Work Text:
Research Diary
My current project "Solar Isotoma - Chemical Evolution" is finally completed. After certain failures and incidents with Klee's highly explosive creations, this now is truly a breakthrough.
Albedo rolled his eyes at the thought of those mishaps and sighed. That one time the platform had barely lifted off the ground, instead carrying him forward at enormous speed, making him cling onto it and watch as the grass beneath him was radically cut down. It luckily had happened far enough away from Sucrose's Sweet Flower field patch. The second time, the platform had catapulted him so far into the sky that Albedo had begun to fear being launched into the universe - the jump from that immense height had been extremely risky. He didn't even want to think about the incidents with Klee's bombs...
Note to Sucrose
She is making progress with the Sweet Flowers.
I am convinced that one day she will surpass me in the botanical subject.
Note to Timaeus
He forgot to clean out my experimental glassware again today.
Fortunately, I noticed before I refilled them. Warming essence and
pheromone serum should not be mixed.
Note to the traveler
Today I finally handed over the sword entirely (Festering Desire).
I have a good feeling about his handling of this weapon and am proud that
our experiment has bore fruit. I must mention again that I still garner much
interest in him, which is obviously one-sided. While I have gained some of his
trust, I feel the distance he is keeping from me, whether out of politeness,
respect, or even fear.
Objective: Establish closeness without violence
Materials: Pheromone cocktails of different intensity levels
Level of difficulty: High
Period: 3 days
This was definitely a strict time frame, but Albedo's patience was not as strong as one would expect from a calm, rational individual like him. When it comes to the topic of research, he wanted results as fast as possible. So he willingly skipped a night's sleep and ate one of Noelle's delightful Lighter-Than-Air Pancakes instead, in order to get the necessary energy boost for his head and nervous system. The level of difficulty in this project was so high because this was a living object with an independent consciousness that Albedo had to interact with in order to get results. Maintaining relationships was not one of his main focuses, as it costs him too many of his nerves, which he preferred to invest in other subjects, and so he did not have any close connections with anyone. Of course, Klee was kind of like his sister, but the way he saw this was merely a way of taking care of the world not to go up in flames as quickly, than a bond between siblings.
But his first encounter with the Honorary Knight had shown him that there were exceptions. Albedo was mesmerized by this stranger, who carried the aura of the stars. An endless fascination and an overwhelming desire for more knowledge about this traveler was planted in the alchemist and he wanted to gain more experience. Therefore, at the end of the last meeting with Aether, he had extended an invitation to have lunch together, although he disliked restaurants and their large portions of meat. But the traveler had come up with the brilliant idea of having a picnic with him on the edge of the Dragonspine, specifically the Windwail Highland, where there was no more severe cold. Of course, the knight also prepared some of his delicious food, which suited Albedo's spoiled tongue and laziness to prepare his own food.
He turned the page and wrote:
Day 1
18.30
Selected dosage: 2 cl; cicin base.
The alchemist stood up and looked at the purple liquid dripping from the filter in which he had brewed dried mist grass. To this concoction he added a pipette of distilled slime concentrate, Flaming Flower stamen, and - the ingredient that had taken the longest to procure, hard to believe - his own sperm. For now, a tiny amount that served to release his pheromones through his skin after his body absorbed the mixture. Albedo filled two vials with the now reddish liquid and stowed them in his coat before measuring the remaining level in the test tube and drinking it all in one go. His first stomach warmed up immediately in a pleasant way, and in the second he felt nothing more of the liquid, only a slight calmness spread in his head, which of course could also be due to the positive departure of the brew inside him. So far into his career, the alchemist had also had to endure some failures of his potions, and the side effects were almost grotesque. With this pheromone cocktail, something unwanted could still unfold within the next few minutes, of course, but Albedo had a positive feeling about it.
He made his way and teleported to the edge of the dragon's ridge, where he could already see the graceful traveler from a distance, settling into the grass and spreading his belongings in front of him. The flavor of Sunshine Sprat and Tea Break Pancakes filled the alchemist's nose as he approached and the wind carried the aroma of the precious treats.
Aether
My stomach was turning upside down while I was preparing a few picnic dishes at the Good Hunter in Monstadt, and I wondered if I would be able to get a single bite down later.
Of course, an Honorary Knight always appeared relaxed outwardly, but it looked quite different within me.
Our first meeting in the middle of Dragonspine in the severe cold had ensured that I barely felt cold since that moment. How he stood there, completely sunken in his painting, highly focused and dreamy at the same time, the elegant movement that let his hand dance with the brush over the canvas - I had not let myself notice the slightest thing. Not even afterwards, when he had decided to experiment on me. Without thinking, I had agreed and had not heeded Rosaria's warning. Albedo had managed to wrap me around his finger with his mere presence and it didn't even feel wrong. All concern gave way to pure fascination at the sight of his long lashes brushing his cheeks as he lowered his eyes. However, my heart felt a sting with each of his scientific advances, as in the end I was just a testing subject for him - nothing more. Even his sugary words about us both being something akin to 'special beings' didn't help. It was also obvious that our time together would eventually come to an end and Albedo would lock himself up again in his laboratory in Mondstadt and break off all contact with others and also with me. Maybe he had a world of feelings that just fit on a teaspoon, since he put the rest of his energy into alchemy and research.
Well, he probably had a little time left for me after graduating with the Festering Desire, which he had given to me. Otherwise, he wouldn't invite me to a picnic together, would he? I smiled to myself as I packed the finished dishes into a bag and then headed for the teleporter. On the spot, I was still by myself and wondered for a moment if he had changed his mind after all, but a second later I saw his silhouette from a distance, heading towards our spot. I pretended not to notice and prepared everything, trying to control my somewhat hasty heartbeat and the fuzzy feeling in my stomach.
"Hello traveler, I am delighted you have come." he spoke in his soft, almost hypnotising, soothing voice and sat down on the grass as well.
"Glad to see you too. Please call me Aether.", I replied a bit coldly, while avoiding his gaze as well, to not let the heat go to my head in the first place.
"With pleasure, Aether."
... I already felt the need to take off my scarf. I quickly dug out some more silverware and looked up at him for a second before asking, "Would you like Sunshine Sprat or Tea Break Pancakes?"
"I really enjoy having dessert. But it tastes even sweeter if you eat something salty first, even if it's just a small portion. Then the flavor will unfold more intensely on the tongue.", he said, according to his biological expertise, making it clear that he obviously wanted to stuff himself with both.
So I shoved both at him and served myself a Sunshine Sprat as well.
"Oh, I stumbled into a bit of a puddle on the way, according to Teyvat's delivery rules, this food is now no longer edible.", I joked dryly, and my companion smirked slightly.
"A little more humidity never harmed any food. Did you know that adding slime concentrate increases the saturation factor?" Now he really got into it. "Since it's still alive in this form, it tries to expand again, but don't worry, our stomach acid destroys it after no more than three hours before it could devour us from the inside. By then, the saturation state has already occurred."
Mouth full, I stared directly at him. His facial expression didn't change, but he seemed to realize that this was a bit too much information for me.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to ruin your appetite."
Somewhat inhibited, I swallowed my bite and reached for the wolfhook juice to wash away the thought of living slime in my stomach. "Have you ... painted anything interesting again lately?", I tried to change the subject and luckily he went right into it.
"Quite, a few of the large-scale sweet flowers in Sucrose's laboratory section and a technical drawing of my flower platform. There may be some optimization, but I'm relatively satisfied with my result. I'll show it to you after we've finished eating."
I looked at him briefly and he smiled slightly before turning his attention to the pancakes.
"Would you mind if I made a sketch of you? - Not like that anatomical one - more like a portrait?"
The thought of holding still as a model for Albedo over a period of time and feeling his analytical gaze on me made me feel hot again. Bad idea.
"Sure, no problem.", I stated more calmly than I had feared and put the juice to my lips again.
"How about right now?"
