Elements of Love II Albedo x Sucrose

Picnic in Springvale

Sucrose dashed back into the pantry, grabbing the last sunsettia in the cupboard. She stuffed it into the bag, trying not to mush it all together into jam. 

"Sucrose!" Albedo's voice called from the lab. "Where's the last beaker set?" 

Dropping the bag onto the kitchen table, Sucrose hurried back to where Albedo was crouching, looking under the lab table for the last beaker set. 

"I swear I just saw it yesterday," Albedo said, rubbing his head in confusion. 

"It's alright. We can always pick up another set in Liyue. I'm sure the alchemy store sells them." Sucrose said reassuringly, laying a hand on Albedo's elbow. He looked down and her hand on his. Sucrose could feel his body heat through his coat.

"Um, yes, and anyway, the Feiyun Commerce Guild will most likely supply us with whatever we need as well." Albedo hedged, looking away to hide his blush.

"Ah right." Sucrose removed her hand from his arm. Agh, why did I do that? I'm so awkward, Sucrose scolded herself.

"We should be going," Albedo said, grabbing his bag and exiting the room, Sucrose on his heels. 

"Of course." The Feiyun Commerce Guild had sent Sucrose a letter explaining their methods of transport, which she then relayed to Albedo. 

"We have a carriage that will take us through Wolvendom to the Dawn Winery, where Diluc, the owner, will be allowing us to stay for awhile." Sucrose said, showing him the letter.

"Yes, I've spoken to Master Jean. She's put in a special word with Diluc, who normally wouldn't allow people to stay at the Dawn Winery." Albedo nodded, confirming their route.

"And that should be about one day's worth of travel, so we'll be sufficiently rested for the next day." Sucrose finished, consulting the letter once more.

The pair shouldered their bags and walked out of the lab where Albedo had been conducting his research. Sometimes, he stayed in Dragonspine, to investigate the life there, but more recently he had been staying in Mondstadt, to take care of Klee and to finish up some reports. 

However, both Sucrose and Albedo were quite anti-social, so they rarely ever came outside, except to buy groceries and purchase alchemy supplies. The sun got in Sucrose's eyes, reflecting off her glasses, as they walked to the gate where the carriage would pick them up.

"Hello, travelers." The carriage driver greeted them, tipping his traditional Liyuen hat at them. "I'm here to take you to the Dawn Winery, where you'll be staying for the night. I'm Ping."

Albedo and Sucrose climbed into the plush carriage, noting the soft seats and cool interior. Sucrose ran a finger along the gilded edge, noting how the metal was real.

She leaned to the side and whispered in Albedo's ear. Sucrose didn't want to be rude to the carriage driver, so she gave her comments privately.

"I'm really impressed with the carriage interior, it's quite amazing how nice it is. I suppose I expected less from the Feiyun Commerce Guild." Sucrose's hair brushed against Albedo's face. He inhaled slightly, smelling the sugary scent of sweet flowers. His face flushed pink at their proximity. 

"Mm, right, right." Albedo nodded, slightly dazed. He ducked away and pulled out a notepad and pencil, intending to sketch a little. 

Had Sucrose said something wrong? She didn't think so, but Albedo had turned away so quickly. Blushing, Sucrose tucked her hands into her lap and stared out the window at the passing dandelions.

"Seems like trouble in paradise back there." Ping commented, steering the horses slightly to the right as the horses trotted along to the Dawn Winery. 

"Are you two a couple?" the driver asked, rather intrusively.

Albedo and Sucrose flushed a vibrant red. 

"No-no, I- we're only-"

"Not really, it's just-"

They both stuttered out, tucking hair behind their ears. Sucrose instinctively moved towards the window a little. Albedo looked at her, before turning away.

The carriage driver chuckled, but didn't say anything else. They continued in silence, the only sound being the rough scratch of Albedo's pencil on paper, and the gentle trotting of the horses.

Did Sucrose and Albedo really seem like a couple? It was strange to think of, but sometimes Sucrose did daydream about it. She understood that they were just little dreams, that would most likely never come true. Still, it was nice to think about it.

Albedo would probably show Sucrose all his experiments, and give her little kisses on the top of her head as praise. Sucrose would make food for Albedo all the time, and write little notes to him when he was researching or experimenting. She would wake up to his raspy voice in her ear, go to sleep with him at her side.

Sucrose flushed, heat surging down to the tips of her toes. These were just little fantasies to indulge in when she became bored, of course. She sighed longingly. 

"We're stopping in Springvale to have lunch." Ping said. "I won't be accompanying you, since I want to visit one of my old family members here. Make sure to be back at 12:30!" he called.

Albedo and Sucrose watched his retreating form before turning to each other with an expectant look on their faces. They both laughed a little, realizing they were looking at each other the same way.

"We could have lunch over there on the grassy field. I brought a picnic blanket in my bag somewhere," Albedo offered. Sucrose agreed, grabbing the bag packed with food.

The wind blew strands of hair in Sucrose's face while she worked to spread out the picnic set, pinning down the corners with large rocks. 

Albedo and Sucrose sat together in comfort, eating Mondstadt Hash Browns and apples, chatting idly about what they would expect to see in Liyue. Sucrose had never been to Liyue before, and Albedo only once or twice, on business matters.

As they got back in the carriage, Sucrose accidentally bumped into Albedo. His bag fell off his shoulder, and his sketchpad dropped out. On it was a beautiful sketch of Sucrose, sitting next to the window, the light skewed across the tip of her nose. 

"Ah! Sorry," Sucrose said, embarrassed. 

"No worries," Albedo said, but he scooped his sketchpad up quickly. 

"You don't need to hide your drawings of me," Sucrose told Albedo, a little nervous. "They're really quite good."

"Well, I was only bored, and I wanted to draw a human form." Albedo explained, a blush on his cheeks. Sucrose nodded and smiled at Albedo.

They squeezed back into the carriage. Suddenly, it seemed much smaller than before. 

Albedo's knees brushed against Sucrose's no matter which way they shifted or turned, trying to avoid touching each other. Every time they touched, Sucrose's skin lit aflame, reminding her of her little daydreams. 

"Sorry about that, the carriage might be a bit small back there." Ping called, climbing into the drivers seat again.

"Oh, no, it's okay." Sucrose smiled. "Mr. Albedo and I are fine, right?"

Albedo studied Sucrose for a moment. 

"Of course. We're perfectly fine."