Journey | Albedo's Descent Book 3

Chapter 8: Morning Musings

Albedo's eyes fluttered open. He took a deep breath as he tried to keep his eyes open.
He was surprised to find the sun's early morning light peeking in through the windows and illuminating the room. The light spilled in between the curtains pouring over the chocolate-colored arms around Albedo.
Albedo was surprised that Kaeya had actually stayed...
Sure, he had made it seem so, but Albedo still had his doubts.
The alchemist exhaled tiredly, it felt too early to be awake. He carefully turned around. Thankfully, Kaeya wasn't holding onto him so it wasn't too difficult. Albedo had only seen Kaeya sleeping one other time (that he could think of). Both then and now the Captain held a serene expression. He was breathing deeply and not as frequently as Albedo had expected.
Then again, the only other person he had really seen sleeping was Klee and she was full of energy even when she was asleep.
Albedo slowly reached out and pushed Kaeya's hair out of his face and behind his ear. All the awkwardness he had felt last night was gone. But maybe that was because Kaeya wasn't awake. It was nice not to be so nervous. Albedo might even go so far as to say it felt natural to wake up beside Kaeya...
But that wasn't important.
Albedo slipped Kaeya's eyepatch off of his head, holding onto it so it wouldn't be lost in the blankets. Albedo then gently ran his index finger along Kaeya's scar. His skin was course along the edges of his scar, but smooth everywhere else.
Albedo drew his hand back, feeling a bit ashamed that he only felt comfortable enough to do that while Kaeya was sleeping.
The alchemist took another tired breath, relaxing back into the captain's embrace. Then he noticed just how blue Kaeya's hair was. He wondered how it could even be that color...
Albedo made a mental note to ask Kaeya where he was from. Though... Kaeya seemed to always avoid talking about his past... Albedo felt that Kaeya probably wouldn't tell him.
Albedo looked down, suddenly feeling a bit sad. They had been through so much together... and becuase of that Kaeya knew almost everything about Albedo. Maybe not in full detail, but he still knew.
Albedo twisted his ring over his finger. Did Kaeya trust Albedo enough to tell him something he went out of his way to hide?...
The alchemist didn't like how likely it was that Kaeya didn't trust him that much. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to get rid of such thoughts. He didn't like it.
He moved closer to Kaeya, putting his arms around the Cavalry Captain and gripping the back of his shirt tightly. His eyes were pressed into Kaeya's shoulder and he hadn't even realized that he was holding his breath.
Kaeya took a long, deep breath. His arms shook a little bit, then they tightened around Albedo. He sighed quietly.
Albedo pursed his lips, hoping Kaeya would be the first to speak. He didn't know what to say.
Kaeya placed one of his hands on the back of Albedo's head, not really awake yet. His eyes were still mostly closed and he didn't appreciate the sun shining directly into his eyeballs when he tried to open them.
Then Kaeya smiled, realizing Albedo was in his arms and holding onto him. He rubbed Albedo's head, causing his hair to get more knotted than it already was - probably. He sighed deeply, he didn't want to get up. He hoped Albedo wouldn't mind laying with him like this for a bit.
Now that he thought about it, it seemed really early. The angle of the sun were as if it had just risen. Kaeya held in his groan. No way... He didn't want to be awake this early...
Albedo let go of Kaeya's shirt but still held on to him. He really hoped Kaeya would say something soon. What if Kaeya wasn't even awake at all? Albedo started to question everything.
Kaeya noticed that his eyepatch wasn't on his face. Had Albedo taken it off? Was he awake already? Now that his brain was starting to work again, he noticed that Albedo was facing the opposite direction then when he had gone to sleep.
Kaeya felt bad for making Albedo wait for him to wake up. But he also just wanted to go back to sleep... He always slept better when he wasn't by himself, and it wasn't often that he got the chance to get a good night's rest.
Kaeya steeled his resolve as he squeezed Albedo tighter, "good morning."
Albedo silently loosed his breath and whispered back, "morning..."
"Did you sleep okay?" Kaeya began to whisper as well.
Albedo nodded.
"How long have you been awake for?"
"Only a few minutes, I think," Albedo drew his arms back.
Kaeya smiled, "glad I didn't make you wait too long."
Albedo shook his head, "that's alright, it wasn't an issue..."
Kaeya squinted over at the clock, then he sighed, "it's so early..."
Albedo chuckled quietly, "what time do you normally get up?"
"Definitely not this early," Kaeya nuzzled the top of Albedo's head. Then he moved to lay on his back, stretching his arms up.