I choked on the purple drink and coughed several times. He leaned towards me and reached out for my back, I reflexively moved to the side and, still coughing, spoke out in a hoarse voice, "A-all right, I'm fine!"
Damn it, get a hold of yourself, Aether!
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and put the juice away before sitting down a little more comfortably - As comfortably as my current emotional state would allow me.
"Like... this?"
Albedo stuffed himself with another piece of pancake before reaching for the clipboard.
"You seem a little strained."
...
Seriously?
"Would you lie down for me?"
...
SERIOUSLY!?
I did as he asked. It wasn't bad after all, just lying down on the soft grass? What was really bad was knowing that Albedo's gaze was consistently wandering over my body, as his chalk pencil stroked the paper. I kept my eyes tightly closed as I could hear movement on his part.
"May I...?"
I flinched slightly as his gloved hand gently took my forearm and placed it on the side of my head. At that moment, I was able to feel his breath on me, that's how close he seemed to be right now.
"Please stay like that, if you feel comfortable."
I nodded shyly, not daring to open my eyes. I didn't want to know how close he was before my face got red.
The birds could be heard singing, and the gentle breezes blowing through the trees and undergrowth. In between, again and again, the delicate sound of chalk stroking the parchment, sometimes swiftly, sometimes slowly. It was quite nice just to lie here and know to have the sole attention of the alchemist, who was not even doing it for his research, more for his inner artist. Whatever was to happen to the finished painting.... I had nowhere to hang it up upon, since I didn't really have a home to get to rest at. Especially since it was strange to hang pictures of oneself anyway? Honorary knight or not.
I didn't know how much time had passed when he raised his voice again.
"I'm done... My thanks, Aether."
I blinked, and the sunset had bathed everything in soft reds and purples.
"Do you want to see it?" He turned his clipboard towards me, revealing a more-than-perfect painting of me.
"Wow... you must have gotten my good side!", I praised him with humor, but Albedo didn't directly respond, instead he did something that threw me right back off track. He put the clipboard aside and took my hand into his, leading it to his lips and spoke softly and in the smoothest voice that filled my entire insides with sweet oil "To me, you're made of only good sides, Aether." His look, so suggestive, has done the absolute rest to me. Before I could literally melt where I was, I snatched my hand back to me and jumped up. " I-I remembered that I haven't done any daily missions yet today! It's getting late and Katherine's getting off work soon, sooo-" I picked up my bag and stuffed the rest of the food into it. "...See you tomorrow or something? That's when I'm going back to Dragonspine to collect agates anyway. See yaaaa!", I shouted, waving at the somewhat perplexed alchemist left behind and running to the teleporter as if punched by a Lawachurl.
That was close...
I was far too weak. I shouldn't have been so responsive to him.... In the end, he took full advantage because I was an easy target. I teleported to a little shell house at Yaoguang Shoal in the south of Liyue, far away from Albedo's terrain, to kill my time there. The thing with the daily missions had been a pure lie, I had already done them in the morning.
What was he doing to me?
Research Diary
Time: 19:15
Results to date:
- Increased heart rate of the object
- Object reacts insecurely
- Object shows defensive attitude
Tool used so far: pheromone cocktail - level 1
Side effects to date: Increased need for hemoglobin
New tool: Increased amount of sperm > pheromone cocktail - level 2
Albedo placed the pen onto his desk and ran his fingers through his currently unbraided hair. It was more than logical that this potion had side effects, but the fact that it failed to have an effect on the traveller was quite to the alchemist's disappointment. But a scientist did not give up until he had tried everything. Albedo had an enormous ambition that often pushed him to his limits. He recognized the lack of hemoglobin on his skin, which was somewhat paler than usual. Now, however, he first had to obtain his ingredients - or rather, a special ingredient. He prepared a vial, which he placed within arm's reach on the lab bench next to him, and leaned back in his chair before opening his pants. Then he reached for a teal prepared with slime secretion and spread a huge portion in his hands. His gaze wandered to the painting he had previously made of the traveler - for this very purpose. By optical stimuli Albedo reached his goal particularly fast. And Aether was an incredibly strong optical stimulus. With increasingly rapid breaths, he moved his hand, moistened by the slime, up and down his shaft and got straight into his contraction phase. He had to control himself not to lose his head in the process and to reach for the bottle at the right moment. He threw his head back and an unexpectedly loud, almost helpless moan escaped his half-open mouth before he grabbed the vial and ejaculated into it with precision. Breathing heavily and with trembling hands, he closed the vial and cleaned himself before zipping up his pants again. With swift hand movements, he created the stronger potion, noticing an increasingly numb feeling crawling into his fingers and gradually spreading to his hands. Breathing heavily, he propped himself up on his lab bench and closed his eyes for a moment, classifying the situation as critical. He could hear soft, springy footsteps approaching the lab door. It then opened and a soft voice rang out and echoed through the dim, spacious lab.
"Albedooo, are you theeeere?"
He opened his eyes and took a deep breath to answer as calmly as possible.
"Klee."
The pounding of her little heart grew steadily louder in his head, engulfing him more and more the closer she got.
"I've got another failure, can you fix it for me?"
Albedo slumped down on the chair and held his head. This was an ungraceful moment. Klee seemed to notice, as she eyed him a bit in wonder.
"Brother?"
He lowered his hand and looked at her blankly, his skin white as chalk. Her heartbeat roared in his head. She lifted her small hand and touched his cold cheek.
"Are you thirsty?"
Albedo admired his stepsister's sensitivity.
"Yes... Quite terribly." he admitted with honesty and in a low voice.
Klee's eyes widened, then she smiled and pulled herself sideways onto his lap, putting her arms around his shoulders.
"Like in the old days?"
The alchemist sighed, relieved at the fearlessness and trust she gave him. With a numb hand, he pulled aside his sister's collar and licked over the slender neck before baring the decent, yet needle-sharp fangs and sinking them as gently as he could into her soft skin.
Klee gave a short whimper before she remained perfectly calm and gently stroked his hair. The lovely taste of her warm blood unfolded on his tongue and the life essence flowed down his throat, giving him warmth and sensation back into his limbs.
It was frustrating that he had to hurt his dearest instead of being able to make a remedy to replace the work of his non-functioning bone marrow. The problem was that the hemoglobin had to be fresh. Warm - 'alive.' He had already tried everything, and as true as he was a gifted alchemist, this was where his very greatest weakness showed itself. After all, Albedo was able to make a potion that helped his victims back on their feet - a strong blood-building remedy that took effect within seconds. In addition, it had a thoroughly delicious taste, which Klee especially appreciated.
He let go of her and lifted her up onto his arm, went to one of the shelves and handed her a vial, which she finished in no time, before jumping off his arm again full of energy and smiling at him.
"It's much better now, isn't it?"
Albedo smiled and nodded before reaching out his hand to her.
"Now show me your failure, I'll repair it for you."
Aether
I spent the night more or less relaxed in the beach shell house, before the bullets of a Ruin Guard fondly woke me up in the early morning. I admit that this was not the best place to sleep, because this guard had been patrolling here for ages, no matter how many times I killed him, he would show up again the next day. I really wasn't the best opponent for him either, as the wind whistled through his screws a little at most, but didn't knock him out at all.
"Aether! Ya hooo! Need some help?", a familiar voice sounded from the distance, which made him feel uneasy on one hand, and pleasantly warm on the other.
"Bennett, Razor! Yes!", I called out to the unlucky adventurer and the wolf-man, who rushed towards the machine with a roar, destroying it within seconds. A dream duo.
"Thank you, thank you both so much!" I limped over to them as he got me good for once.
"No worries, here, have this!" Bennett threw a huge, warm circle with a big thumbs-up on the ground below us all with a punch, which immediately took away my pain and filled me with new energy.
"Do you want to do something else together? How about a round through Dragonspine? Let's go find some agates and chests!", he proposed, which was exactly what I wanted to be asking him. While thrilling stuff was always happening with Bennett, it was never boring that way. And Razor was the living example that the adventurer's misfortune was not unavoidable. Since I knew the two of them, they had been traveling together, making all the areas unsafe, whether it was Monstadt or even far south of Liyue, like here.
