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kaeya takes 3 days off a year; the first for his birthday, the second for the anniversary of his adoptive father’s death, the third to recuperate from the second’s drinking.
it just so happened, today was kaeya’s second day off and the anniversary of his adoptive father’s death. every year he spent it the same, he’d wake up late in the afternoon and immediately head to the tavern. the angel’s share staff knew to leave him be, and since diluc always took this day off as well kaeya knew he’d be in relative peace to marinate in grief and guilt.
kaeya would buy four bottles of wine and a loaf of bread, heading upstairs to climb onto the roof of the tavern. he’d sit against the slates and watch the sunset, drinking himself sick so by the time the stars could set their cold gaze upon him, he’d be so far gone that he’d wail his grief to the moon like a dog.
unbeknownst to the cavalry captain, the knights’ own chief alchemist knew of kaeya’s yearly absence and what he was doing with his precious time off. albedo would sit under the stars as well, at the tables by the tavern’s front door, and secretly keep kaeya company. he’d sit patiently and listen to his wails, his pleads to the gods, his pent up tears hitting the slates of the roof, and eventually his soft snores after the alcohol became too much and his body succumbed to its poisoning.
he’d wait patiently until he’d hear kaeya’s bottles roll down the roof. albedo would catch them one by one so they wouldn’t shatter and become dangerous, and eventually when kaeya would pass out and roll off of the roof, albedo would summon a geo construct to catch his friend, safely lowering him to the ground.
from there, albedo would carry the man home. every year, albedo noticed he’d be lighter and lighter, perhaps his self destructive actions had finally caught up to him and began to take their toll on his body. albedo already had the keys to kaeya’s apartment inside the knight’s HQ, and this year was no different.
he scooped the captain up into his arms, wiped away a few of his tears, and dutifully carried him back to his own home. he’d peel kaeya out of his vomit soaked clothes and put him into fresh ones, he’d wipe off his face, and tuck him into bed with a glass of water at his bedside. and if he lingered there, to watch kaeya finally look at peace, nobody else has to know.
albedo always told himself that he owed it to kaeya to care for him on this day, that kaeya had been kind to him and kind to klee. the smile he brought to klee’s face albedo found was worth more than any mora in teyvat. but maybe he cared for kaeya for other, more selfish reasons. it was an experiment on his own feelings and his own gifted humanity that he’d carefully conduct on his dear friend.