Chapter Text
“‘Of all the beings in the ancient world, none were more evil than Woobakwa — not even demons and dragons. Woobakwa despised everything nice, and swore to transform beauty into ugliness and turn light into dark. At the sight of the joyful wolf, anger boiled inside him. He cursed:
"Squeak! Squeak! Angry am I! I shall spike his heart with the coldest ice, and he will never again know the meaning of hope!’"
The pages of the book rustled, as fingertips traced the lines of ink, the only discernable noise in the tranquil room with the exception of Albedo’s monotone voice.
“‘With that said, Woobakwa began to curse the pup with his magic. But the rash pup gobbled him up, just like that, without the slightest warn-’”
“You know, you could at least try and give them different voices,” Kaeya interrupted from his position next to Albedo. “It would make for a much more interesting listen.”
Albedo rolled his eyes, swiftly pressing a bookmark into the crisp folds of the page he was just narrating. “Klee enjoyed my account of it, even though she started crying at the actual story. It was a little too disturbing and sad. I warned her, but she was adamant on having me read it.”
He sets The Boar Princess down onto the plush mattress, turning to face Kaeya who had been laying at his side, face pressed into one of the many excessive pillows Alice had gifted Albedo for his room when Rhinedottir requested she take him in.
Light streamed in from the curtains, as the afternoon sun dipped in to say its greetings, diffusing warmth into the room, its golden rays caressing their figures.
Wordlessly, Kaeya began to rise smoothly from his sprawled-out position, his fingers reaching to grab a strand of Albedo’s untucked hair. With a twirling motion, he began to weave the long, soft locks in and out between his fingers, smoothing any knots that might have formed from the friction of the pillow that Albedo used to prop himself up with. Subconsciously, Albedo leaned into the pleasurable feeling of Kaeya’s attention, the book long forgotten.
The deft motions were one of a practiced routine, as this was a position the two of them found themselves in often. Soon after Kaeya’s confession, Kaeya boldly claimed that Albedo’s hair was “too beautiful to not decorate,” leading to the former buying trinkets–beautiful sunflower clips, and various shades of ribbon and tinsel–to litter the rest of the waves that Albedo donned. Albedo never fought his experimentation, and would often replicate Kaeya’s work onto Klee’s short, fine hair, as she demanded to match her older brother when she saw he was sporting a new hairstyle (Albedo could never resist her).
But today, Kaeya had something simpler in mind.
Albedo relaxed as Kaeya began to part his hair, separating it into two vertical sections, the bottom portion larger than the top. Clipping away the bottom half so that the stray strands would not interfere with the rest of the hairstyle, Kaeya refocused his attention to the top section of hair. On the left side, he grabbed a small section and split it into three, quickly french-braiding until it reached the middle of Albedo’s crown. Expertly, he mirrored the same braid on the other side of Albedo’s head.
Finished, a small, clear elastic joined the two braids together, so that they sat in a comfortable up-do. Unclipping the bottom portion of Albedo’s hair, Kaeya set the rest of the waves free, as they curled over Albedo’s shoulders, reminiscent of a gentle waterfall.
His hair had been twisted into a neat, braided half-up half-down, with his bangs and the majority of the length left untouched. It was just tight enough to be practical in its attempt to pull Albedo’s hair out of his eyes, while still boasting a delicate presentation. Simply put, it was beautiful.
Apprehensively, Kaeya watched Albedo admire his new look in the nearby mirror, as he waited for a positive reaction. Not that Albedo would ever outwardly express such an extreme emotion that is hatred, especially not towards anything Kaeya might attempt.
And sure enough, he needn’t have worried, as Albedo turned to face Kaeya with a tender expression, saying nothing, instead letting his face speak for him.
“I take it that you like it?” Kaeya asked, even though the lovers knew the question was just a formality at this point.
“Of course I do.” Albedo murmured back. “I like anything you do for me.”
A warm flush spread over Kaeya’s face, as an amused look took over Albedo’s face, noticing the blush rising on tanned cheeks. Obviously flustered, Kaeya attempted to bury himself into the pillow he was laying on moments earlier.
“Must you be overly sentimental?” the muffled voice spoke.
