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The world around Albedo seemed to bite at his skin, snowflakes perching themselves upon his eyelashes as they weakly fluttered open, eyes flitting up to see the sky above him. It was snowing--the feeling of ice sharp against his palms and back of his neck. He had always known studying in a place like Dragonspine came with its risks, but how exactly had he ended up here? Most days were spent studying safely at his camp, temperature carefully controlled by a cozy fire; so how?
Crystal eyes squinted as Albedo searched for an answer, lying face-up in a pile of powdered snow somewhere in the inner reaches of the mountain. He manages to lift an arm up in the air, fatigue preventing him from sitting up or moving. Fingers grasp at the small snowflakes that land in his palm, a dry laugh breaking the silence around him as the alchemist realizes his hand was much past the point of feeling anything. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t manage to scrounge up any idea of how he had arrived here. Shifting his gaze to the side, only one set of footprints led from the direction of his camp, meaning he must have wandered out here on his own--but for what purpose?
Dry air chapped the lips of the stranded man, Albedo quickly coming to terms with the fact that this was his final resting place. He had never been much of an optimist about these kinds of things--in fact, part of him felt happy it was coming to an end like this. A boring and quiet conclusion to his life, bitter frost snatching him away from his true purpose. It was strange that he couldn’t remember anything--but there was nothing he could do to rid of the growing weakness that smothered him underneath its heavy palm. The snow beneath his body was practically begging to drag him into the earth, and who was he to dispel its wishes? Nevertheless, if the alchemist was going to die, he found it would be rather rude to leave nothing behind but a mystery. So, using what little strength he had left, Albedo manages to reach into his nearby bag and wrestle a piece of paper from inside. The parchment was warped and ruined from the snow, but it was better than nothing.
A frozen pen is placed between his teeth, hoping what little warmth was left from his breath would be enough to soften the ink. To minimal success, Albedo manages to turn himself over, attempting to move the pen from between his teeth to his grip. Unluckily, his fingers were too numb to grip much of anything, the utensil falling from his feeble grasp and burying itself beneath the snow. An odd sort of emptiness fills his chest as he sees the pen disappear, balling his hand into a weak fist and clenching it close to himself. Was this feeling caused by the inability to give his loved ones closure on his whereabouts? Hopelessness seemed to suddenly tighten its hold on Albedo, the shivering caused by the cold of the mountain becoming much more miserable. He felt plagued by a sudden selfishness to live--to arrive back in Mondstat and see the warm faces of those he knew, each vivid and passionate as a flame.
Once more he was face up in the snow, nose stiff and red. His joints were starting to lock up now, moving like unattended door hinges painted with a heavy coat of rain. He could only move his head side to side comfortably--and even that took a surmountable amount of effort. That short burst of selfishness was quickly snuffed out, life’s heel digging itself mercilessly into the depths of his spirit. He allowed himself to close his eyes and inhale deeply in preparation, an exhale boding his farewell to the stars and deep mountain slopes that had brought him here.
“Albedo.”
It was a familiar voice, but the alchemist didn’t dare open his eyes, assuming it must be the wind playing cruel tricks on a dying man.
“Wake up, Albedo.” A feeling of intense warmth caresses his cheek, and he finally allows his eyes to flicker open once more, eyelids lifting themselves up like poised yet fatigued dancers. A storm of dark blue filled his vision, juxtaposed by the rose-filled warmth of an angel’s face looming above him. Weak, the alchemist leans into the touch, desperate to take in its warmth like a rich wine. “Have you come to take me away?” He asks softly, unsure of where or who this stranger was.
His question seemed to spark amused laughter in the other, lying casually in the snow as if its coldness had no effect on someone so engulfed in warmth. “Have you forgotten me already? How cruel.” The familiarity of the man’s voice made Albedo’s ears twitch, eyes focusing on the handsome face of the man above him.
“Kaeya-” He croaks. That was right--how could he forget? The cavalry captain of the Knights of Favonious, a cocky yet charming man who occasionally barged in the way of his studies. “Why are you here?”
The captain sweeps a strand of Albedo’s hair from his face, addicting heat inching closer to the alchemist’s face. “I’ve simply come to talk, is all. Is that a crime?”
“Are you not here to take me back--?”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that. Not yet.”
Albedo squeezes his eyes shut for a moment, trying to make the soft breathing of the man next to him disappear into the silence of the mountain. However, the rising and falling of his chest never ceased.
Silence hangs heavy in a sheet over the two before Albedo eventually sighs, shoulders sinking back into the snow. “You aren’t real, are you? Go away before you fool me into thinking I can survive this.”