Full of enthusiasm that had passed from Bennett to Razor and me, we teleported into the middle of Dragonspine and explored the Star Shimmer Cave. Another good thing about Bennett was his fire element, which he could use to light all the torches so that the bitter cold that prevailed on Dragonspine would not gradually consume us. Admittedly, the three of us were not equipped for such a climate, but resting by a warm torch or campfire in the meantime made it quite tolerable.
We found some agates and fought our way to exquisit chests, which were guarded by some Fatui or Cicin. Razor's massive claymore was a good shield breaker and Bennett's fire, combined with my wind, spread across the battlefield so nothing could knock us down. An unbeatable trio - we thought.
But the Dragonspine, as many treasures as it had, was an extremely cold fiend.
A snowstorm drove the bitter cold into our bones despite the warming goulash in our stomachs and ensured that we could neither see nor hear each other.
I narrowed my eyes and tried to make out one of my comrades in the distance, but the stinging pain of the freezing cold and the thunderous wind in my ears made me almost faint. From dimly in the distance, I could still see the warm glow of a fire, but it was very far away.
"..ther!"
....
"Aether, heeeere! Fire!
....Come, quickl...
...Hur..."
Bennett's voice died away in the storm and I felt my body fall into the freezing snow, which at that moment felt like a soft pillow. Maybe...
...I wasn't meant for this world....
I awoke when something touched my forehead.
The first thing I could see was a blurry silhouette in relatively dark light.
It felt warm.
I was lying soft and my head was positioned higher so that I was lying fairly upright.
The figure slowly took on clear shapes and immediately I felt lightheaded again.
"A...Albedo?", I whispered and his empty gaze brightened.
"You're safe, Aether.", his soothing voice sounded and he put something in his pocket before standing up and turning his back to me to handle something that made slight clinking sounds. Then something was poured and he came back over to me, a cup of some hot steaming liquid in his hand. I would have guessed it was tea, but with an alchemist's brewing skills, you never knew.
"Here, I made this myself. It will warm up your body and give you back the energy you need at the same time."
Bingo.
Nevertheless I accepted the golden-colored brew without much hesitation and carefully took a sip.
It tasted sweet and a bit like honey.
Immediately, the hot liquid filled my insides and I felt pleasantly warm. My somewhat swampy head also cleared up and memories of the violent storm flashed before my eyes.
"Bennett and Razor! They were in the middle of storm too!", I shouted in panic and not a single muscle moved in the alchemist's face. He replied in a gentle voice: "Don't worry, they are both fine and currently in Mondstadt. I have arranged for Timaeus to accompany them."
A load fell from my heart and I smiled at him. "Thank you! Thank you so much! And... how... that storm was horrible, how did you find me?!"
Albedo avoided my gaze and took the empty cup back, turning his back on me again.
"My body does not react to severe temperatures. As a result, the cold doesn't bother me."
Oh, that's why he could just stand around in the middle of the forest on Dragonspine and portray Hilichurls....
But one thing came to my mind:
"But it was also hard to see anything? I lost my orientation at some point."
The alchemist also drank a little from a small glass bottle before turning back to me and pushing a chair near me, on which he sat down.
"This may sound strange now, but ... I sensed you."
My field of vision briefly shifted, as if my consciousness was about to fade away again.
How did he mean that?
"B-because of the sword?", I asked directly, trying to control my rising pulse.
"No, otherwise I would have said I sensed the presence of the sword."
Sure. Makes sense. In my head, question marks danced around with my hormones, and I felt the need to get up and run away again. But I didn't even know where I was. I swallowed hard and allowed his gaze to wander over me as if to analyze my reactions, to scan me completely.
"How are you feeling? Do you want to go for a walk?"
A... walk!? That didn't sound like him at all, but maybe he just wanted to test how the potion worked on me... I was obviously his test subject for all sorts of things. The stupid thing was - and therefore I was not allowed to complain about it - I always went along voluntarily. Without any doubts or suspicions. Why? How did Albedo manage to use me like this every time without me noticing?
Behold, I stood up just now to follow him to the door before he stopped and held out his hand. "Take my hand, we're teleporting."
"U-uhm...okay. ", I mumbled, placing my hand in his, somewhat hesitantly. Due to the fact that we were both wearing gloves, the feeling wasn't particularly strong, but one thing leaked straight to my core: My hand fit perfectly in his and I felt like I was being answered deep inside.
Still indulging my blooming feelings, I barely noticed how we changed places and arrived at a sphere on a beautiful plateau that I immediately recognized: The Starsnatch Cliff.
It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon.
"The Cecilia grow here, I need them as research material - among other things, to optimize my Solar Isotoma.", he explained dryly, immediately bringing me back down to earth. Of course, this wasn't a romantic walk, it was just for the purpose of picking stupid flowers, flowers that Venti had pinned to his damn hat. What kind of strange research material was this, anyway!? Bet he now expected me to become his picking slave here.
"You're welcome to help me, but be careful to keep the petals unharmed."
Of course, dear Mr. Kreideprinz, I'll bend down for you!, it ran through my head and I turned my back on him to make a rageful face. Why don't you pick your own stuff? I have better things to do than to be your stupid assistant....
I was so hoping this could have been... -
"Are you all right, Aether?", his voice suddenly sounded softly on the back of my neck and I flinched, my heart starting to do funny things again. I turned abruptly before he could touch me, and saw that his expression actually looked concerned. So vulnerable, so fragile, so....
"Yes... It's alright, leave it to me!" With that, I galloped across the meadow at lightning speed and picked the noble, snow-white flowers at a spot further away from Albedo, so he couldn't surprise me like that again. Especially since I still felt constantly observed by him. Did he also note how I picked his flowers? Did that count as part of the experiment afterwards?
When I returned to him at some point with an armful of Cecilia, I noticed that he had indeed made himself at home on the meadow at the edge of the cliff and was once again drawing something. For a moment I had a great desire to smack the flowers in his face, but the view of him sitting there, completely sunk in his art, was, unfortunately, much too beautiful.
"I... I've got them, here.", I announced as I gently placed the Cecilia next to him.
"Thank you, Aether." he spoke softly, not turning away from his clipboard.
"Look here, this is the Abiogenesis - Solar Isotoma."
"Looks like a flower.", I commented quietly looking at his engineering drawing.
"You're absolutely right." Albedo agreed, touching one of the still-standing white flowers in front of him. "I took my inspiration from the Cecilia. They always grow towards the sun, you see?"
I'll have something growing towards the sun in a minute, too, if you keep talking like that....
He put his drawing material aside, stood up and looked at me.
My breath caught in my throat because we were standing so close to each other.
"Take a step back." he ordered directly. Dang.
However, as soon as I did that, he threw his hand on the ground with momentum and an impulse wave was sent out before a flower-shaped platform appeared under his hand, which had a radius of about half a meter. It was lilac in color with a golden core and looked technical, yet natural and elegant at the same time.
"Come stand here with me." He directly took my hand and pulled me towards him onto the flower, which unfolded once again in contact with our feet, taking on shades of gold and silver and rising towards the sky. I gasped in fright for a moment and clung to his shoulders with my hands, whereupon he put his own hands to my waist to give me extra hold. But this kind of touch caused rather the opposite, because I became dizzy immediately. Fortunately, this kind of elevator didn't rise too high, so I wouldn't mind a fall unless one fell down the cliff. I glanced at Albedo and noticed that he was looking at me the whole time. With his sea blue eyes and long lashes framing them perfectly.
"This is it, my Solar Isotoma. A practical piece of work, both in everyday use and also for a fight.", he explained again dry as dust, which absolutely didn't match his intimate gaze.
"It' s really beautiful- I- I mean, really... practical.", I stammered, my eyes searching our feet and getting lost in the feeling of his gentle hands on my bare back. I imagined what they would feel like without gloves, tenderly stroking my skin, sparing not a single inch....