Entertained by the reaction, Albedo playfully reached over to lightly tap the hidden shoulder. Kaeya moved just slightly enough that the top of his head and his eyes were visible, clearly wanting to hide the rest of his still flushed face. Kaeya glared at him as Albedo opened his mouth to speak, as if he knew the blonde had some sappy nonsense still left in him.
Guessing correctly, Albedo suavely delivered the final blow to Kaeya’s heart with a simple, “Is it really ‘overly sentimental’ if it’s just the truth?”
Kaeya groaned and immediately shoved his head back into the pillow.
“I hate you so much,” he said, even though both of them knew those words were anything but the truth.
Albedo gently reached over to grab the pillow from off of Kaeya’s face and brought his own plush lips to the reddened skin, the soft peck conveying his deeper gratitude. Begrudgingly, Kaeya let Albedo remove his pillow shield and turned, so that the soft kisses to his skin could land onto lips instead. After they parted, the two basked in the serene mood, content to spend the rest of their day together wrapped in each other's arms, with hopes that this moment would never end.
— ⟡ —
Gently closing the car door, Albedo stepped out of the comfort of his air-conditioned vehicle and braced himself to face the unrelenting heat of the summer day. After Alice had stressed out about not being able to pick Klee up throughout the week from the summer camp she was attending, Albedo had immediately volunteered himself, wanting to be useful to his benefactor. At first, Alice was adamant on finding someone else, insisting Albedo to enjoy his summer instead of running errands for her, but he was resolute, expressing that this would also allow for some extra time to bond with Klee. Touched, she acquiesced, which is how Albedo found himself now being metaphorically beat down by the sun's rays.
Quickly taking refuge inside the building, Albedo hurriedly started to search for the room Klee was located in. He was already running late, as he had let himself get swept into the pigments and shapes that littered the canvas of his next painting. If his backup alarm hadn’t altered him out of his trance, the sky might have dimmed into a midnight blue before he would’ve noticed.
So far, Albedo would describe his first summer back in Mondstadt after four years as extremely monotonous. Post high school, he had been admitted to a college in Sumeru, while most of his friends remained in Mondstadt to continue their studies–the only exception being Lisa, who had also been accepted by the same school–or had entered straight into the work field, keeping themselves relatively busy. The distance separated all of them, and while he truly did make an attempt to keep in touch with all of them, he promises, he was never the best with maintaining relationships, especially when there wasn’t mandatory daily attendance forcing them all together.
And so, they all drifted apart. It’s probably been about…three years since he’s properly communicated with any of them, including Kaeya. Especially Kaeya.
Albedo had completely lost contact with him about a year into college. The two of them naively thought that long-distance wouldn't get the best of them. Truly, they believed the love they shared would shorten the many miles between them, maintaining their connection until Albedo was able to return.
At first, it was successful. Albedo could wistfully recount the many nights he spent curled up on the top bunk of a bunkbed he had to share with his roommate–who was always peacefully slumbering below him– with Kaeya’s enlarged pixelated face being the only source of light in the dim room. Their calls consisted of hushed whispers and soft giggles, as Albedo would recount his experiences with the many odd individuals that attended the Akademiya, while Kaeya proudly presented the newest of Klee’s illustrations she had doodled that day. Kaeya had even gone as far as to sweetly mail him some of Klee’s drawings, all of which now lined the walls behind Albedo’s modest desk. The crayons depicted crude iterations of their small family in various poses, all which Albedo had found incredibly endearing.
In hindsight, there wasn’t particularly a single moment Albedo could point to that would indicate that these moments would soon become rare, but around the five-month mark, the distance had made its presence known.
Their preferred method of communication switched from calls to texts, and to Albedo’s chagrin, he’d realized that the hours that he would leave Kaeya on delivered would grow increasingly by the day. It wasn’t necessarily on purpose, but the Akedemiya curriculum was rigorous, and Albedo would just simply forget that he had other occupations to attend to outside of studying for an upcoming midterm, or polishing up essays that had midnight deadlines.