Albedo hesitated, fiddling with his fingers and keeping his eyes to himself, "did... did you plan ahead to spend the night?..."
Kaeya grew confused, "not particularly?"
"Oh, it- it's just that you... I noticed you were wearing the perfume you always wear when you're planning on asking me out..."
Kaeya grew a bit red as he put his hands behind his head, "I wasn't really planning on staying the night or anything... I had wanted to spend more time with you, though. Sucrose held you captive for longer than I thought so I didn't get the chance until you were already exhausted. Don't get me wrong, I really liked spending the night! Waking up next to you was..."
Kaeya's voice trailed off.
Albedo looked up at him, "was?..."
"I... I don't want it to sound weird..." Kaeya stared fixedly at the ceiling.
"No, please, tell me what you're thinking."
Kaeya sighed quietly, "Rosaria always says I'm being too mushy when I say stuff like this... Albedo, waking up next to you made me really happy..."
Albedo blinked, "that doesn't sound mushy to me..."
Kaeya's face flushed, "well then Rosaria uses a different definition."
Albedo reached out, dangling the eyepatch from his hand, "sorry... I keep taking this from you without asking..."
Kaeya accepted it, "but this is the only time you've taken it?"
"Oh... that is true. I guess I didn't take it last time."
"What?"
"Oh, uhm, the last time I looked at your eye... I had moved your eyepatch without permission..."
Kaeya snorted, tossing the eyepatch over with his other belongings, "you don't need to ask permission. I really don't care."
"You don't? But-"
Kaeya smiled over at him, "I don't care when it comes to you, Albedo. I trust you."
Albedo's eyes flicked down as he pulled at his shirt nervously, "... how much do you trust me?"
Kaeya blinked in confusion. He held his hand out and placed it on Albedo's head, "I trust you with anything and everything. I'd take over the world, find some way to shrink it, and give it to you if that's what you wanted."
Albedo knew that should have been funny, but Kaeya seemed a little too serious.
Kaeya sighed with a smile, "so stop doubting me, okay?" He tousled the alchemist's hair.
Albedo bit his lip, speaking quietly, "then... do you trust me enough to tell me where you're from?..."
Kaeya's carefree smile melted away. It was replaced by a look of disbelief.
Albedo felt his stomach twist. That's what he was afraid of...
Then Kaeya moved onto his side, brushing Albedo's hair out of his face. He smiled again, speaking softly, "I'm from the same place you are."
Albedo blinked, "what? But-"
Kaeya chuckled, "the diamond- or star- over your throat is the same as the one in my eyes. It's the same shape that decorates my clothing. It's a sign of our lineage, Albedo. And I'm sure you noticed that before even I did. You're so smart..."
Albedo stared at Kaeya, "I did notice, but... But I'm not-"
Kaeya's smile grew [I accidentally said his face grew HSJXJDJA 🤣] as he took both Albedo's hands and held them tightly, "you've probably never set foot in Khaenri'ah, have you? But your creator certainly has. Why else would she choose such a shape?"
Albedo faltered. He didn't know what to say. Sure, he had noticed all the obvious correlations... but if it were true, how was Kaeya even here?... Then again, it didn't make sense for Rhinedottir to be alive, either...
Kaeya pressed their foreheads together as he took a deep breath, "I really should have realized the moment we met..."
Albedo really didn't know what to say. He didn't expect Kaeya to say so much. He felt like he couldn't respond.
Kaeya squeezed his hands tighter, "you feel like home, Albedo..."
Albedo held his mouth closed. Now he was thoroughly at a loss for words.
"Speaking of," Kaeya chuckled, "I feel so silly for never asking. How old are you?"
Albedo blinked several times, utterly shocked by the off topic question. "Oh. Uh, eighteen."
Kaeya gave him a skeptical look, "how long have you been eighteen?"
". . . A while..."
Kaeya laughed, "so, what? We're both anomalies who don't know how old we are?"
Albedo paused, "you don't know, either?..."
Kaeya shook his head, "I know I grew up here in Mondstadt, I remember that clearly. The only thing I remember from before that was running from Khaenri'ah. It doesn't really make any sense... Khaenri'ah was destroyed over five hundred years ago, right? But to me it seemed it had been very recently..."
Albedo stared down at their hands, "I don't think anything that has to do with that place will ever make any sense..."
"Your turn," Kaeya smiled. "Tell me something about you that I don't know."
Albedo was taken aback, "like what?..."
