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Someone has been leaving vases upon vases of Calla Lilies in Kaeya's office, once a day ever since the Windblume festival kicked off.
It usually happens early in the morning – or perhaps late at night – and of course, Kaeya has no idea who this secret admirer could be.
He loves the attention, though! He's taken to moving the vases around his office, so that every surface is dappled in colorful flowers. It even works as an intimidation tactic, as everyone who steps inside is suddenly made uncomfortable by Kaeya so casually basking in such a declaration of love. Works double on people with pollen allergies, too.
Still, it's kind of sad that he doesn't know who's sending the flowers. Kaeya would love to reciprocate with at least a vase of his own, and maybe even a date, if it turns out to be someone he doesn't find too annoying.
"Why don't you come into work earlier?", Jean suggests, exasperated, when she finds Kaeya sulking again.
She's probably just tricking him into not getting drunk until dawn, but little does she know that Kaeya is a genius multitasker: he brings with him a couple of bottles of his favorite wine, and settles in for a night of sleeping on his office's couch.
//
While it had seemed a good idea the evening before, Jean's plan doesn't actually work.
Kaeya wakes up cranky, his long legs cramped after sleeping curled in on himself the whole night, and as he surveys his office, he notices a new vase has already popped up.
His secret admirer must be someone really sneaky, then, since Kaeya is usually a light sleeper. Can he rule out most knights already, since their armors are very noisy when they walk, or should he assume that this person was simply smart enough to wear something else?
Frowning, Kaeya gets up from the couch, and something falls off of him. It's a blanket, he notices, his expression immediately easing into a smile.
How cute! He doesn't recognize the blanket, so his admirer must have left to grab it and then came back to tuck him in!
His good mood lasts for the better part of the day, and Jean, seeing him so bright and chipper, even asks him if he’d found his secret admirer… which of course sends him right back into moping the rest of the evening away.
“I’m sorry, Kaeya”, she tries to comfort him, gently rubbing soothing circles in between his shoulder blades. “I’m sure you’ll crack the case soon enough”
//
The flowers stay at the back of his mind for days, up until the Windblume Festival is about to draw to a close.
Kaeya is very, very worried that he won't be able to find out who his secret admirer is. He's tried everything he could, snooping around and even sending his usual informants to spy on his colleagues and anyone else who had stepped into the Favonius headquarters, but nothing had worked so far.
(He thinks Vile had even laughed at him for it, but what's a little mockery if it brings him such important information?)
As a last ditch effort, the day before the last Windblume festivities, Kaeya accepts to go out for drinks with another knight.
He makes a huge deal of it, telling as many people as he can and pretending to be ecstatic about the date. Maybe jealousy is what will drag his admirer into the limelight… and Kaeya also gets some free Dandelion Wine out of it, so it's not that bad.
But that doesn't work either: the morning of the last day, the morning after the most boring date he’s ever been on, Kaeya walks into his office hoping for a breakthrough, and only finds the usual vase of Calla Lilies. The last one ever, probably, unless his admirer plans to try again next year.
He's in a bad mood for the rest of the morning, and even Albedo notices how sullen he looks, when he knocks at his office's door and asks him to model for another of his paintings.
"You don't have to, if you're not in the right mood", Albedo assures him. "It's not urgent at all"
"Nonsense, you know I love to help out", Kaeya grins at him.
It's the truth, of course, but also he just loves being in Albedo's company, something that he's been graced with very rarely in the past few weeks… mostly due to the terrifying workload he has to shoulder during the festival.
If there's something that'll cheer him up, it's definitely spending an evening with the sweet Chief Alchemist.
//
Kaeya has been over to Albedo's house so many times that he's deeply familiar with the layout, and thinking about it makes him feel warmth on his cheeks. Albedo doesn't even have to show him the way to his art room anymore, Kaeya can just get settled there on his own while Albedo finishes making tea for the both of them.
"So, do you have any prop for me to hold up this time?", Kaeya asks, sitting down on what has become his stool during Albedo's painting sessions, one leg elegantly crossed over the other. "Or do you have more extravagant clothes for me to model?"
"Something of the sort, but not exactly", Albedo replies, holding out a cup of tea for him. "I realise this may be too much to ask, but would you be comfortable posing without clothes?"
Oh dear! Kaeya has been thinking about that since the first time Albedo had asked him to be his model, had even teased him about it, getting a delightful flush in exchange. He can't believe he's being asked for real!
"Only because it's for you, my dear", Kaeya smiles, already shrugging off his capelet and moving on to the buttons of his undershirt.
He thinks he sees Albedo flush again – which is very funny given the request came from him – but Albedo is quick to raise his cup with both hands, effectively hiding his face from any further prying.
