Chapter Text
EMOTIONS, as it seems, were a lot more difficult than Albedo thought. The intangible nerves that controlled the amount of chemicals in your brain end up balancing your mood, in a good or bad way. He was very knowledgeable in the world of alchemy, and potions were a very close link. Despite Lisa being a reputable potion maker in the Knights of Favonius, there was something that the young man wanted to experiment on his own.
A love potion. Or something similar of the sort.
When he first heard of a love potion, it was when he met with Lisa in the library, they’d often collide due to their experimental work, with commissions that were oftentimes similar, and her eyes had been browsing the romance section. Hardcover novels with erotic titles made up half of the section, and there were many cheesy sounding romantic series in the other half.
Albedo couldn’t help but wonder why Lisa would bother to even waste her time on books like those, as she was never the inexperienced type, or at least so he thought.
“Hey cutie, I’d never thought you were the type that was into romance,” Her cunning smile and relaxed demeanor suggested that she’d been slacking off. “Unless you’re here for me?”
“I am,” Albedo said. “I was wondering if you had the files from last week's commission. Jean told me to head to your office.”
Lisa sighed audibly in disappointment. “She really does work hard...huh. Well, stay here, I’ll get them for you.”
As she walked away, his fingers touched the spines of the hardcover books, the indents running along his glove. There were titles like How to Charm Anyone: including Strangers, The Art of Seduction, Flirting in Tevyat, etc. But there was one book that caught his eye, and it was titled: Love, with Potions and Alchemy. It was this rather thick, archaic looking book, with gold lettering and black accents.
Love potions? Did such a thing exist?
“Alrighty, I have the files. Well, it certainly did sound like a pain,” Lisa yawned, stretching her arms. She handed him a thick stack of messy papers which detailed the expedition from last week. “My my, are you interested in that book?”
Albedo peered back into his hand, which had been securely holding onto Love, with Potions and Alchemy. It had slipped into the palm of his hand before he knew it.
“Well, it has alchemy on the cover, so I’d figured you’d be interested in that of all things,” Lisa giggled. “I could check it out for you, if you’d like.”
“Oh, alright,” Albedo couldn’t resist. Every existing book on alchemy had already been skimmed through by him, so there was no harm in reading this one.
When he received the book, Lisa waved a playful goodbye, and encouraged him to return it on the due date. There were many pages where some parts were torn, written on, and marked for later reading. Making his way back, he flipped to a chapter where the words “Love Potion: Desire” had a lengthy recipe for a potion that would create an intimate attraction to whoever the person drank it.
Sucrose had arrived earlier, not bothering her teacher, assuming he was swamped with alchemy work. But the twinge of curiosity in her sparked, because his eyes had been scanning the pages of his book so passionately. What could’ve made him so intrigued, she wondered, and shuffled closer, with her tools in hand.
“Sucrose, do you need anything?” He asked suddenly, frightening her.
“Uh, um, well, what are you reading, Mr.Albedo?”
“A book. About love, alchemy and potions.”
Love?! Well, even for him, it was certainly unexpected. Sucrose pushed her glasses up with the tip of her finger, reading the title of the chapter he was on. Love Potion was the two words she caught and immediately, a hand went to her mouth in shock. Was her teacher in...love? Was he struggling with someone he liked? For someone like him, the love he was familiar with was familial love, from both Alice and Klee. But liking someone romantically, maybe his mind resorted to alchemy because that was the only thing he knew how to do.
“Mr.Albedo, I can uh, help you!” Sucrose considered herself a connoisseur of romance, mainly from some casual reading on stereotypical romance series, and she pushed aside her tools.
“Help me? Why?”
“Uh, you like someone, right?”
“Well, if you mean in a romantic way, no.”
Sucrose stopped to ponder on the reason why he had the book in the first place. If not to win over someone’s heart, then why?
“It seemed interesting,” Albedo continued. “I wanted to conduct an experiment, that’s all.”
She huffed in relief. Even if giving solid advice on romantic ventures was one of her conversational specialties, talking about it with her teacher was still slightly awkward.
“Sucrose.”
She perked up, startled. “Y-Yes?”
“I’ll be out for a couple of hours,” He tucked the book into a bag. “If you can, tell Timaeus not to overwork himself again. And well, make sure you can rest as well.”