"I don't know. Anything," he shrugged.
"Uhm..." Albedo gazed around, though he couldn't see much other than Kaeya. "I... I think you know almost everything about me by now..."
"What? No!" Kaeya's brows came together, "that can't be true! There's loads I don't know!"
Albedo really couldn't think of anything.
"Oh! How about why your secondary title is Kreideprinz?"
Albedo sighed, "honestly, Alice really shouldn't have been spreading that name around... At the time when she took me in, Klee was obsessed with princess stories. So, she decided to call me a prince to make the transition smoother for Klee... The name makes it so obvious that I'm not human..."
Kaeya chuckled, "I always assumed you just ate chalk or something."
"What? Really?"
"No," Kaeya laughed, "but I thought it had something to do with your alchemy practice or what you sketch with."
Albedo sighed, "then I'm glad it wasn't so obvious to you..."
Kaeya smiled, "but what if you are royalty?"
"Hm?"
Kaeya's eyes narrowed, "what if your creator was royalty? Wouldn't that make you a prince?"
Albedo shrugged, "hypothetically, yes... But she never mentioned much about herself. She was a very... to-the-point woman."
Kaeya sighed tiredly through his nose, "I know Alice has got to know more about everything than she lets on."
"Definitely," Albedo nodded.
"Anyways, I was only asking because of the whole 'if you're royalty you have to marry into royalty' thing."
"Well, I don't think it really matters now... considering my teacher's blood doesn't run through my veins."
Kaeya smiled as he leaned closer, "that wasn't why I was asking."
Albedo grew a bit worried, "then what do you mean?..."
Kaeya chuckled, entwining their fingers, "I was asking because I'm royalty."
Albedo's eyes widened and his hands twitched. "What?"
Kaeya laughed, "I've never seen you so surprised!"
Albedo faltered, "of course I'm surprised... There's no way I could have known..."
Kaeya seemed very proud of himself, "so you really knew nothing about me?!"
Albedo hesitated, "I... didn't think you would tell me if I had asked..."
Kaeya laughed, "you're the only one I would tell if they asked. I'm sure Lisa is suspicious of me, but that's besides the point."
Albedo paused, "so you're really... royalty?..."
"About as much as you are, considering my country is gone and all. But it's still a fun title to have in my back pocket. Oh, and it's also the reason I chose Alberich as my last name."
"I'm... not familiar with it," Albedo said slowly.
Kaeya laid on his back, letting go of Albedo's hands and sliding an arm under Albedo to grip his other shoulder, "I'd be glad to tell you. There are many ghost stories all over the place, as you know. When I was a kid," he used his free hand for emphasis as he spoke, making vague gestures towards the ceiling.
"There was one I especially liked. It was about a so-called 'ruler or supernatural beings'. And so his name was Alberich and basically he was guarding some treasure somewhere and all the details got lost in my mind over the years... But it was one of the first stories Master Crepus told me... I couldn't sleep because I was in a new place with new people...
"Diluc tried everything to get me to stop crying... Eventually it woke Master Crepus and he came in to figure out what was wrong. I wouldn't say anything and we all ended up staying up really late by the fireplace. He told a lot of stories, but that one stuck out to me most... I don't remember most of it, but I remember really liking that character."
Kaeya chuckled, "now it just feels childish to name myself that."
Albedo shook his head, "I don't think it was childish. It meant a lot to you... it only makes sense."
Kaeya heaved a sigh, "it's not like I can change it now, anyways." He seemed to realize something, "Albedo, do you even have a last name?"
Albedo shook his head, "not that I know of..."
"Well, I guess you won't have to worry about that for long," Kaeya smiled as he closed his eyes, "considering you'll have mine."
Albedo took a moment to process what he meant. Then he remembered the rings on their fingers, "oh. I guess not."
Kaeya blew air out of his nose, "you're so forgetful, sometimes."
Albedo stared at the ceiling with a concerned expression. Normally he wasn't so forgetful... He could connect simple dots like that easily... So why was it becoming so difficult?...
"Kaeya?"
"Hm?" He barely made a sound. His eyes refused to open again and he was sinking back into sleep.
"I... I haven't been completely honest with you... About what's been going on." Albedo clasped his hands nervously and looked over, "... Kaeya?"
Kaeya was out. How had he fallen asleep so quickly? He was wide awake only a moment ago....
Albedo sighed. Maybe it was a good thing. He could take some time to figure out what was going on before talking to Kaeya about it...
Yeah... That sounded like a good plan...