It was only a matter of time before the breakup happened. In all honesty, Albedo felt like he was being a bit unfair to Kaeya, regardless of how many “I understand-s” and “focus on your education, don’t worry about me-s,” they threw his way. The feeling that he was holding Kaeya back all the way from Sumeru, clung to him, lingering like a nagging fly that you just can’t seem to repel, no matter how many times you swat at it.
And so, Albedo pulled the plug.
A simple, amicable call, if not a little teary on both of their ends. They agreed to remain friends, their bond a bit strained but not yet severed at that point. It was the best outcome Albedo could have hoped for.
But after that breakup, communication had become so infrequent, Albedo could confidently say he saw more of his unruly peers downing five-hour energies to meet thesis deadlines in a single day than he did a new notification on his lockscreen. By the time his first college summer rolled around, the date of Kaeya’s last message was two months old.
Sometimes, when he was bored in class and his professor was off on a tangent–usually complaining about the other faculty, for some reason–Albedo would mentally calculate how many years they could’ve potentially dated out if he had not decided to end things; a healthy dose of nostalgia and depression, if you asked Albedo.
He sighed, and continued searching for Klee. What happened then didn’t really matter anymore, he reasoned with himself.
The likelihood that he would run into Kaeya, or anyone in his old friend group, was incredibly slim anyways. They all had developed lives that no longer included him, and it wasn’t as if anyone was going to personally contact Albedo to invite him back into it. Literally. Besides Lisa, no one was even aware that he was back.
In hindsight, he should’ve kept his mouth shut (or in this case, his thoughts), because as soon as he turned the corner, he narrowly dodged a young woman who was frantically bumbling around, clearly in a rush to get somewhere.
“My bad, sorry about that!” she quickly yelled, as she continued to speed off, barely turning around to look at Albedo.
…Was that Amber?
All of the key features indicated that was her: the long, mousy, brown hair, a clumsy demeanor that bordered on endearing, and the same bright, red bandana she confidently sported on her head since middle school. How that bandana hadn’t started fraying by now, Albedo had no clue.
Staring at her retreating figure, he shook off the whiplash he felt (he could mentally address Amber’s(?) appearance another time) and returned to his original task: finding Klee, which he really needed to do soon. It wasn’t like he was going to run into any of his other old friends here. Amber(??) was just a fluke.
He should’ve learned from the first time, because as soon as he completes his thought, it’s as if some archon has Albedo’s name on a list of people that they personally chose to fuck with. Karma descends upon Albedo, because when he finally spots Klee, his heart drops, as he sees an incredibly familiar shade of blue hair on the camp counselor that Klee is currently in conversation with.
It’s Kaeya.
It’s without a doubt, one-hundred percent, definitely Kaeya.
That “Hat Guy” kid in his classes definitely cursed him as he left the Akademiya for him to get this unlucky.
Kaeya had evidently grown into his maturity: his build taller and more lean than the gangly limbs that used to hold Albedo tightly; all of the baby fat on his cheeks that Alice used to pinch whenever she was feeling particularly affectionate, now gone; his hair longer, tied into a loose, low ponytail that gently pooled over his shoulder; his eyes glimmering, clearly amused with whatever Klee was talking to him about.
Archons.
Caught in a stupor, Albedo walked forward to open the door. There wasn’t anything else on his mind except for a sudden rush of “I miss him” and the need to promptly get Klee home.
Klee noticed him first. “Big brother! You’re finally here!”
Cutting her conversation with Kaeya short, she ran up to Albedo and leapt into his arms, ecstatic at the sight of him.
“Hello Klee,” came Albedo’s gentle voice, as if he wasn’t mentally at war with himself. “Had a good day, I assume?”
“Oh it was the best! I made so many new friends and we made a group together to be one of the teams to compete for points to win a grand prize at the end of the week, and we also got to tie-dye shirts rainbow and it was soo fun and- Oh! And everyone loves Dodoco like you said they would!”
Klee turns around to face Kaeya, who had been walking up to the siblings as Klee was animatedly recounting her day. “Oh!! Big brother I got to meet big brother Kaeya again! It’s been years since I’ve seen him; I was so happy! Big brother Kaeya said he was really happy to meet me too.”