“Okay!” She nodded, and watched as the alchemist made his way. Despite the reassuring words from him, there was a seed of anxiety sprouting inside of her, as she couldn’t help but worry for her inexperienced teacher.
The next day, Albedo had a handful of potions, but contemplated on who would be the test subject for them. In hindsight, he should’ve decided long before making them, but there was no use now. Maybe Lisa would work, but the thought of her temporarily falling in love with him was sort of...scary. Jean was definitely not an option, as he would get demoted the moment he tried to use it. Amber would be suitable, but she was out on a scouting mission, and wouldn’t arrive back at Mondstadt for a while. Huffman would work, but he always insisted on being on duty. Sucrose would also be another option, but she was also his student and it would be considered inappropriate.
In conclusion, he figured that there was one possible option. And that was Kaeya Alberich.
The Cavalry Captain wasn’t a total stranger like some of the options he’d listed, but he wasn’t necessarily close to him either. The one thing that tied them close together was Klee anyway, as she begged him and Jean sometimes to bring Kaeya along, as he was the most fun. Although by “fun” she really meant “he allows me to do whatever I want and even encourages it.”
And so, Albedo made his way to Kaeya’s office, finding to his surprise that no one was guarding it outside. He knocked twice, and heard a faint, “Come in.”
Kaeya had his legs propped up on the desk, while his back leaned back in his chair, flicking through some papers, looking disinterested. A thin scent of pine wafted throughout the room, and the dim yellowing lights made the mood rather sobering, in comparison to the man who was usually so flamboyant. Soon, the entirety of Mondstadt was to be consumed by the sunset, with orange and yellow hues tinting the sky.
“Well, if it isn’t Albedo,” Kaeya set his papers down and gave him a welcoming smile. “What do you need from me?”
Albedo didn’t answer quickly. The premise of coming to the captain's room alone with a love potion in hand was certainly suspicious. But he had to ward off his doubts.
“I want you to participate in an experiment.”
“An experiment? Sounds interesting indeed. What kind were you thinking of?” Kaeya sipped the glass he had on the side.
“I want you to drink a love potion.”
Kaeya spit out his drink. He wiped his mouth before responding. Was it such a big deal?
“A love potion? Well, I certainly did not expect that from someone like you.”
“Well, it is only temporary, do not worry.”
“Temporary, huh? And? What payment do I get in return?” There was a sly look on his face, as if he was scheming something else in his mind.
“As Chief Alchemist, I can arrange for your expeditions to be transferred to my team. They can take the workload for the week. And, I can pay for any wine you might enjoy.”
Albedo figured that this exchange would be fair enough. It was just a little potion and experimentation, after all, it wasn’t as life threatening as accompanying Klee to Starfell Lake, surely.
“Alright, I’ll do it,” His palm opened, waiting for his offering. He placed the vial, filled to the brim with rosy pink liquid onto his hand.
Kaeya then drank it without warning, not even hesitating to gulp it all down. For a moment, the two were silent, as there was no change in his expression. He blinked, then furrowed his eyebrows together.
“I don’t feel much different, well, other than a sort of light feeling. Sorry to disappoint.”
Albedo sighed. He was not as experienced as Lisa after all, so he did not expect a significant change anyway. At the very least, some notes and some trial and error would suffice for the day. Tomorrow, there was an opportunity for him to concoct more potions, and maybe more test subjects.
“Thank you anyway, Kaeya,” He thanked him and turned to the door. Dawn would soon be over and he’d have to make his way home.
“Wait.”
Albedo halted and felt the towering presence of Kaeya behind him.
“Yes, Kaeya?”
“I think it’s working now,” He felt the embarrassment in the captain’s words. They were soft and feathery, unlike the Kaeya he knew who spoke casually, they had transformed into something entirely new. “I feel...warm.”
Albedo turned to see the now very flustered Kaeya. His cheeks were a deep red, his eyes were shut, and he’d gotten up from his chair. Maybe this was a side effect of the potion, a feverish hue and dizziness, but was it supposed to end up this potent?
“Are you alright, Kaeya?”
“I’m fine,” He reassured him. “I just...can I hold you?”
Albedo figured that a bit of cuddling would be adequate enough for more results. The potion did work, after all, and was supposed to wear off in an hour anyway. So he allowed for Kaeya to wrap his arms around him, and sure enough, he was warm. The warmth of another human was a foreign feeling, but he did not particularly dislike it. They stood for a moment, embracing each other, until Albedo felt a hand slide up his back.