"I appreciate it", he replies, lowering his cup, pointedly looking away from Kaeya.
For a moment, Kaeya wants to tease him again, 'dear Chief Alchemist, how will you use me as a reference if you can't even bear to look?', but his thoughts drift back to the flowers he'd been gifted over the course of weeks, and suddenly he's not in the mood to tease anymore.
It's not… it's not his fault that the secret admirer hasn't revealed themselves, but Kaeya still feels a twinge of guilt.
Albedo must sense that something's wrong, his eyes locking with Kaeya's. "You don't have to, of course. I'd be happy to paint you in your usual clothes as well"
“That’s not what’s bothering me at all, no need to worry, my dear”, he replies. Since he has already noticed, there’s just no reason to keep up his act and pretend he’s fine. How long has he known Albedo already? Kaeya isn’t really in the right mindset for a performance that would fool someone as close to him as Albedo is, so why bother; misdirecting someone is way easier. “I’ve just had a rough week, you know how it gets for us during the festival, no?”
Nodding, Albedo settles in front of his easel and starts inspecting his assortment of colors. Kaeya continues stripping as he looks over, taking in the care with which Albedo pours and mixes his paints for what must be the hundredth time.
It’s really an unfair contest, but maybe his secret admirer wouldn’t have stood a chance even if they had showed up at some point. Kaeya doesn’t even remember when his slight crush on Albedo had started, but it’s been raging for the past few months.
“Ready”, Albedo tells him, paintbrush firm in his hand.
“Likewise. So, how should I pose?”, Kaeya asks. He’s not trying to fluster him on purpose, his mood still too sour, but he loves the way his words make Albedo blush and clear his throat.
“Just… just sit in a way that makes you comfortable”
Kaeya hums and sits back with his legs crossed, the plush stool warm against his cold skin, and his hands resting in his lap. He stares back at Albedo, though. That’s the only guilty pleasure he’ll allow himself that day.
After a few minutes of Albedo moving his easel around, to find the best angle, he nods again and starts painting.
Despite Kaeya’s state of undress, the session goes as smoothly as usual, Albedo taking a few breaks in between to keep both of them from straining, and sporadically chatting. Things only change a few hours in, when Albedo abruptly stands up and puts down his paintbrush on a cloth he’d prepared beforehand.
“I can’t get your expression right”, he announces, and Kaeya is genuinely surprised.
“Should I try something else?”, Kaeya offers, but Albedo shakes his head.
“I just need to move closer, if that’s not a problem”
And why would it be? Kaeya nods back at him, and Albedo is quick to move the easel forwards, barely a few steps away from where Kaeya is sitting.
“No, closer”, Albedo mutters to himself, leaving the easel and stepping right in front of Kaeya. “Could you stand up? Try to keep your expression even, please”
“You’re staring quite intently, my dear”, Kaeya laughs even as he complies, looking down at him and getting lost in Albedo’s eyes. “It looks like you might want to kiss me”
Albedo hums. “I do”
Just like that? Kaeya is genuinely startled, but also… elated. "You can kiss me, you know?", he grins, taking in just how close Albedo already is. Maybe he's selfish, but he wants him to make the first move.
He feels smug, for some reason, but it drains completely out of him when Albedo doesn't think twice about it, and grabs the sides of Kaeya's head to drag him into a slow kiss. He would have expected Albedo to hesitate at first, to be honest, but oh, does he like the outcome.
Just as slowly, Kaeya parts his lips for Albedo, then gently bites his lower lip as further invitation, when he notices his tongue is still not moving.
His hands move to Albedo's chest, fingers digging softly under his plush coat and gripping at the shirt below, and that's what spurs him into giving in. His tongue slips into Kaeya's mouth, and he's eager to grin again, to accept it inside, playing along with anything Albedo wants to do.
"Kaeya-", Albedo murmurs, backing away, though his eyes still stare at Kaeya's lips.
"And you can do more than just kissing", Kaeya adds, breathless. "Do you want to?"
Albedo lets go of his head. "Sit- sit down"
Excited, Kaeya sits back down on his stool, letting his hands drag down Albedo's chest to his ribs, to his navel, to grip at his belt. "Do you want me, Albedo?"
"You know I do"
Wow, that’s bold! "Well, it's easy to guess, yes, but I'm not opposed to hearing you say it!", Kaeya replies. He now has to look up to see Albedo’s face, and the change makes his heart beat faster. His cock is probably just one heated look away from finally hardening.
"I… I did say it already", Albedo pouts. "It's embarrassing to say it again when you haven't yet replied in kind"
"Already? When did you say it?", Kaeya frowns minutely, and so does Albedo.
"I wrote it down. Did you not find the notes?"
