His Red Flags (Albedo x Sucrose)

Chapter 7

It was getting dark when the sun starts to set. Sucrose didn't know how much time she spent staring at the sparkling lake as the sunset reflects on it. She was clouded by her own thoughts and conclusions. Her breathing and heartbeat came back to the normal rate. The sparkling lake made her feel relaxed and relieved in the meantime but she has still a lot of questions and thoughts in her mind right now.

Her meditation was interrupted as she heard someone's footsteps. It was the traveler. Sucrose is not that close to him but they used to communicate back then when they are both in the same team during the expeditions. As the traveler came closer to her, he sat beside her at the side of the lake. He knew nothing about their current situation and he knew nothing about what she is feeling right now but he knows about the whereabouts of Albedo.

"Both of you need to talk privately," started Aether as he took out his shoes and pulled his pants up to dip his legs on the lake like what Sucrose is doing. "You have to stop him, Sucrose."

She looked at Aether with her eyebrows furrowed when she heard that statement. Her eyes are still swelling yet she didn't bother about it. Sucrose was too curious about what Aether said that she forgot to hide them. She has no choice but to come along with him since he got up immediately and held her wrists. They were both heading back to Mondstadt. Along the way, the traveler said that he was looking for Sucrose for a long time and he didn't know where to find her but fortunately, he found her safely in Starfell Lake.

They both ended up in front of the tavern. Sucrose was trying to catch her breath since she is used to running. It was already dark outside but the city is still widely awake and the lights on the streets are all lit up brightly. The tavern is still noisy but as soon as they both went inside, the noise gets louder.

Aether was looking for a specific person. His eyes wandered around the tavern. As soon as he looked in the other direction, not far away, he saw Albedo gazing at him uninterestedly. He is sitting on a tall wooden stool. Aether's eyes widened as soon as he saw Albedo's fuming gaze went down at his hands, holding Sucrose's so he let go of her immediately and he let out a quick smile. Albedo raised his left eyebrow and he turned his back against them.

"Now, you two should talk," said Aether as he slightly pushed Sucrose. "And you," he said as he pointed at Albedo as he grabbed the alcohol. "Stop this already."

There are a lot of people in the tavern and it was full of noise. The background music also adds up to the noise. Sucrose was forced to sit beside him. Even though Aether had already taken the alcohol, Albedo tried to order another one as he raised his hand but Sucrose stopped him. His gaze went to her and he slowly put down his hands while still looking at her with his eyebrows furrowed which made Sucrose feel insecure.

"When did you start drinking?" asked Sucrose while avoiding his gaze. "You're not even legal yet, Mr. Albedo."

Before Albedo responded, he chuckled as he put his arms on the table to hold his temple since his vision became blurry and he doesn't even know whether this is a dream or not. His head is hurting yet he still decided to respond to Sucrose. 

"Remember the day when I let you drink the formula?" asked Albedo while his eyes were closed since his head is spinning right now. "Yeah? The day when you ACCIDENTALLY drank another formula?" he asked. 

He didn't get a response from Sucrose but she is still listening to him despite the noise lingering in the tavern.   

"It was the day when I said that I have matters to attend to but YOU ruined it," he emphasized which made Sucrose flinch. "It was Monday, September 13, 2021!" shouted Albedo. "I didn't want to spend my special day with you that time, Sucrose. I was supposed to be hanging out with the traveler. I did that formula in one day without having a rest just so I can spend my time with him!"

As soon as he said that, Sucrose understood that it was the day when he turned 18. She felt a bit guilty since she didn't even remember that it was his birthday. Sucrose sighed and tried to say something back at him.  

"You could've just been absent for that day-"

"If only you weren't clumsy that day..." he said to cut her off then he sighed.

"Why are you telling this to me?" asked Sucrose. "Is this the reason why you went here in the tavern to get yourself wasted?" 

Albedo slowly opened his eyes and he looked at her closely while squinting his eyes which made her move slightly away from him. 

"I don't understand you, Mr. Albedo-"

"No, I don't understand YOU!," he shouted as he thumps his hand harshly on the table. "I'm so done with you!"

He stood up and he walked quickly away from her. Sucrose didn't bother to follow him because she has nothing to say anyway so she sat there on the tall stool while looking down as her tears starts to fall down on her cheeks. She didn't even know why she is crying.  'He's probably drunk,' thought Sucrose. 'Why did he tell me about that? Is that the reason why he tried to sexually assault me? That's such a stupid excuse...' 

Sucrose can't stand and move because there are a lot of people. She is too anxious and she felt like all the people in the tavern are looking at her and judging her so she just sat there alone. After a few minutes, Aether finally came to know what happened but Sucrose refused to talk so he didn't insist.

"Sucrose, I'll take you home since it's getting late," said Aether as he tried to assist her.

Aether safely assists her to her home. Sucrose sat down on her bed and Aether said that he is going home now too. As soon as she lay down, her tears started to fall again. She was not crying because she was sad, instead, she was crying because she was so mad at him. She did not expect the reasons why Albedo did that to her. At this point, she doesn't know how to face him on Monday since she can't isolate herself in this house for a long time again even though no one would be worried for her.

"You are so cruel..." whispered Sucrose while she is staring at the white ceiling. "I admire you so bad. Why did you have to do this?"

These were her last thoughts before she closed her eyes and fell asleep regardless of the cold wind blowing in the windows as they danced with the curtains. It was a tough and confusing day for Sucrose.

A/N: Let me know your favorite ships in the comments section 'cause I might study their lore and create new fanfic after this! Btw, this is just short fanfic so I'll upload the epilogue (last chapter) after chapter 10. Your votes and comments are highly appreciated. Thank you for reading, guys! < 33 Follow me on Twitter to stay updated: fatima_dwn.