“Kaeya?”
“I know it’s only temporary, Albedo,” He muttered under his breath. “But it’s just so...strong.”
He was sure that the potion was at its weakest strength. There might’ve been a possible mishap in his measurements if his calculations were this far off.
“Are you sure you’re alright?”
“I want to kiss you.”
Albedo froze in the man’s arms. This was a problem that he did not expect. Love confessions, maybe some unbearable sappy words, but not to the extent of kissing. The recipe called for the above and maybe some unexpected side effects like a stomachache.
“Kiss me? Why?”
“I don’t know. It’s just this feeling I can’t get rid of.”
Albedo moved towards the wall, setting his bag down. Kaeya wasn’t letting go, as if he was afraid of losing him.
“Okay,” He answered. There was no use delaying the inevitable that was Albedo’s first kiss. “Just once, alright?”
He closed his eyes, awaiting the moment that every character in romance books talked about. He recalled that the Cavalry Captain was no stranger to romance himself, he was the type to hook up with women, since he had the dashing looks and came from Diluc’s rather lavish and rich family.
In contrast to what the rumors were, his lips were quite soft. In fact, the kiss was rather enjoyable. Albedo never imagined he’d enjoy it, but it stirred up a feeling that was devoid of anything inhuman, as if he wasn’t just created out of thin air. No, this was just pure intimacy. Fingers ran all over his back, creating a tingling sensation. Now he was the one beginning to feel flustered.
Kaeya’s lips touched his collarbone, kissing his milky skin, and especially the diamond shaped scar on his neck which prickled whenever it was touched.
“Kaeya,” Albedo tried to utter more words to slow him down, but he was unstoppable.
Now, he felt the buttons of his jacket loosen. He could not fathom on why he was allowing the touch of another human being to even explore him this far, but it was far too pleasuring.
“Kaeya,” He practically breathed his name. “What are you—”
“Kaeya!” A voice from outside yelled. That enthusiastic voice belonged to none other than Outrider Amber. “Kaeya, are you in there? I’ve got some paperwork for you. I know it’s late, and I’m sorry, but I just got back!”
Amber, who most expected would arrive the next morning, was now here, outside of Kaeya’s office. Yet the man was like a hungry dog, ravenous for nothing but the alchemist.
“Kaeya,” Albedo attempted to grab his attention once again. “Amber is outside.”
“Hello? Jean said you were in here! Are you ignoring me, so you can slack off? Well, I won’t have it!”
The doorknob rattled. Kaeya still was kissing every inch of his body, and Albedo was allowing this, of all things. Why couldn’t he just stop him? A sharp pain from his neck snapped him back to reality, and a hickey began to form.
“We have to answer, Kaeya,” He warned, pushing him away. “We can’t get caught doing this.”
However, seeing his dismayed expression had made him regret being so stern. This was a temporary spell, he reminded himself. Kaeya was only acting so strange because of the potion he’d put him under.
As Amber was allowed inside, the two quickly readjusted themselves, to her confusion. She feigned a smile, handing some paperwork to Kaeya.
“Oh, I’m sorry if I barged in on your conversation,” She apologized, glancing back at Albedo. “I didn’t know you two were in here. Anyways, Jean expects the Knights to all appear in the meeting tomorrow at ten, and that includes the Dragonspine team. There’s been a sudden mission we need to attend to.”
“Really? Why is that, if I may ask?” Albedo inquired, tying his hair back up again.
“It’s an emergency. A plethora of hilichurl camps have been set up near the border between Dragonspine and Dadaupa Gorge. It’s getting to be so large that normal merchants can’t even travel there. It’s a problem, for sure.”
Hilichurls had little to no intelligence at all, so it was likely that the Abyss Order had directed such orders to them. Was Dragonspine, the place he spent the most time at, so important? But why border up at Dadaupa? There were so many questions he needed to decipher the answers to.
“I’m going to head home for the day, but don’t forget, alright?”
Amber said goodbye and shut the door behind her. After her departure, Albedo figured he should leave too.
“Goodbye, Kaeya,” He avoided staring directly into his eyes. “I’ll see you tomorrow at the meeting.”
Kaeya did not say goodbye back.