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it was another cold day at dragonspine. albedo had gotten used to the freezing temperatures after a while of being there.
it was nice in his little cave up in the mountains. the alchemist had everything he needed: a fire, material for the experiments, his sketchbook, and of course food to stay alive, which kaeya - much to his complaints - restocked every week.
ah, kaeya alberich. knight of favonious and the person men, women and everyone in between swooned over. albedo could definitely tell why he was so popular, the blond had caught himself staring at him numerous times. kaeya wasn't only easy on the eyes, he was also very charismatic, each of the words leaving his mouth dripping with honey.
albedo shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut, as if physically shaking away the thoughts in his head. the alchemist was never good with relations of any kind, they took a huge toll on him and distracted him from doing his work.
deep in thought, albedo didn't notice the mixture on the fire before him starting to boil aggressively and rising over the edge of the glass mug, more than half of it spilling out.
his reflexes made him act without thinking, as he quickly went to grab the glass mug to put it aside before it spilled even more. although gloved, his right hand stung as he hissed in pain. he clicked his tongue and put the fire out, sighing defeatedly with the realization that he just ruined the experiment.
huh, that was weird. albedo was never one to lose his concentration that easily. it was fine though, he still had time-
aaaand the moon was proudly shining down on him already. he had promised sucrose that he would be back by tomorrow, he had left for dragonspine two weeks ago.
but no problem, he would just pull an all nighter, finish his research and boom, go back to mondstadt. or that's how he thought it would go, when suddenly there was a whistle at the entrance of the cave. albedo immediately knew who was awaiting him when he turned around.
kaeya alberich. sigh.
"goodest of evenings, sir albedo, chief alchemist of the knights of favonious. seems like you're quite preoccupied with alchemy.. stuff."
albedo gave him an acknowledging nod. "just albedo is fine. what might i be able to help you with at this hour, sir kaeya?"
"nothing in particular, can't i just want to check up on a good friend?", he grinned as albedo gave him a questionable look. what?? he wasn't lying.
kaeya took a glance at the wooden desk where albedo performed all those experiments. he never understood anything when the alchemist tried to explain to him what he was working on, but he liked to admire the stars in his eyes while he was talking so excitedly about his passion.
on a closer look, the remains of the failed potion caught his eye. albedo followed the knight's line of vision and without a word went ahead to clean the mess with a wet cloth. unfortunately though, he had completely forgotten about the burns on his hand and hissed in pain at the contact with the cloth, dropping it on the floor.
"are you okay??", kaeya rushed over to him with concern lacing his voice.
"yes i'm fine, just burned my hand earlier. nothing to worry about."
that did not convince him in the slightest. albedo always said he was fine when he was not.
"show me your hand", kaeya requested softly. when the alchemist raised his gloved hand he held it gently, careful not to touch the wounded areas.
slowly he slid off the fabric, trying to avoid as much friction with the irritated skin as possible.
albedo squeezed his eyes shut.
the palm of his hand and fingertips were red, little spots with blood could be seen.
"archons, that's a nasty burn you've got there, albe. mind me if i help?" kaeya put his other hand on top of albedo's, using his cryo vision to slightly cool the affected areas. this made the blond blush profusely, trying not to stare at the concentrated look on kaeya's face.
they were so close, noses only a few inches apart from bumping into each other's. albedo was the one to break the thick tension. "i-i think i have a first aid kit lying around here somewhere. i'll be right back", he stammered a little before hurrying to the shelf full of books, potions and - as it turns out - a first aid kit.
they sat down on two chairs, facing each other as kaeya wrapped a bandage around albedo's hand.
'this feels nice' the alchemist thought while studying the captain's face. he had very long eyelashes, he noted. without being able to admire his face a little longer, albedo felt the blue haired man bring his bandaged hand up to his lips and lightly pecking it.
the blond's teal eyes widened and his brain completely shut down. he started blubbering incoherent words, covering half of his face to try and hide the obvious blush blooming on his cheeks.
"w-what was that for?!"
kaeya chuckled and leaned a little closer. "why so shy, sir albedo?" he moved his hand to tuck a strand of platinum blond hair behind the alchemist's ear. with a swift motion he took his burning cheek into his hand and started to gently stroke it with his thumb.
it felt really nice, and for a moment albedo forgot about the embarrassment he was feeling a moment ago. despite his cryo vision, there was something warm about the knight's touch. it felt like home.
without realizing it the two had gotten closer, feeling each other's breath hit their faces. their lips touched and they connected in a gentle, innocent kiss. albedo could feel the butterflies in his stomach going wild, he'd definitely have to note that down later.
the rest of the night was quiet and peaceful, falling asleep in each other's arms. they had a lot to talk about, things to resolve. but that could wait until morning came.
- fin