"I didn't"
Albedo sighs. "You didn't check in between the flowers?"
"The what…?", it takes a moment for Kaeya's lust clouded mind to catch up to his ears, to remember the colorful vases of Calla Lilies, the source of his guilt when he'd wanted to take things further with Albedo, feeling as if he were cheating on his secret admirer. "You're the one who's been leaving me flowers''
"Yes", it's all that Albedo replies. His face is red, and he looks slightly dejected. "I assumed you knew. Why else would you be here?"
It makes Kaeya laugh, and hurry to hold Albedo close to him, to kiss at his naked shoulder. "Why else? You’ve caught my eye long before the flowers started appearing, so it's no wonder I accepted your invitation without even knowing. Mind telling me what you wrote in these notes, then?"
Another sigh. "I'll leave that for you to find out, you can read them when you go back to your office"
Somehow, the thought makes Kaeya even giddier; usually love letters come well before sex, and doing it the other way around feels exciting. Still…
“By in between the flowers, did you mean inside the vase, or…?”, he asks, still not sure. Notes like that are usually left poking out of the flower arrangements, but he had never noticed anything similar with Albedo’s gifts.
“No, I meant in between the flowers”, Albedo pouts again. “I tied little pieces of parchment to the stems, one for each vase, then tucked them in safely”
"Has it ever occurred to the esteemed Chief Alchemist that his notes were too well hidden?"
Albedo lightly taps his chin. "I was afraid they'd fall and get lost otherwise, but you may have a point"
Kaeya laughs again, light and airy. That explanation is so Albedo, he can’t even be upset with himself for not realising it on his own. “What now?”, he asks, his voice incredibly soft, and Albedo finally smiles, for a moment, before his cheeks redden again and he looks up at the ceiling.
“I still have to finish my painting, of course”, he replies.
“My, my, and here I was hoping it had just been an excuse to get me naked”, Kaeya teases, carefree. “Any chance I could tempt you into putting it off?”, his hands are still gripping at Albedo’s shoulders, after all, and he’s still fairly aroused despite the long and confusing talk.
There’s a hint of mischievousness in Albedo’s eyes as he starts to pull off his gloves. “I’m curious to see how you’d try that”
Kaeya springs back to his feet, but he has to take a moment to think, after that. Contrary to popular belief, he’s not actually a master at seducing a target, people usually just want him no matter what he does. He thinks the Mondstadt’s rumor mill would outright crumble if word got out that Kaeya Alberich has only had sex once, with a randomly picked stranger, only because he was curious.
He would be embarrassed about his lack of experience, under different circumstances, but Albedo looks just as out of his depth as Kaeya feels, and he knows it’d be very difficult to fuck up. He feels comfortable, for once; he hopes Albedo feels that way with him too.
“First, I’d suggest it’s your turn to sit down”, Kaeya finally decides, stepping to the side and motioning towards his stool.
Tense despite the smile on his face, Albedo nods and follows what Kaeya tells him. He’s quick to part his legs, and he’s quick to help undo his belt and the buttons of his shorts. His hands go completely limp at his sides, though, as soon as Kaeya’s cold fingers brush against his cock.
“Nervous? You can stop me at any time”, he adds when Albedo nods in reply.
He kneels down in between Albedo’s parted legs and presses a kiss to the head of his cock, grinning to himself when he hears Albedo immediately gasp. Kaeya places both hands on the thighs circling him; he slowly works his way down Albedo’s cock, taking it inch by inch until it's fully inside his mouth – if there’s one thing he has already figured out, it’s that his gag reflex is easy enough to suppress, and he’s absolutely going to use it to impress his lover. There isn’t much else he can do with his usual confidence, at that moment.
“Kaeya-”, Albedo moans, his arms still hanging limply, with nothing to grasp at. Kaeya almost wants to tell him to pull on his hair, it feels like something he would enjoy and he’s always been curious to find out if he’s right, but maybe it’s better to save it for a later time. He’ll die of embarrassment if he chokes on Albedo’s cock and has to stop sucking him off. Ah, maybe fucking up would be a lot easier that he’d thought.
But Kaeya isn’t one to give up! He eagerly bobs his head up and down, his tongue dragging against the underside of Albedo’s cock with his every movement.
He doesn’t resist fishing for compliments, though, so Kaeya briefly pulls off, switching it up to use his hands for a moment. “How is it so far?”, he asks, licking his lips. “I hope you’re not still thinking about your painting”
Albedo has his eyes tightly shut, he’s breathing heavily and moaning every time Kaeya rubs his thumb against the slit of his cock. “I’m, I- ah, I’m thinking about you”
Grinning, Kaeya lightly kisses Albedo’s cock again, this time closer to the base. “Can you be more specific, my dear? I was the subject of your painting, so your statement is very vague. You can’t blame me for wanting to make sure”
“Not the painting”, Albedo grits out, startled by the way Kaeya easily takes him to the hilt again, his lips beautifully stretched around his cock.