"Aether."
I took in a breath and looked him in the eye again. My heart was racing and my face must be visibly glowing by now. I couldn't hide it anymore, not at this moment.
"Would you be willing for another little experiment?" His gaze was so soft, so deep and so familiar, and his voice sounded so incredibly warm, if even a little shy this time.
I swallowed and nodded clearly.
Do whatever you want with me.
"Close your eyes."
I did as told and immediately got wobbly knees. Hopefully he would not throw me down now.
But instead, one of his hands with the smooth surface of his glove came to my cheek and took my chin, holding it in place with delicacy as his soft strands of hair tickled my face. Afterwards, very briefly, I felt a feathery sensation on my lips, it was so light I could barely register it.
Then - finally - As soft as Silk Flowers and warm as the evening sun, his lips settled on mine. I melted into that intimate, sweet kiss and ran a hand from his shoulders to his neck to keep him close to me, for that one moment. That brief, magical moment when it felt like he really wanted to be near me. Not for his research, but just for just himself. I could give him so much, so damn much....
But as the untold fate would have willed, this perfect moment was crushed. It was interrupted by something that sent a shiver down my spine.
Albedo detached himself and looked with me in the direction from which the promising blasts of wind were coming. And there it was.
"An... An Eye Of The Storm! I'm completely useless against this!", I shouted in panic towards increasing strong wind that rustled our hair and almost blew us off the platform now. Albedo looked at me determinedly for a moment.
"I'll take care of it, take cover until then." With that, he lowered the elevator and I sprinted a good distance away while Albedo threw another flower on the ground near the enemy, bringing himself to eye level with the monster. His elegant swordsmanship and powerful plunging attack were a delight to my eyes. He made it all look so easy. And so stunningly beautiful. The Eye of the Storm seemed to have had enough quickly and fell to the ground, that was my chance! I jumped and was about to give him a slash as well, before Albedo shouted
"Stop! Stay back!", but it was already too late. The eye spun around its own axis in a flash, creating a violent tornado like the one I could produce myself, only stronger, more cutting, more painful. The sharp wind tore my clothes as well as my skin. I was thrown backwards and landed on the lower level of the cliff.
That was all I could remember that day.
Research Diary
Objective: Establish closeness without violence
Observations:
Side effects:
Albedo cramped up and dropped the pen. His hands trembled constantly and his head was pounding. He rested both elbows on the table and held his hands in front of his mouth, from which saliva dripped uncontrollably.
He had sensed it.
The stunning aroma of his blood.
It was so insanely strong, so intense.
The traveler was unmistakably not from this world.
By now he wasn't even sure if the side effects he was experiencing really did come from the potion, or if they were caused by Aether's presence. Albedo had such a strong desire for this individual from an unknown world that it was taking his mind away. No one should see him in this state now...
His object of desire was currently lying in the next room and was being taken care of by Sucrose, who, fortunately for Albedo, was in the right place at the right time after the fight with the Eye of the Storm. He had not managed to approach the injured knight, his wounds were enormously deep and bleeding so much that he could not bear it.
Albedo was deeply ashamed that he was so weak. So weak for something that flowed through the veins of every vertebrate. Why was he unable to produce it himself? Why was he so dependent on others?
'Because the chalk cannot exist alone,' his master had once said.
'Therefore, I feed my culture tanks with my blood to give them what they need to become a living creature like us. Even if they are far from it at this stage.'
Albedo knew the answer at this point. She had done the same to him. And now he had to obtain the essence of life on his own without committing murder. Blood from humanoid monsters like Hilichurls was unfortunately incompatible with his body, as well as that of all livestock. He had already tried many ways... Since the experiment, his blood needs took up a notable part of his head, which he would have otherwise used for his other research. Now in the state the homunculus was now in, he could only think of those things:
Aether. Blood. Aether's blood.
"Help... Help me... Master...", he whispered desperately and weakly against the tabletop on which his upper body was sunken into. He had rarely asked for her, but he had reached his limit. A tear rolled down his cheek before he flinched as soft footsteps approached the lab door. It was Sucrose, he realized within seconds, just from the impulses she sent out with her movements.
"Mister Albedo..."
He immediately held his head as her heartbeat grew steadily louder in his ears.
"Leave."
"B-but you're not alright..."
"Please.", he pressed out through clenched teeth. He didn't want to be seen by her in his state.
"At least let me help you." Her voice sounded far too close already.
"GET OUT!" he shouted, hoping to scare her off, but she didn't move.
"M-mister Albedo, you may yell at me all you want. I...I can't help it, I am worried-"
Within a second, the alchemist raised from the desk and grabbed his assistant roughly by her collar, lifting her upwards.
"His scent sticks to you...", he murmured, inhaling the air that surrounded Sucrose.
"Well I... H-have taken care of him...", she stammered, her pulse pounding in Albedo's head. "T-that... That's an extremely strong pheromone potion...", she added, still a little embarrassed, before he lowered her to the ground again.
"Effective on the wrong individual.", he hissed, holding his pounding head.
"Please, Mister Albedo..." Her voice sounded dampened in his ears by all the noise her heart was making.
He looked up and realized that she had exposed her neckline.
"Let me help you..." Her face was flushed and her heated blood rushed audibly through her body like a strong, raging river.
Without words, he grasped her by the back of her neck and pressed her throat against his teeth, instantly digging into her warm skin. Albedo's head shut off for the moment he reached her bittersweet stream of life and greedily absorbed it. He didn't realize how much she was whimpering and screaming as he was unaware of anything. Only the satisfying sensation of hemoglobin filling his insides. At some point he loosened up and looked down at her pale face, which was close to fainting. He had taken an enormous amount from her.
"Damn..."
He let go of her and rushed to the cabinet to retrieve the blood-building potion.
"Here, drink this."
She looked at him weakly with half-closed eyes instead of accepting the bottle. Her hands did not move.
Albedo clicked his tongue and reached for a large hypodermic syringe without a needle, with which he extracted the liquid from the bottle. Then, with one hand, he grabbed her lower jaw and pushed it open slightly, allowing him to insert the tube deep into her throat and inject the liquid with precision into her esophagus.
Within seconds, she had color back in her face and was smiling at him as if nothing had happened.
"I knew I could trust you, Mister Albedo."
"Don't ever do that again,", he said weakly, tossing the syringe into a wash basin.
Aether
I awoke again, in another place and found myself in a kind of laboratory. This time I recognized everything, as it was more brightly lit than the other room where Albedo had greeted me.
I was lying on a sofa next to an ordinary coffee table with lacy doilies. However, the room around it was full of bookshelves, apparatuses, cages and terrariums. Now and then something rustled, but then again only the soft whirring of a machine could be heard.
Could this be the Favonius Order? The building style seemed to be the same...
On the coffee table next to me was a pair of glasses with large, round lenses.
So was this Sucrose's part of the lab? Or did she and Albedo own it together?
I rose slightly from my lying position to see more of the room as I looked down at myself and realized to my shock that I was completely undressed. My stomach was bandaged, as was one of my thighs and my right hand. I felt no pain, but a slight chill. Where were my clothes?
I looked around discreetly and my gaze searched everything for textiles, but only found the tablecloth. I couldn't do that... Sucrose or Albedo must have been right back. The thought that it could have been Albedo who had undressed me and tended to my wounds made me feel all weird. Sure, being stripped by Sucrose wasn't a relaxing idea either, but.... I absolutely cared what Albedo thought of me. What if my appearance didn't please him and he had left the room in a hurry? Along with... My eyes wandered to the glasses. For what purpose did one take off his glasses?
A sting went through my heart, punctuated again when I heard a voice from the next room.
It was definitely Sucrose's voice. She... She sounded like she was in pain? Or was it ecstasy? Both drove my mind to think exactly what I had been thinking subconsciously. The two of them always worked together, so it only made sense that....
