Lonely | Albedo X Reader

6

Y/N's POV

I know that Albedo said we'd meet up today again, but he didn't specify a time either. Yesterday, we met up in the afternoon, so maybe he meant the same time as instructed on the letter? That's probably the case considering I've been waiting here since I left my place, which it has officially been a whopping uneventful and wasted hour. There's still three hours until the "agreed" time.

In the mean time, I should stock up on groceries. Three hours is plenty of time to buy what's needed and even organize them all back at home. Oh, right! I should probably head to Liyue in a couple of days, the shipment is supposed to be there either this or next week. It's been pretty difficult looking for the vanilla beans to make vanilla extract, but it'll be so worth it to have ice cream and dessert crepes again!

Walking around the market, I purchase some essentials. Mondstadt doesn't have an extensive street like Liyue with goods, so I often head there to buy foreign items to recreate things from my world. Mondstadt is great, but Liyue's the center of global trade, it's pretty difficult to top that. Alright, all I need are sunsettias and grocery shopping will be over. Hopefully they're still in stock, I think as I search around the fruit stands.

"Ooo, there they are!" I pick one up and examine it's condition.

"Sibling, hey!" I hear Bennett greet me as usual. I look over and wave at him, "Hey there, Bennett. What are you up to today?"

"Well—I was thinking about getting my dads medicines to help their injuries, but I always come back from adventuring empty handed," he opens his wallet to reveal a mere 75 mora. "I don't have enough money, so I wanted to make them some food for adventuring! My problem now is, meat is super expensive."

75 mora, he's. Gosh, this is the price of being unlucky. "Wh, Bennett! 75 mora isn't enough, if you need something then I would be more than willing to help out," I ruffle his soft, light beige hair. He always calls me "sibling" like how he calls the older adventurers "dads". "My" parents didn't have another child, so Bennett calling me "sibling" makes me feel a little less lonely.

He rapidly shakes his head in his usual attempt to fix it before running his hands through his hair. "There's no way that I can borrow money from you though! I hardly get any commission rewards, so I wouldn't be able to pay you back," his shoulders slump down and so too does his face. Geez, he sees me as family, but it doesn't occur that family can just ask for money every once in a while.

I pull out my wallet, taking his hand, and slip 300 mora there. "This isn't much, but I hope that you can buy some fruit or something," I pull my hand away to ensure he can't try to snoop the money back. "No sneaking money into my wallet, alright?"

"B-But! Sibling, I can't accept this!"

"Shhhh, we're family, aren't we? You're my little brother, so I have to take care of you," I grin, looking back at the sunsettia in hand. "Let's do some grocery shopping for your dad, alright? All you have to do is just help me bring everything back to my place."

He sighs, "I don't have a choice, do I? Well, thanks Y/N! Let's hurry up in the name of Benny's—Shopping Duo!"

We spend time together purchasing some meats and I even manage to add some vegetables and fruit into his list. That boy sure does love his protein, but Benny still needs literally everything else for his health. I've known Bennett since I first joined the Adventurer's Guild. Actually, he was already a member despite his young age. I went on some commissions with him, they were incredibly life-threatening as in I nearly died once. To be completely honest, I still have no clue how I did not die there and then. I don't want to delve too deep into those memories, maybe I'll "reminisce" them another time.

We complete our shopping and drop off my items at my place. After separating our goods, he leaves and promises that he'll work even harder to pay for today's expenses.

"Don't forget my promise! Bye, Y/N!" He dashes off without letting me argue. This is karma for not letting him sneak back the money, isn't it?

"That boy, what am I going to do with him?" I mumble, locking the front door. I quickly organize everything I bought today. This is—another kick to my wallet. Today, I thank Barbatos that Albedo's backed up by the rich government. Taking one last glance at the organization, I've finished groceries for the time being. I peek at the clock, and I've got—about 20 minutes!

AAAAAAAA, MY HEART'S RACING AT THE THOUGHT OF HAVING A FRIEND AROUND MY AGE. TO QUOTE, "I ain't ever seen two pretty best friends." IF HE WAS MY BESTIE, HE'D BE THE PRETTY ONE. IF THIS WAS BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, HE'S THE BEAUTY AND I'M THE BEAST. My autonomic functioning, my medulla, I can feel my heart beat elevating. Gaaaah, I need to stop feeling this way! I'll confuse it for a crush, at least this is what I believe a crush is like, at this rate.

Lightly smacking my cheeks to increase blood flow, for maximum brain functioning to prevent any further complicated situations, I return to the adventurer's reception where Albedo is already waiting for me. "Good afternoon, Albedo!" I smile cheerfully with full intent on friendship, nothing more and nothing less.

A/N

I'm sorry that this took a while to release. I had a number of tasks to complete, so I sincerely hope that you all are content with ~961 words for this update. Good luck farming primogems for whoever you guys want, have a good day.