Discovery | Albedo's Descent Book 1

Chapter 12: Perfect Opportunity

Lisa quietly went back inside the library. Kaeya was still asleep, she chuckled as she walked up to him. She, then, poked his face repeatedly until he opened his eyes.
Kaeya sighed, "what time is it?"
"Around four, I think."
The Cavalry Captain rolled over, "I'm going back to sleep, then..."
Lisa rolled her eyes, "it's about Albedo."
Kaeya looked over at her, "what about him?"
"He's sad."
"Why?"
Lisa shrugged, "I don't know."
"Then why-"
"Because you are going to find out."
"Hm?"
"You're going to talk with him," she stated.
Kaeya paused, "... what?"
"When we are organizing," she explained, "that would give you an opening to get close to him. You know, if you can get him to trust you with how he feels, then he'll-"
"Oh, yeah, okay..." Kaeya seemed oddly nervous.
Lisa rolled her eyes, "just because he's made of-"
"That isn't..." Kaeya tried to form words as he sat all the way up, "I just... both Rosaria and the Traveler said that he probably doesn't like me..."
Lisa sighed, "when has that ever stopped you?"
"Well, I mean..." Kaeya folded his hands, "maybe he'll never like me the way I like him..."
"Goodness, he makes you so insecure!" Lisa exclaimed in frustration.
"Well, yeah, I really really want to be with him..." Kaeya grew embarrassed, "just being in the same room is-"
Lisa mimed throwing up.
"Hey! I'm sure you feel the same about Jean!"
Lisa laughed, "yeah, but at least I had the guts to ask her out."
Kaeya's argument melted away, "yeah, well, good for you..."
She continued to laugh, "just kiss him or something like you do to everyone else! There is no way he could possibly be oblivious to how you feel if-"
"No. Not an option."
"Why are you so against it?! You're always so physical!"
"It's- it's too soon for that..." he looked around awkwardly.
Lisa shook her head, "seriously, you're like giving him special treatment..."
"Well, he's just so... he's everything I could ever want... I don't want to mess anything up..."
Lisa smiled, "Aw, I didn't think you had a soft side."
"Shut up," he pushed her.
She laughed, "you know, Kaeya, I think Albedo makes you a better person."
"What?"
"Because you're more considerate when you're around him. You actually think about things before you do them. And," she smiled wider, "you're nicer when you're happy."
Kaeya blinked.
"Just shows how unhappy you were before you met Albedo," Lisa turned and walked towards her desk.
Kaeya hadn't really thought about it like that... he did feel better when he was around Albedo...

It had barely been a minute that Albedo had sat down and began to organize before he spoke.
"Ah, Miss Lisa, I wanted to ask you about the crystal?"
She smiled, "I'll tell you what I can."
"When you said that it was feeding off of my negative emotions, what did you mean? Is it literally growing in power or consciousness because of my feelings? Was it taking my emotions from me as a source of food?"
Lisa chuckled, "it probably wouldn't have become anything harmful by "eating" your emotions. It simply wanted to stay alive, in a sense. I wouldn't go so far as to say it had a mind of its own, but everything has the will to live."
Albedo pulled off one of his gloves quickly, grabbing his pen and writing something down. His whole hand, including in between his fingers, his wrist, and all the way up to right about where his gloves rested was covered in his handwriting.
"Okay, first of all," Kaeya interrupted, "what in the world are you guys talking about? Second, why are you writing on your beautiful skin?! What if that's permanent?!"
Albedo looked over at him, "... I think this information is more important than my appearance..."
Kaeya shook his head with a sigh, "do you have no regard for your own body?"
Albedo paused, "I... would not write on myself with something poisonous, if you mean to say that I'm hurting myself..."
Kaeya shook his head again, picking up another book, "I just can't understand you sometimes."
Albedo seemed to be affected by that sentence more than anyone would think. He almost spelled a few words wrong as he resumed note taking.
"There was a crystal that Albedo had found. I noticed a dark feeling and followed it to the rock. The problem is solved, but it was feeding off of everyone's negative emotions. Especially Albedo's."
Kaeya looked even more worried as he gazed at the alchemist.
"I'm not injured or anything," he shrugged. "Now, you say it would not become a problem? What if-"
"Woah, hold on," Lisa smiled nervously, "I don't know everything. I just know that if it was trying to get energy from sadness and the like that it can't be anything good. It didn't seem to be hurting anyone, but it might have also been inducing the sadness. Sucrose and Klee both felt a lot better after I broke it."