I froze even more. These emotions were absolutely out of place here. I should get myself together, especially as an Honorary Knight. Such thoughts were not honorable at all. What was I thinking about, to have hope that the chief alchemist of the order, the greatest genius of Mondstadt, was interested in a stranger like me? For scientific reasons, of course, I was the best object, but personally? Never.
I stood up shakily and held one of the lace sofa pillows in front of my crotch before going to the shelf and looking at the potions and tinctures inside. Somewhere, surely, there had to be...
I spotted several seelie-shaped vials suspended in a stand, a reddish liquid radiating warmth inside. That had to be the warming essence! Surely it wouldn't be noticed if I snatched one, as many books as I had already taken from the Order.... So many artifacts, so many chests... And nobody seemed to mind.
The vial I picked up had a little label on it that said 'Level 2' - Maybe a stronger heat potion? That would be even better, especially if it lasted longer. I pulled out the little stopper and emptied the liquid directly down my throat. A bit slimy, it ran noticeably down my throat, and I felt queasy for a moment as I thought of the living slime concentrate Albedo had spoken of. Then I immediately felt warm. Like really suddenly. Almost like a fever flush, but not sick. My hands began to tingle slightly and I could no longer hold the empty vial, so it slipped out of my hand and fell to the floor. My knees also felt like pudding and gave way - I sank down right where I was standing. My heart hammered violently against my chest and my pulse set all my limbs vibrating. In my mind, all concerns and fears gave way to another incredibly powerful feeling - arousal. Stocking breath escaped my slightly parted lips and I sank completely down to the floor. Everything around me stimulated my sensitive nerves and so I grabbed the pillow to satisfy my swelling erection. Heavy moans on my part filled the room and I could only think of one thing, one person - Albedo.
I wanted him so badly. I wanted him to take me completely, to do things to me that he might have done to Sucrose and make me think nothing but how good our two bodies would feel together.
One thing was clear - I was no longer feeling cold.
Albedo didn't even have to help Sucrose up, she appeared to be doing so well after her immens blood loss - the remedy seemed to have proven itself.
Just as he was washing his face and Sucrose was nursing her wound, there was a clang in the next room.
"Oh, dear, I'll check on him quickly!", she hastened and hurried out the door, where she let out a gasp of shock. Albedo threw down the towel and also approached the other room, where she was already tampering with the knight's exposed body. Albedo felt his cheeks warming up. Thanks to Sucrose's blood, this was now happening.
An enticing scent went up his nose and straight into his head. This seemed to come from the fresh cut on the traveler's knee.... But there was something else...
"H-He drank something!" she cried in panic, her hands trembling slightly as she felt his forehead. Why had she left him all alone, anyway?
Albedo tried to keep a clear head and looked at the splinters on the carpet at a distance.
"That's a warming essence - wait, that label there is mine.", he remarked, eyes wide.
"Did you take that out of my jacket?"
"I ... I'm so sorry!", she began to whine directly, folding her shaky hands in front of her chest. "I...just wanted to analyze the ingredients, just because..."
"Because?" The chief alchemist fixed her gaze strictly. Now it had already come to this, and his assistant was deceiving him. He was completely disappointed in her.
"B-because I have a theory about this pheromone potion of yours. If... If someone else drinks it - someone who cares about you.... M-m-me, for example..." She covered her glowing red face with her hands. "That it ...t-that it has an aphrodisiacal effect!"
Albedo stumbled slightly, wondering about the sudden turn. Yet she had taken his things without asking.
"You could have talked to me. I would have given it to you voluntarily. But now..." He looked down at the feverish knight, who had his eyes only half open, his hands pressed against one of the pillows covering his genitals.
"...apparently you're not wrong in your theory." Albedo swallowed and took another step closer to the beautiful being, who seemed to be breathing increasingly heavily. If Sucrose's theory was correct, Aether must have some feelings for him. Based on his reaction during their first intimate contact on the Starsnatch Cliff, that might be true. But the traveler was not as easy to interpret, since his actions were mostly uncontrolled and spontaneous. The exact opposite of Albedo.
"M-Mister Albedo... I...", his assistant interrupted his thoughts and his stare at the knight's heated face. She had her animal ears sideways and was holding her hand in front of her mouth, the other clutching tremblingly at her skirt. "I'm afraid these pheromones are affecting me too much.... I c-can't..."
"It's alright, go get some fresh air.", the chief alchemist ordered directly, pulling on his gloves.
"I'll take care of it."
Honestly, Albedo couldn't wait to be alone with his subject. This was an extremely interesting observation. If he had known earlier, he would have infused Aether with the potion right at the beginning. The traveler drank everything Albedo gave him anyway. This was either a great trust he had in him or a certain naivety and stupidity. Maybe a little of both.
"A-are you sure that...-?"
"Just go.", he interrupted her with a slightly impatient undertone, crouching down beside the traveler to lift him up under his knees and by his back.
"Lock the door behind you. I don't want to see Klee or Timaeus here now.", he added on, taking his research subject to the darker room of the two, his own lab.
Aether
Hot.
Much too hot.
Breathe, I need to breathe. More. Faster.
Was I sick? No.
Poisoned? Maybe...
What had been inside that vial of warming essence?
I couldn't remember what had happened after I fell to the ground. I just woke up at some point to a small light shining directly into my eye.
"Widened pupils despite the strong influence of light...", spoke the softest and most beautiful voice in the world, before a light scratching sound over paper could be heard.
Albedo..! "Mhh- hmhnn...", was all I could manage, since I had a gag in my mouth. I felt my heart pounding against my chest again and breathed heavily through my nose. I was feeling dizzy from this, but I was unable to fall because my body was tied down somewhere. Slowly, the feeling returned to all my limbs as well and I looked down to notice that my feet weren't even touching the ground. They were bent to the side and - just like my wrists - surrounded by something that held them warmly and tenaciously in their places. I looked back up and directly into Albedo's face, which, to my sadness, was half covered by a breathing mask. Was I infectious?
"This is the further development of the slime concentrate. It has been prearranged so that once attached to a spot, it closes tightly around the object and only gives way when treated with Cicin.", he explained, and his voice alone, though slightly dampened by the mask, sent a pleasant shiver down my spine. His eyes wandered over my body and remained a little longer in certain spots. Come on, do something, touch me!
"I'm going to test your reflexes now.", he stated, lifting his pen the other way to run the rounded reverse side over my skin on my legs. This touch alone was so intense, even though he wasn't even using his hands. I twined like a fish in the bondage of slime, feeling it tighten around my wrists and ankles as I moved.
"That's also a property of the new slime concentrate - It contracts tight when you try to loosen it with brute force. So you'd better not be moving around too much, Aether."
But ... My reflexes - Didn't he want to test them!?
I wanted to say something against it, but the gag wouldn't allow it anyway.
Why was he doing all this? Was this the experiment he had talked about on the cliff?
I was snapped out of my thoughts again as the pen came close to my crotch.
"Mhmmnh...!", an awkward moan escaped me directly, and my almost aching erection revealed a bit of fluid.
"I haven't had any direct contact with you and your.... reaction is...", Albedo murmured, his eyes widening a bit.
"Mnnhhh...mhnm!", I begged him to put down his stupid pen and touch me properly. But it probably didn't come out that way.
Instead, he did something that helped me as well. He grabbed the back of my head and released the gag from my mouth, which was soaked in my saliva and still trailing a few threads when he removed it. I could finally breathe properly.
"Hahh... A-Albedo..."
"Shhh.", he interrupted me directly and placed the pen onto my lips. "I only removed it so you could breathe easier. Don't speak unless I tell you to."
Say what?!
Before I could get upset, he actually put the pen down and began to grab different places on my head and neck with his latex gloves, partly gentle, partly forceful. He found a spot that made me flinch and then treated it very intensively. As if it had a connection to my abdomen, I felt the pulse in my erection again. It was already dripping.
