Without Hesitation

chapter 1

Albedo's laboratory camp is both cold and warm. Torches crackle and pop softly, making the cave walls glow orange tones, but there is no tent flap or anything of the sort to fend off the bursts of icy wind. The tips of your fingers feel almost numb, and you breathe on them to try and warm them up.

"Here, let me," the alchemist says, noticing you breathing hot air on your bare hands. He takes your fingers into his warm palms and gently rubs, utilizing the friction to bring life back into your frozen fingers.

"Thanks," you whisper quietly as you suppress a shiver.

Wordlessly, Albedo slips his arms out of his coat and drapes it over your shoulders. You pull it close like it's a cape. "Won't you be cold?" You ask. You desperately don't want to give back the jacket.

Albedo offers nothing more than a mild mannered shrug. "I don't get cold." And he does not elaborate.

Outside is a black void. Far away from the city lights of Mondstadt, the only light source you had were the flickering torches around the cave campsite. It smells pleasantly of firewood and charcoal, and you bring the collar of Albedo's coat around your frost-flushed cheeks. The fabric smells like him and you find yourself closing your eyes to imagine him holding you.

"You shouldn't fall asleep sitting up." Albedo's voice makes your eyes snap open. His cerulean eyes are trained right on you, face buried in the neck of his jacket and all.

You hunch it over your shoulders to overemphasize your coldness, hiding within the cloth. "What, is it bad for you?"

"It's neither healthy or unhealthy," Albedo supplies. "But it can be uncomfortable when you wake, and you're likely to fall over in your sleep."

You make a low noise absently. "I wouldn't have been able to sleep anyways. Too cold." You shoot a hint of a glance towards the alchemist, but his attention is already focused back on his work.

The sun set hours ago. In fact, it was probably closer to dawn. "Albedo, take a break," you call softly to him. "At least come warm me up for a bit?"

You hear the slight clink of a glass beaker being set down on the wooden table as Albedo seems to contemplate your request. When Albedo turns to look at you, you're holding open the jacket as a silent invitation.

He dips out of sight for a moment, retrieving something from a drawer behind the wooden table. You hear the sounds of glass vials tinking against each other. Albedo stands up, holding a bulb shaped potion bottle by the cork. He swirls it and you see the viscous liquid slosh inside. It's deep red like blood, but shimmers like glitter is in it.

"This will help warm you up," Albedo explains, passing you the bottle as he sits on the log beside you. You stare at the bottle as if it's the most enthralling thing you've ever seen, heart in your throat. "Go on. Drink."

You waste no time popping the cork off the neck of the bottle and downing it in one go. It goes down thick like honey, leaving your mouth with a strange heady aftertaste. You gulp, and it warms your throat as it goes down.

556 words