"Interesting..." Albedo was muttering to himself as he wrote things down again.
Kaeya suddenly seized Albedo's wrist, "please stop."
Albedo slowly looked at him, "... does it bother you?"
"Yes," he smiled, "quite frankly, it actually kind of hurts."
Albedo blinked, "what... really...?"
Kaeya sighed, "don't you have a notebook or a journal for that?"
Albedo's eyes wandered, "I lost it... I always write on myself when I can't find something to write on..."
Kaeya flipped Albedo's hand over, he could barely read the handwriting. But it was pretty... "I just don't like the idea of it..."
"Oh, you don't have any tattoos?"
Kaeya blinked, "huh? Uh, I do..."
"Then what's the difference?" Albedo asked.
"What?"
"What's the difference between you getting ink needled into your bloodstream and skin and me writing on my hand?"
Kaeya hesitated, his voice growing quiet, "I just... don't like the idea of you writing on yourself... it isn't as flattering as a tattoo..."
Albedo set his pen down, "but why does it bother you so much? Would you mind if I had a tattoo?"
"No, because tattoos are always artistic and chosen for a purpose," Kaeya explained, "your handwriting is very pretty, but I just don't think... it suits you very well." He held Albedo's hand delicately, then he realized that he was holding Albedo's hand. That really shouldn't have made his face red, but it did.
Albedo took off his other glove with his teeth, "I don't think it's your choice what I do with my body."
Kaeya was a little shocked by that statement. Well, it was true... he just hadn't realized that he had made it sound so... bad... He let go of Albedo's hand, "besides, you already have a tattoo anyways."
Albedo gave him a questioning look as he pulled out his pen again.
Kaeya smiled, pressing his index finger to Albedo's throat, "right here. Or does Klee draw this on for you every morning?" He laughed.
Albedo looked down as if he could see it, "oh..." he lifts his own hand and gently pushed Kaeya's away.
The Cavalry Captain poked his nose, "well?"
"I suppose it is a tattoo of sorts..." his fingers drifted over the golden diamond.
"You suppose?" Kaeya blew air out of his nose.
"Yes..." Albedo uttered slowly, "like I said last night, I do not remember when I got it..."
"Ah, was our Cheif Alchemist under the influence?" Kaeya teased as he placed his hand around Albedo's neck, resting his thumb against the symbol.
Albedo's hand twitched, though it was well deserved. In his defense, he wasn't in the mood for being choked.
Lisa decided to interrupt before Kaeya asked too many questions. She was sure that Albedo was made with that symbol on him. That had to be it. "If you needed something to write in, then you should have just said so." A fresh notebook materialized in her hand and it floated over to Albedo.
Kaeya sat back as Albedo started copying his scribbles into the book.
Now that Kaeya thought about it he wasn't really sure why exactly he cared about Albedo writing on himself. It wasn't like he was ruining his skin by doing that... but Kaeya just didn't like it.
"Ah," Albedo seemed to have been thinking about the same thing, "if I drew on myself would that be any different?"
Kaeya blinked, "hm?"
Albedo stole Kaeya's hand and drew a quick smiley face on his finger.
Kaeya snorted, "no, I don't mind that so much..."
Albedo nodded, "m, then why do you care about my writing?"
Kaeya sighed quietly, "I... I wouldn't mind if it was just a few things on your hand but... it's almost half your arm. You have such beautiful skin, you really take it for granted..."
Albedo paused his scrawling, "oh... I..."
"But it doesn't matter what I want," he smiled, "like you said, it's your body."
Albedo nodded, Kaeya's teasing tone going right over his head, "yes... but I don't want you to be upset... Miss Lisa, do you-"
She chuckled "just put your gloves back on, you'll be taking that bath later anyways."
"Oh, right..." Albedo seemed to remember something. "Kaeya," he turned to find Kaeya sitting a lot closer to him than he had remembered. It startled him a little.
Kaeya smiled, his eye shining, "yes?" As he spoke he tilted his head to the side and his earring jingled as he moved.
"Oh, uhm, you said you had a tattoo. I was going to ask what it is..." Albedo was staring at the earring. It seemed so familiar... Every time he saw it he was captivated by it...
Kaeya's smile stretched farther, "what? Distracted by my looks? I didn't think Albedo felt that way about me~" He teased as he leaned forward onto one of his arms, using his other to gently push Albedo's chin upwards.
Albedo pushed his hand away, "no... your earring... It looks like it would be heavy..."