Albedo's eyes didn't say much, but you could see a kind of fascination in them. Or it was just my wishful thinking....
'Why are you doing this to me?'
'And why the mask?'
I didn't dare ask anything out loud, as I was powerless in my condition.
"I'm going to test your choking reflex now. In the best of circumstances, you won't cramp up.", he announced and brought his two fingers closer to my mouth, lightly stroking my half-opened lips and finally entering.
I held my breath for a moment, startled by the incredibly arousing sensation as he pushed deeper, caressing my tongue. I couldn't help but moan in pleasure and close my lips around his fingers to suck on them. It would feel so much better if he wouldn't wear gloves.... Or if he took off his mask and just kissed me, his tongue deep in my throat- ...
"Urgh-...!", I choked out all at once now.
"There it is... Impressive how deep I can enter your mouth. Anyone else in your situation would have thrown up."
Yes... Deep enough for you?
Saliva ran down my chin as he pulled his fingers back out.
"Do you know why you're here?", he now asked, looking at me coldly.
" ... "
"I'll allow you to answer if you like."
"B-because of... an...experiment?"
He narrowed his eyes a little. "Clever answer on your part, you might call it that. However, it is an extremely spontaneous experiment, because I had no preparation time at all for this.... Do you know why?"
I shook my head. His voice was so pleasant... Please go on...
"You, without asking Sucrose or me, just took our potions."
I froze. Uh-oh.
So this was some kind of ...punishment?
"The one you took was a special potion, purely there by accident on my part. Actually it is also in Sucrose's hands but..."
He came closer to my face and I could see the pattern of his beautiful turquoise irises.
"...You now serve as a test subject for a potion I made for myself. At least until the effects begin to wear off."
"And w-why the mask?", I asked boldly. I just wanted to know.
"It's for your own protection."
"M-my...?"
He turned his back on me and rummaged around in his utensils.
"I am not in control at this time. We were fortunate that Sucrose was there as you were badly injured by the Eye Of The Storm."
So Sucrose had saved me and taken care of me.... But what did he mean by 'in control'? Was he having panic attacks in fights against monsters?
"B-but I'm fine now.... aren't I...?"
He whirled around and abruptly grabbed me by the neck with one hand. His stare was piercing my eyes. That was so damn hot...
"It doesn't matter in that context if you're fine or not. I might hurt you at any time, Aether."
Hurt?
I couldn't say anything back as he choked me. I could hear my pulse in my ears. His hand trembled and he let go of me again, turning his back on me once more, but without touching any of his things on the table.
"It's best for both of us if I keep the mask on."
I highly doubted that. I wanted to see his face. I wanted to see his lips move, feel them on me. Why was that not possible? What was his problem?
"We'll continue with the test.", he decided and got a jar from which he took a walnut-sized portion of the transparent substance and spread it on his fingers of one hand. "This is distilled slime condensate of fire slimes. That means it heats up on contact with organic material.", the alchemist explained factually and approached my behind with his hand. He wasn't really going to...
Something touched my entrance. At first it was ice cold, but then it became pleasantly hot. I immediately inhaled the air and threw my head back. One of his fingers had found its way inside me and moved constantly in circular motions. Trembling, I hung in my bound position, knowing that Albedo could do anything he wanted to me. I really became aware of this here. I breathed heavily and tensed as he added another finger.
"Now, to distract you and test your concentration at the same time, I'm going to ask you a few questions. Answer them if you can."
What the!? What was wrong with this alchemist? Was it common practice to sexually arouse your objects and then question them or solve math exercises?
"What continent are we located on?"
"..." I couldn't get a word out, I was way too busy trying to get my breathing under control while he moved his fingers more forcefully as well. God, please keep going.
"Hmmm.", he responded calmly, but probably didn't think to stop.
"Then let's make it a little easier:
What is the name of the Acting Grand Master of the Ordo Favonius?"
Jean - Come on, say it, Aether!
"...J-...ahhh...hahh...!", it came out husky from me and I adapted myself to his rhythm. My heart was pounding up to my throat and I was dizzy from breathing so hard. He kept going.
"How about this: Tell me your name."
"Ahh...aaahhh...hnnn...!"
I bit my lip. It was degrading, but I couldn't get another word out. My thoughts were so fixed on him and his skilled fingers that were rapidly pushing me towards my climax.
"Last try, just say one word - any word." He shoved his fingers even deeper inside me, hitting the exact spot several times that blew my mind.
"Ahhh...Albedo...ALBEDO!!!", his name escaped my throat before I came and spilled liberally all over me and some of his clothes. Shaking and breathing hard, I was hanging there watching my cum stick to him. Under normal conditions, I should be ashamed of myself, but I was far too aroused in that moment. I wanted to see his whole face.
He paused for a moment before withdrawing his fingers from me and removing his gloves. "Your focus is only on me, that's a good result."
It always is, if he thinks that this was coming from his potion, he was way off!
After he updated his notes and turned his back to me, I took my chance and bent forward as far as the slimy restraints on my wrists would allow and snatched at his mask with my teeth, ripping it off his face in one go.
There they were.
His wonderful, curved lips.
So delicate, so soft...
But his eyes spoke pure horror. Frozen to the spot, he stood in front of me and didn't move until he covered his nose and mouth with his hand, trembling and by now snow-white.
Albedo has always been in control. Both over himself and over what was happening around him. He was the one with the level of intellect it took not to fall for a powerful stimulus. But the traveler had managed to throw him off his trail several times now. Now, through the effects of the potion, the alchemist could make him submissive, in a less violent way - that' s what he had planned. But that Aether was so brave and would just rip his protection off of his face... He had not taken that into consideration.
A fountain of aroma, which had been well shielded by the respiratory mask, now reached his nose and straight into his brain, his central nervous system, and made sure that his limbs did not move for a moment, as everything was focused on his sense of smell. This scent was so strong, so intense, that he could literally taste it on his tongue. The sweet pheromones the traveler was sending off through his skin, combined with the rich scent of his blood still lingering on his knee, nearly drove Albedo insane. He held his hand to his face to hold his breath for a moment. His mouth watered.
"A-aeth...er..." he spoke haltingly and his eyes wandered, looking for a hold on something in his lab that could bring him to his senses. But the presence of the knight was too strong. Too tempting.
The homunculus wanted to take a few steps back, but his legs were rooted to the spot.
"A-Albedo?", his object of desire spoke softly, almost frightened. He lowered his hand and stared into the traveler's eyes, which gleamed like liquid gold. His heartbeat sped up, getting steadily louder in Albedo's head. It was a beautiful sound. As if pulled by invisible strings, the alchemist moved towards him, inhaling the stunning scent as much as the volume of his lung revealed.
"You made a mistake...", he murmured and licked his lips, watching the flushed face of his counterpart as he moved closer.
A mistake?
At that moment, I was just proud of my action, because I was finally able to see his beautiful face. But there was something ... threatening about his look. Was this related to the dragon Durin?
Albedo was now amazingly close to me, looking at me as if I were a stack of Tea Break Pancakes. That was really hot again. Please touch me, kiss me.
"I think you should... know something...", the chief alchemist said in a husky voice, breathing heavily and shakily. His breath brushed my neck. It was cold.
"I did not ... naturally come into being." His eyes met mine at that point, and there was something incredibly vulnerable about them.
"My... My master, Rheindottir, created me by artificial methods."
Oh... And I always had a feeling he wasn't quite human. So he was... created in a glass vial? Albedo sounded like he was almost in tears. I never thought he had such a vulnerable side and was unbelievably happy that he was offering it to someone like me, his experimental subject. Maybe I actually meant something to him after all?
"My bone marrow doesn't produce hemoglobin, so I have to...take it from other humanoid organisms." His voice grew quieter as he finished this sentence, and his eyes wandered uncontrollably over my body.
"When you were injured by the eye of the storm.... The scent of your blood.... nearly drove me out of my mind."
Ohh. So he needed ... -
His face had taken on an extremely pale tone by now. White as chalk - Was that why he had that title?