Kaeya thinks he’s doing a good job, honestly, Albedo already a moaning mess and struggling to sit upright, which is why a pair of hands landing on his shoulders and gently trying to push him away come as a worrying surprise.
“Take me to bed”, Albedo pleads before Kaeya can even ask and, oh, he’s actually doing an even better job than he’d thought.
He gladly helps him up, and lets him rest against his shoulder as they rush into Albedo’s bedroom, where they both flop down on the bed gracelessly. Albedo flails around a little, wriggling closer to his bedside table and retrieving a small bottle from one of the drawers; he drops it in Kaeya’s lap and flops down again, this time completely limp.
Kaeya is in awe. Albedo looks so hot like that, looking up at him expectantly, his legs artfully parted enough for Kaeya to slot in between. A bit of insecurity comes back to nag at him, but it’s fine, it will be, he’s done this before and he knows what to do.
He keeps repeating it in his mind as he slicks up his hand and presses a finger to Albedo’s rim, as he presses it in carefully, as he takes his time before adding a second and a third finger. Albedo keeps moaning and calling his name, so Kaeya guesses that at least he’ll know immediately if he does something wrong.
“Ready”, Albedo babbles, one of his hands pulling against Kaeya’s waist. “It’s ready, please-”
A short pause to slick up his cock as well, and Kaeya is eager to oblige. He lines up to Albedo’s hole, and starts pressing inside; he’s looking up at his face for any sign that he should slow down, but if anything, Albedo actually seems rather impatient, his hips rocking back against Kaeya.
“Good?”, he asks, once he’s fully inside. Kaeya hates the silence they’re steeped in, he wishes he could say something to break the tension, but he really doesn’t know what would be appropriate or unwelcome.
(He’s so… he’s having fun, being with Albedo is already better than the other time he’d fucked someone, but it’s also way more high stakes when he has feelings for his partner.)
Somehow, Albedo knows him so well that he manages to pick up on it. “Yes, Kaeya, yes-”, he pleads again, his arms looping behind Kaeya’s neck and holding him close. “I love you, I love this”
“I love you”, Kaeya replies, his eye snapped shut as he rests his forehead against Albedo’s shoulder. He starts moving, struggling a bit to decide on the right rhythm, but eventually he just follows Albedo’s encouragement: he moans the loudest whenever Kaeya speeds up, so that’s what he sticks with.
His hips snap back and forth, fucking Albedo at the fastest pace he can manage, and he’s kinda curious to see how his cock would look plunging in and out of his ass, but staying in Albedo’s embrace is way too comfortable. Kaeya doesn’t even bother trying to pry him off, he just goes to grip back at Albedo’s shoulders, too lost in his pleasure and their skin on skin contact to care about anything else.
Soon, he feels about to come. He manages to extricate one of his arms, so he moves to jerk Albedo off, wanting to come together, or at least not too far apart. It shouldn’t really matter, as long as both of them manage to come at some point, but he just thinks it might be sweet.
Kaeya gets his wish, his hips stilling as he empties himself deep inside, and Albedo comes barely a few strokes later, spilling over both of them.
They stay like that for a long while, silent and entangled, waiting for their breathing to slow down. Then, Albedo tiredly moves his hand to card through Kaeya’s hair, and leans down to kiss the top of his head.
“I love you”, he repeats, and Kaeya smiles, content, against Albedo’s skin.
//
The next morning, Kaeya almost doesn’t want to get up. The festival is over and he’s happily cradled in his lover’s arms, why should he even show up at work?
“Don’t you want to know what the notes say?”, Albedo whispers close to Kaeya’s ear, and his eye snaps open with dizzying speed.
(They step into the Favonius headquarters hand in hand, attracting several stares, congratulations, and Jean’s extremely relieved sigh, and the walk to his office is way too long for Kaeya's nerves.)
Albedo’s hand firmly reaches in between the several Calla Lily blossoms of the first vase he can reach. He fishes out a crumpled piece of paper, and hands it over to Kaeya.
"Interesting", Kaeya skims the note. He didn't think Albedo, all serious and pragmatic, could also be so poetic, so romantic, so… so bold! His face is starting to feel very warm. “In hindsight, I can say it’s a good thing I didn’t read this while I was stuck in my office and handling paperwork”
Looking over Kaeya’s shoulder with some difficulty, Albedo spies which note he’d picked. “Ah, that might be one of the mildest ones”