Kaeya chuckled, "it isn't."
"Your tattoo?" Albedo got back on track.
"Well..."
"Oh, Miss Lisa, do you have a tattoo?" Albedo got distracted suddenly.
Lisa chuckled, "I do. Though, i'd have to take my clothes off..." she sighed.
"Please do not," Kaeya smiled.
Lisa laughed, "no, not like that. My socks are just a pain... It's on my ankle. A little rose," she drew it in the air and elecricty formed the shape of a rose, it's stem covered in thorns. "It's just a purple outline. Oh I have another one, too! Mona was telling everyone what their constellations mean and Rosaria suggested we all get tattoos. So I have my hourglass right here. Lisa pulled off her left glove revealing an hourglass tattoo on the back of her wrist. "Honestly, I forget it's there all the time."
Albedo nodded, "mn," he turned back to Kaeya.
Kaeya laughed nervously, "I would have to take my clothes off to show you as well..."
Lisa chuckled, "how scandalous of you, Kaeya~"
The Captain's face grew warm, "it's nothing like that and you know it."
Albedo looked him up and down, "where is it?"
Kaeya took his boa off, deciding he didn't need it right now, "on my back."
"Oh, is it a small one like Miss Lisa's?"
"Please, you don't have to call me 'Miss'... it makes me feel old..."
Albedo nodded, "alright."
Kaeya chuckled, "no, but it is my constellation. I feel like I went a bit overboard because everyone else just got little ones..."
Lisa smiled, "I quite like the way it looks on you."
Kaeya sighed quietly, "still..."
Albedo grew more curious, "what does it look like?"
Kaeya wasn't sure how to describe it. He'd only seen it in pictures anyways. He was sure it looked nicer in person.
"You better tell him or else he might have to resort to stalking you~" Lisa narrowed her catlike eyes.
"Don't worry, I wouldn't do that..." Albedo said, "I might find another way to find out, though."
Kaeya didn't particularly like the sound of that. But he also really liked that Albedo was so interested in him... "Like what?"
Albedo shrugged, "I could get Lisa to draw me a picture, or I could ask around. I'm sure plenty of people have seen you... unclothed. Oh, and if you ever agreed to model for a painting I could exploit that."
"What?"
Albedo brought his hand to his chin, staring off, "there's this picture I've had in my mind for a while. I was planning to ask one of the girls to model for it, but you would work very well, too."
"... what kind of picture?" Kaeya felt so good that Albedo had been thinking about him, even if it was only a little bit.
"One where the model stands with their back facing me. Their head is turned to the side, their eyes judging. They are letting a piece of their long, flowing outfit fall from their neck, exposing most of their back. But the shoulders and still mostly concealed. I wanted to ask someone like..." he paused to think. "Noelle for example, I'm sure she has very strong back muscles from using her sword. Oh, and she must have a beautiful array of scars on her back as well."
Kaeya stopped breathing. Not only was that a lovely and artistic image in his mind, but Albedo had described scars as beautiful... Being someone who had seen many battles and fought many opponents, Kaeya was covered in scars. He always hated it. It made him feel less pretty... Bennet had remarked once that he thought it made Kaeya look really cool. That was nice. But this was Albedo... it wasn't directly a compliment but it sure felt like one.
Albedo turned to look at the Cavalry Captain again, "I'm sure it's the same for you, considering you ride horses."
Kaeya smiled, "yes."
"Sorry," Albedo looked down, "does that embarrass you?... you're getting red..."
"No, no, I'm flattered," he leaned back on both his hands. "I think it would be a wonderful painting no matter who you chose as a model."
"Why is that?" Albedo asked.
"Because you're the one painting it," he smiled wide, "you're an amazing artist."
It was Albedo's turn to get red, though only slightly. He looked away again, "thank you..."
"Well," Kaeya sat up, "maybe I'll show you later..."
"Really?"
Kaeya nodded as he started organizing books again, "you'll want to know what you're in for if you are going to ask me to model for you."
"Oh..." Albedo quickly finished copying his notes before pulling his gloves back on and beginning to alphabetize.
Lisa sighed to herself. Honestly, how hard was it to just show Albedo his tattoo? She was pretty sure that Albedo was one of the only people who hadn't seen Kaeya shirtless at least once. Lisa assumed it was just some weird male impulse to take off their shirt randomly when it was warm outside. Seriously, was he trying to show off his cleavage or something? Wasn't that the point of his window? *No one wants to see your nipples*, she rolled her eyes.