"You...um...-," I began softly, not knowing what I actually wanted to say. Lust and concern were mixing within me, which was a strange combination. Albedo's face, meanwhile, looked very tortured, as if being near me was causing him pain.
"I don't want to hurt you, Aether."
Said the one who was simply performing a series of experiments on me, all of which could have backfired.
"And I don't want you to suffer.", I countered, and his gaze softened a bit again. Then I added even more bravely:
"I'll give you anything you want."
High-risk? Maybe. But I just wanted him to be good. I was used to pain from fighting too, so what difference would a little blood transfusion make?
I hadn't realized how shy Albedo could look until that moment. It was incredibly sweet. I felt the need to embrace him.
"Are you aware of the... consequences?", he asked still quietly, reaching for a vial from the table, from which he pulled out a syringe full of liquid. Was he trying to inject something into me again??
"N-no?", I answered, a bit confused, and watched as the alchemist picked up another vial and, using an eyedropper integrated into the lid, dripping the contents onto my slime bonds. They instantly dissolved, releasing my ankles.
"You could die in the process."
My eyes grew wide.
"Assuming I can't stop... Can I rely on you to stop me?"
He looked so insecure again. I reached out with my free hand and touched his cool cheek. He flinched back before he obliged and his own hand moved towards mine, gently taking it and bringing it to his lips. His facial expression changed by 180 degrees, because now there was something so hot and seductive about it that it made my senses misty and the direct skin contact with him was making me shiver.
"Well?"
"Y-yes! Of course...", I whimpered and my hand trembled as he ran his tongue along my inner wrist.
Albedo was more than ashamed to tell the traveler about his physical weakness, but he was pleasantly surprised by the way he handled the situation. Unfortunately, the alchemist once again did not have enough time to go through the possible courses of such an occurrence and to weigh up what would most likely happen. On the other hand, he could now consider this as part of the experiment, although he was afraid of his own cravings.
He loosened the slime bonds from the knight's limbs to give him a chance to fight back, or even to flee. Nothing of the sort happened, but a gentle touch to the homunculus' cheek. His aroma went straight to his head and fogged his usually calculated thoughts. He wanted this human so badly. He wanted to touch him, feel him, taste him.
"I'll take you to another room.", Albedo decided in a somewhat raw voice and again gently lifted his subject up by the back of his knees and back, carrying him away from the lab, into the room next door, which was his private bedroom when he spent his nightly time in Mondstadt. Some of his experiments consisting of glowing tendrils and rocks enveloped the room in warm light, encasing them both in a different world. A large canopy bed, also softly lit, stood in the middle of the room and was headed straight on, for as the alchemist's hands were already beginning to tremble. Gently, he laid the exposed, beautiful body of his counterpart into the soft sheets and sat down next to him, bending over the reddened face of the traveler, whom the surroundings put in a pleasant mood, as far as Albedo could judge from his pulse.
"Are you ready?" he asked, his gaze wandering from the traveler's rosy lips down to his neck and lingering at his collarbone before spotting a distinctly pulsating artery above it. He couldn't take his eyes off it.
Somewhat dazed, I looked up at him and wondered if I should try to take off his clothes. I wanted to see more of him. A slight gasp escaped my throat as his fingers touched my neck and brushed against my chest in slow movement. They were cool too, but my body was so heated that it felt enjoyable. There was something threatening in his gaze, but this was weirdly arousing.
He had asked me something.
Ready for what, exactly?
I looked around for any devices he might need to use to get my blood into his body. But this room was just beautiful to look at with all its warm lights and was obviously being used by Albedo to spend the night.
As if noticing my confusion, he quietly explained: "A direct transfusion is not possible because my veins would immediately reject the foreign blood. It must first pass through all three of my stomachs - thus adapting to my body." He sounded completely matter-of-fact about it, which absolutely did not match his gaze.
"So it happens in a ... primitive way - I'll bite into your neck."
I froze and became even more red in the face. Just the idea of his teeth piercing my skin made my pulse race.
"My fangs aren't very prominent, but they're quite sharp - you may feel a slight stinging sensation."
I took a shaky breath in and out, then nodded at him. Gently, he lifted me up a bit and pushed me backwards against the high pillows at in front of the headboard, so that I was lying upright rather than flat on my back. Then he sat down right in front of me and I gave him even more room to get closer by bending my legs sideways. It was embarrassing that he was still fully clothed and I was sitting in front of him completely naked with a prideful erection. But all thoughts gave way within seconds as soft, slightly trembling lips settled directly on mine and one of his hands gripped the back of my neck. The other hand stroked my neck and found its way further down as his lips also moved towards my neck after the tender kiss, hitting spots I didn't know would excite me so much. I whimpered softly, enjoying the caresses and this insane feeling of not knowing when his teeth would finally penetrate my skin. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and stroked his hair with one hand, noticing that my own hands were shaking as well.
Albedo's free hand had so far traced gentle circles over my torso and now found its hold around my waist. He completely had me in his grasp. I moaned softly as I felt his tongue tracing a long, wet trail across my neck.
"Don't worry, I'll be gentle with you.", he breathed into my ear and turned his attention back to the spot he was working on a bit more with his tongue, drawing more sounds out of my mouth.
The words, however finely chosen, raged inside Albedo a hungry beast that threatened to burst to the surface if he didn't get to the source of life soon. Fortunately for him, the traveler was particularly willing, which was almost certainly a result of the pheromone potion. His pulse pounded in the alchemist's head and spread into his limbs, as if he now shared one and the same heartbeat with the knight. His teeth tingled insistently as he licked over the soft, delicately scented skin, and the sounds Aether made as he did so, now brought him his ecstasy. He felt the distinct carotid artery pulsing invitingly against his lips, the thin skin heated by the rushing stream of life just below it. Albedo whispered a few more sweet words into his object's ear before letting himself fall entirely into his desire, sinking his sharp teeth into the soft skin. A surprised sound was heard from the traveler before he threw his arms around his shoulders and gripped his clothes tightly. The rich stream filled the hungry oral cavity of the homunculus and willingly gushed down his throat. He moaned with delight and wrapped his arm tighter around his victim's waist, pressing his neck even harder against his mouth as he sucked the life out of his wound. His taste was so unique, so intense and so fulfilling that Albedo didn't know if he could ever stop.
A sting went through my neck and shocked my entire spine, making my muscles and limbs tremble. I gasped for air, clenched my arms on Albedo's torso, and surrendered to the feeling of laying my life completely into his hands. My heart was hammering incessantly inside of my chest, my gut warning me, but the rest of my body surrendered to this mad rush that spread more and more inside me the more blood my counterpart took from me. His abdomen touched mine and a noticeable bulge made itself present on just the right place on me. Trembling, I pressed my pelvis against him and wrapped my previously bent legs around his hips. He tightened his hold on me and moaned so incredibly hot that I almost didn't notice how the strength left my limbs, how my head became lighter and lighter and my field of vision blurred.
Can I rely on you to stop me?
I had given him my word. He didn't have in mind to kill me....
But what could I do?
"Ahh...A...-Albedo...", it only weakly escaped my lips, while the sound of him gulping down my blood over and over again almost filled my entire head.
I had to use my elemental powers....
My physical ones had already all but abandoned me.
My arms loosened and slid down from his shoulders. With the last of my strength, I placed them against his chest and exerted an Anemo blast so weak that he didn't budge, but in the next moment released his mouth from my neck. I had somehow managed to do it. On the one hand I was relieved, on the other hand I missed the feeling already. My body heat had meanwhile transferred to him, because his hands felt warm on my skin by now.
"Thank you...", he whispered and I only saw blurrily how he took something out of his pocket and opened my mouth in the next moment by pushing his thumb between my lips.
"I'm going to give you the hematopoietic now."