Kaeya blinks once, a look of sadness spilling over into the endless blue pool of his eyes. “I’m as real as you decide I am, Albedo.”
“How troublesome.” Albedo managed to mutter, turning his head towards the other. “Just when I had given up. Amuse me with your presence, Kaeya Alberich.”
“Amuse you?” Kaeya tilts his head slightly, a look of shock pricking his expression before quickly fading away. “My my, who would have thought the famed alchemist of Mondstat would have such a demanding side?”
Albedo couldn’t protest, teeth gritting as Kaeya pulled a chair between him and the dance he owed with death, having no option but to take the other’s hand and indulge him before being delivered to his intended partner.
“Are you aware of what a supernova is?” He says suddenly, the cold flicker of the night sky stealing his attention. “It’s the reason I came here in the first place. There’s no better place to view the stars than Dragonspine’s peak.”
“Studying the stars?” Kaeya responds, tilting his head back with a curious grace, breath clouding in front of his face paired with a sharp exhale. “I would expect nothing less from someone like you. Always unsatisfied with the world around you,” The captain’s gaze slides down to the other man, Albedo’s lips now blue from the mountain’s kiss. “Always reaching for the sky.” The rasp of the other’s voice makes the alchemist’s ears prick red, head rocking back to steal his gaze from the stars and refocus them on Kaeya above him. There was a sort of tenderness behind the smile that hung so delicately on his lips, a feeling that made Albedo’s heart skip beats.
“How do you know I’m unsatisfied?” Albedo nearly stumbled over his words, trying to push words from his mouth faster than they could piece together in his head.
“Well, why are we here?” Kaeya counters, the coy smile never dropping from his lips. Albedo can’t find the strength to answer, caught red handed by his circumstances. His parted lips shut abruptly, eyes waltzing away to hide his embarrassment. Talking with Kaeya was like raising a bottomless chalice to your lips--your brain becoming more entangled with his spell the more you let the wine of his words slip warmly down your throat. There was no end to him, each syllable drawing Albedo’s attention as if the man were draped in a cloak of stars, standing proud among the constellations.
“You never let me tell you about supernovas.” Albedo drew in a deep breath, interrupted by a sharp, dry cough that left a heavy pain in his chest. The alarm it sparked in the man above him was enough to force a smile upon the alchemist’s face, feeling himself be drawn into the warmth of Kaeya’s arms. “I think you’d find them rather fascinating…”
His head leaned back to rest against Kaeya’s chest now, simply glad he had company in his final moments. If the charming man was just an illusion, he thanked his mind for being so kind. “They’re stars that have reached the end of their lifespan,” Albedo starts, “They make for a rather extravagant display...waving their capes of magnificent colors across the night sky. They’re so beautiful, yet once they finish their performance the star dwindles.”
Kaeya closes his eyes, a pleasant hum filling the air around them as he listens to Albedo speak, gentle hand stringing fingers through the alchemist’s hair like a skilled weaver at his loom. “Fascinating...would you consider yourself a supernova, then?” For a moment, Albedo is half offended, brows bunching together at the reminder that he was in fact, going to die.
“We all are.” He mumbles, another cough barging its way from his chest. “When supernovae occur, particles collide and form different kinds of elements.” His words began to glow slow and fatigued, a crime to the man that never ceased his working. “Calcium...oxygen...the things that make up our bodies, they’re all formed from stars.”
Kaeya moves slightly in the snow, leaning down so he could easily see the others cheeks, flushed from the cold and freckled with snow. If he moved any closer, Albedo thought, their noses might crash into one another. “That’s rather poetic for someone like you,” The cavalry captain laughs softly, “I’m impressed.”
Albedo doesn’t have the strength to respond, simply smiling up at him with a look of satisfaction finally resting in his gaze. He feels something wet run against the side of his cheek, hot and burning as if someone had lit a fire there. Bright eyes twinkle at the man above him a final time, seeing the tears stream down his face and land gracefully against his own like dew to a leaf. “I’m glad you were able to tell me about the stars, Albedo. I can’t wait to see you among them.” Kaeya manages to wipe his tears, pressing a brief kiss to the other’s forehead. “Even if your life ends now, just remember what you told me. We are all made from stars.”
The alchemist’s smile doesn’t fade even as he closes his eyes, weight now heavy against Kaeya's arms. He laid him gently in the snow, bangs swept from his face as he whispered above him, voice intertwined with the wind of the mountain.
“I’ll see you soon.”