“Indeed I was.” Kaeya plastered an ingenuine smile as he addressed them, similarly hiding his true feelings at Albedo’s reappearance. “My Albedo, I wasn’t expecting to run into you here. After all, you haven’t returned since you left for Sumeru all those years ago. What a delightful surprise.”
Obviously, it wasn’t really that delightful with how strained Kaeya’s voice sounded, but neither of them were willing to address anything serious in front of Klee, whose happiness was radiating off of her so intensely, that the ex-lovers had no choice but to remain cordial. After all, Klee wasn’t aware that they were no longer as close as they once were.
Kaeya dropped so that he was eye-level with Klee. “Why don’t you go grab your stuff so that your brother can take you home. Your tie-dye shirts should have finished drying outside by now. Jean should be tending to them.”
Klee excitedly scurried off, which unfortunately removed the only buffer that was keeping their conversation from becoming awkward.
Unsure of what to say to each other, an uncomfortable silence permeated the air, slightly suffocating Albedo. Though Kaeya’s face gave nothing away, the many years Albedo spent as his lover had given him the experience to read Kaeya’s eyes, which indicated that he too was feeling the encroaching awkwardness. Luckily, that hasn’t changed after all this time, even if everything else about Kaeya had.
“Er, um.”
Great. That was incredibly eloquent.
“So, uh. Jean works here too?”
Honestly, Albedo was contemplating smashing his face into the nearby wall, which would be incredibly gauche, but anything was better than this.
Mildly entertained by Albedo’s apparent awkwardness, Kaeya responds, “Yes. Both Jean and I have taken on roles as counselors this summer. She says it’s to get away from the stressful internship she’s had in previous years. Not sure how she concluded that working with kids would give her that kind of relief, but I wasn’t going to be the one to decline her request to apply with her. Diluc and Amber are also working here too, if you remember them.”
Ouch. A little harsh, but a bit fair considering how long it’s been since Albedo has reached out to anyone.
At least it confirmed that the young woman who had almost crashed into him was indeed Amber. He tells Kaeya as much, and in return he gets a soft laugh. “She’s still every bit of the klutz she was in high school, but she’s also incredibly reliable. She’s the only counselor willing to literally run around the place to make sure everything is in order.”
Kaeya properly studies Albedo for the first time since the latter has walked into the room. “Your hair…”
Albedo reaches up to curls his fingers around the locks, immediately realizing what Kaeya was referring to.
About two years into college, Albedo made the definitive choice to cut it all the way up past his shoulders. It was just as fluffy and soft as Kaeya must remember it to be, just much shorter. He also was wearing that same half-up half-down hairstyle Kaeya had begun to braid into his hair all those years ago. Albedo had found that with his shorter length, the hairstyle was more practical than a simple ponytail or bun at pulling his hair back.
If it was also his way of remembering Kaeya throughout the years, well, that was only for Albedo to know.
“It was an impulsive decision, but I like it. It definitely helped deal with the warmer Sumeru weather.”
Kaeya smiles, a little more genuine now. “It suits you.”
Surprised by the compliment, Albedo flushed a little bit. Evidently to Kaeya’s surprise too, with how his eyes widened, but neither were given a chance to address it as Klee returned, Jean in tow.
“Look! Isn’t it pretty?” Klee asks, holding the freshly dried shirt up for the adults to see.
“It’s lovely,” Albedo replied, trying to cool down his rapidly reddening face. He turns to Kaeya and Jean, clearly still flustered, but a bit more subdued at this point. “Thank you for taking care of Klee today. The two of us should probably get going though.”
“Of course,” Jean answers, instead of Kaeya. “Lisa had been sending us updates about you, but it was nice to actually see you in person. Come again anytime.”
Albedo nodded, and began to walk out the building, Klee skipping beside him. He could feel a set of eyes lingering onto his form as he walked out, but the sight of Kaeya after all this time felt too fresh, like a festering open wound, so he couldn’t bring himself to turn back.
Once the two of them had finally gotten inside Albedo’s car, he laid his head against the harsh steering wheel, needing a moment to compose himself.
“Big brother Albedo, are you okay?” came Klee’s sweet voice from behind the passenger seat.
He took a deep breath in. And then out.
“I’m fine Klee…I just need a moment,” his weak voice replied.
Fuck.