Slowly he inserted the tube, so deep that it reached my throat. In the next instant, a liquid shot down my throat and a warm sensation spread outwards, straight to my limbs, making them tingle pleasantly. The syringe drew a thread of saliva with it as he pulled it out of my mouth. A sweet aftertaste spread across my tongue and I licked my lips. I no longer felt anything of the blood loss, only the heat was still inside my body and ensured that my abdomen still pressed against my counterpart, willingly and impatiently.
Albedo was surprised how Anemo power had brought him back to his senses. But he was very relieved now that the remedy also achieved the same effect in the traveler's body as it had on Klee and Sucrose. The fresh, incredibly exhilarating blood flooded the homunculus' body and gave him an incredible amount of energy. This was most apparent in his crotch, against which Aether pressed incessantly to achieve stimulation for both himself and Albedo. Meanwhile, the remaining slime condensate inside the knight had wetted his pants and also partially hit his coat (which had already gotten some splashes of cum anyway). He let go of his counterpart's impatient body to free himself of all textiles.
With each discarded garment, the traveler's gaze stuck to him more and more, driving even Albedo's face to blush, which he had gained from the fresh blood. He twitched slightly from the touch that Aether's hands achieved on his exposed skin and made an aroused sound. This human was driving him out of his mind.
With gentle force, he grabbed his counterpart's wrists and pushed them over his head into the soft pillows. His forehead met the knight's and they now shared one and the same body heat. The traveler's rosy lips trembled with pleasure as he tried to touch Albedo's abdomen by means of arching his back. The alchemist brought both wrists together above his head so that he could hold them with one hand and use the other to locate the lubricated entrance.
"Another aspect about this slime condensate is that it multiplies as soon as any friction occurs.", he breathed into Aether's ear, gently penetrating the wet paradise with his fingers, from which the reproducing slime was oozing out.
I made a shocked noise, which quickly turned into a greedy moaning, now that this inhuman was giving me the touch my body demanded. I had often imagined what it would be like to share physicalness with an alchemist, especially with such a calm, rational mind as Albedo. It was surprising. Surprisingly good. The blood-drinking-thing was unexpected, but so damn arousing that I would allow him to do it again and again. Since my blood had been coursing through his body, as far as visible in the hazy, warm light, he had regained color in his face and looked incredibly attractive, with that lascivious expression, the somewhat wild hair, and his heated skin.
I wanted him so much.
But he wouldn't even let me touch him, instead holding my wrists tightly, cowering me like a predator, taking full control. This was especially shown when he spoke to me again and those stimulating breathed out words shot straight into my abdomen. I didn't understand the content of his words until slippery, squelching sounds came from the movement of his fingers inside me. It might sound disgusting in normal circumstances, but in my current state, those sounds caused me to go even more into ecstasy, giving free range to my voice and twitching my ring of muscles rhythmically around his skillful fingers.
I wanted more.
"Ahhh...p-please.... -," I tried to express my needs to him, but he paused at that moment.
I gasped and began to tremble as his glare fixed me.
"Who gave you permission to speak?"
He put on such a diabolical smile that I felt a shiver that almost made me cum at the bare sight of it.
"We are still in the middle of an experiment, Aether."
Was he teasing me? I swallowed and tried to control my breathing, which was nearly impossible with all the stimulation. What kind of experiment was this supposed to be? Or did he just want to have the power to command me and fully control whatever was happening?
Albedo smiled down at the defenseless, beautiful body underneath him and felt the satisfaction inside him. He might be a calm, accommodating character, but he found the greatest satisfaction in having everything under control - at least everything that involved him.
His counterpart looked so gorgeous and submissive that his own erection, which had formed during the drawing of blood, was by now pulsating impatiently.
Instantly he pushed his fingers deeper inside Aether, enjoying the sounds and movements the traveler made underneath him. The slime condensate kept multiplying and soaking the sheet. The immense amount of organic lubricant allowed him to easily widen the knight and watch him drown in pleasure as he did so. Albedo, however, was careful not to let him reach his orgasm, skillfully avoiding the point with his fingers that would push him to his limit. The alchemist had studied anatomy long and frequently enough that he knew where and how to touch a human body in order for stimulation to occur. Aether's body seemed to react just as it was supposed to - even if his level of stimulation and sensitivity had been increased by the potion. Albedo greatly assumed this to be the case. In general, he needed to repeat the process the following day to confirm this hypothesis.
The writhing traveler beneath him whimpered more and more impatiently, circling his hips so that he could direct his fingers inside himself towards his g-spot.
Albedo pulled them out in a sound and a load of slime followed.
He looked so inviting, so ready.
The alchemist leaned down and laid his lips to his ear, speaking in breathed words:
"I'm now testing the time span between your ejaculations, Aether. To do this, I'm going to enter you.... Is that all right with you? You are allowed to answer."
I had no idea how anyone would call something like that an experiment, but in the end Albedo did exactly what I wanted so badly.
"Ahhh... YES ... PLEASE...", I begged him loudly and arched my back. Without another word, he let go of my wrists, grabbed me by my thighs and pulled me closer to him. Multiple excited sounds escaped me and I used my free arms to wrap them tightly around his shoulders. His gaze wandered over me and lingered on a spot below my jaw. Then I felt something deepening its way into my insides, with some naughty noises and my counterpart's labored breathing adding to my turn-on. Due to the vast amount of slime inside me, I felt no pain at all, although it filled me completely. I clawed my trembling fingers in his back and moaned wildly as he began to move. Audible moans came from him as well, which made my head go checkmate and I could only hear the squelching sound from underneath, which was happening in a remarkably increasing rhythm. I gasped for air and tilted my head back.
"I-I...I am...-!!!", I still tried to announce, but came immediately, as my counterpart directly thrust even harder.
I screamed and gushed all over myself in a big spurt.
Breathing heavily and my racing pulse in my ears, I lay there looking into the beautiful face of the alchemist, who gazed down at me with sunken eyelids and flushed cheeks.
He immediately picked up the pace and continued, breathing heavily and panting. I inhaled in a startled breath and my hands slipped from his shoulders, now clinging to the sides of the sheet so that I could withstand the strong rhythm. He wasn't thinking of ending this. He wanted to test how long it took until I came again.
Accurately, he kept hitting my sweet spot, which sent me over the cliff again. I tensed up in my second climax and seemed to carry him along with me as a result.
I had never seen anything so hot before. Almost helplessly moaning, his body trembled and he threw his head to the back of his neck.
In considerable rhythm he continued and did not seem to think in the least to stop. I let myself fall completely, enjoying this ecstatic feeling and the sounds our bodies were making together.
I had stopped counting how many times I came after we lay there entwined in and breathing heavily, just enjoying the closeness of each other.
At some point my head had said farewell, because I woke up apparently the next day, as the room was a little brighter. The thick, golden curtains let in a gap of sunlight. I stretched extensively and groaned as soon as I woke up. My whole body ached. Especially the lower half.
The door swung open and Albedo came in with his clipboard, but merely dressed in a thin bathrobe, his hair loose and standing off to all sides. Absolutely gorgeous.
"You're awake, Aether. Good morning."
I detached my eyes from him and looked down at myself - noticing that I was still completely naked under the covers.
"I just took the liberty of doing a blood test on you. No more residuals from the potion - you should feel normal again."
Somehow he looked a little shy at that. Was he regretting yesterday?
"Okay - are you coming back to bed now?", it just came right out, and Albedo froze.
"You... You're not supposed to be affected by the pheromones anymore... ", he muttered and seemed to be thinking hard.
I sighed audibly and smiled at him. "I'm not. My feelings for you are real."
That seemed to catch him unbelievably. His face took on a visible shade of pink before he moved somewhat robotically to me and settled tentatively at the edge of the bed.
I purposefully took hold of his arm and pulled him down to me so that he landed with his head on my chest. He didn't seem to resist. I put my arms around his shoulders and stroked through his wild, soft hair.
"Well... I don't have much experience with alchemy, but I can tell you one thing for sure... "
I lowered my voice a little and spoke softly into his ear.
"These feelings can't be created with any potion in the world."