly.
Well.
Dorian was not going to follow that plan.
“I don’t remember having a day off today.” Dorian said, giving Albedo a pointed look. Then his expression softened slightly as he turned to Klee. “I can walk you to Springvale but after that I’ve got to go.”
Klee’s shoulders slumped. “Okay…” she said quietly, eyes dropping to the ground. Dorian felt the guilt hit him instantly. He hated seeing her sad, he really did and judging by the way Durin reacted, he wasn’t the only one. Without a word, Durin carefully scooped Klee up into his arms, trying to comfort her in the only way he knew how.
Before he could say anything else Albedo spoke again. “There’s no need Dorian. I’ve already cleared your schedule for today. You’re free to spend as much time with Klee as you’d like.”
Dorian tried his best to not show any type of anger on his face even though internally he was cursing out this bastard. “Oh, I know,” Dorian said smoothly, “but I have a meeting with a traveler from Inazuma. I can’t delay it he’s carrying some important materials I need.” He even managed a small smile as he said it. Truly his acting skills were remarkable.
They had to be. After all he had once impersonated an entirely different person flawlessly - so well that not even his closest companions could tell them apart.
“I was not aware you were meeting someone.” Albedo said, frowning slightly as if he actually believed the excuse.
Dorian forced his expression to stay calm. “Why would you be?” he replied evenly. “You don’t need to know every detail about my life.”
“That is true.” Albedo admitted, unbothered. “but I would prefer you not meet strangers alone without informing anyone. There are many dangerous people out there.”
Dorian almost laughed at that. “I’m not a child.” he snapped sharply, the polite mask slipping entirely as he looked at Albedo in anger.
“I never said you were.”
Silence descended over the kitchen once again. Dorian’s hands clenched at his sides, nails pressing into his palms as he grit his teeth in frustration. Albedo always did this - always got on his nerves so easily he could never keep up any sort of act around him. When Albedo was around all his rational thoughts were replaced by anger he could not control.
“Um…” Durin spoke up and Dorian’s eyes snapped towards him immediately Durin visibly wilted under the glare. “We should… probably get going. Klee’s going to be late.” he said quietly. The girl in question looked at him and Albedo with furrowed eyebrows. Dorian looked away trying to make his expression go back to normal, he didn’t want Klee to see this hateful side of him. He’ll just have to clear up any misunderstandings that she might have later.
“Right.” Albedo said, already turning back to the sink. “You all should head out. I’ll finish up here.”
If it had been anyone else, Dorian might have offered to help. After all Albedo had cooked for them and now he was cleaning up everything alone- it wasn’t exactly fair.
But it was Albedo.
So Dorian didn’t bother.
Besides Albedo was the one insisting on this whole “family” arrangement thing, it was his responsibility to maintain it. That was how Dorian saw it anyways.
Dorian had been forced into this role but that didn’t mean he had to fulfill obligations for something he didn’t even sign up for.
“Let’s go.” he said, already turning towards the front door and motioning for Durin and Klee to follow.
Klee perked up immediately and moved without hesitation, while Durin followed a step behind her.
Fine.
He’d continue to play the role of the big brother.
That’s all it was.
A role.