Chapter Text
“I do.” The two simple words were among the only ones that Albedo would truly remember about the ceremony. The rest would forever be a blur of words and motions made automatically. Phrases memorized days or even weeks beforehand, none of it truly felt in the soul.
Gold said the feelings didn’t really matter, they never really had. Marriages as a whole over most of time had been contracts, after all. This was no different. Kaeya Ragnvindr came with a dowry, not that Albedo needed the money, but it was proof that Gold was right. This was a contract, not a meeting of feelings as the blurry ceremony would suggest.
Rings of silver on the appropriate finger bound them physically as one, but in reality it was just a powerless symbol. Truth be told, Albedo didn’t know how Kaeya felt about their union. They had never been close. They hadn’t really talked about it in the days upcoming, even though it might have been a simple thing to go down to where Kaeya was stationed. That alone showed Albedo’s own feelings on the matter - it didn’t really matter.
The whole thing had been out of his hands, after all, and he assumed that it was the same for his new husband. Gold had wanted the marriage, had said it would be good for him, though Albedo failed to really see how it could be good for either of them. Not that he thought it would be terribly bad either.
He had no intention of making Kaeya change much of anything. He knew in the same place a new husband might see his new spouse stop work or change things about their social life, but Albedo had no intention of doing anything like that. He assumed Kaeya was passionate about being the Cavalry Captain, and he assumed that Kaeya knew he wouldn’t be stepping down as Investigations Captain either. That meant that for both of them life would continue on much as it had been.
Perhaps they shouldn’t have bothered with a ceremony at all.
That wouldn’t have been allowed, of course. Gold was not there, but Gold was particular about these things. Things have a proper and improper way of being done, and a marriage without a proper ceremony was certainly improper.
At least the hall wasn’t filled to the brim with all of Mondstadt. Instead it was just their witnesses and Barbara, the deaconess. It was a proper ceremony, but at least it was a minimal crowd. Hopefully, the reception would be similarly small, even though he knew it was open to the public.
It wouldn’t be long before Albedo would find out. With the I dos out of the way, all that was really left of the ceremony itself was for Deaconess Barbara to say her bit and then for them to face the empty room, presenting them as a couple for the first time. Such a hollow feeling followed, but again, the feelings didn’t really matter. It was a contract, nothing more.
It wasn’t much of a walk between the ceremony and the reception, what with them being in the same building, but still Albedo’s legs felt somewhat akin to lead by the time he was walking through the double doors into the party.
There were more people inside than Albedo had anticipated. His eyes scanned around the large hall trying to identify them all. Cyrus, Rosaria the nun, and someone dressed in green that he did not recognize. And then there were the others from the ceremony: Jean, Diluc, and Sucrose had all made their way down as well. Barbara probably had other duties to attend to. It would have been hard to miss her blonde pigtails among the people within.
“Congratulations, Albedo.” Truly, Albedo had missed Jean’s approach with his own glances around the room, but he tried his best to not seem surprised and gave her a smile. She meant well, after all. Most people meant well most of the time.
“I assume you can’t stay long, now can you?” It had been kind of her, all things considered, to even take the time off to be a witness for them. Being acting grandmaster took up practically all of one’s time, especially when you were as good at your job as Jean was. Truly a kind favor to Kaeya, who had already wandered off to speak to the man in green - he must have been a friend of his.
Her smile in return was as sincere as a spring’s breeze. “You know what it’s like.” He did, to an extent. Being a captain was to be busy, but it was nothing like being in charge of all the moving parts.
“I’m impressed that you even made it at all.” He nodded his head at her once and then added “don’t work too hard.” He knew she would. With Varka gone, what else could she do?
She nodded her head in return. “I’ll do my best." And then she did something surprising: she patted him on the shoulder. “I do mean it, though. Congratulations.”
“Ah, that’s not really necessary.”
“Of course, it is. You just got married!”
He almost laughed, but Albedo knew Jean wasn’t joking. She was being deeply sincere, and wasn’t that just the thing. “An arranged marriage, Jean. It’s little more than words on a paper.” He planned to abide by those words, of course, Albedo kept his promises, but in the end, that’s really all it was.
“More will come." She sounded so sure that it made Albedo a little sad to know that she was probably wrong. “It just needs time.”
He certainly wasn’t going to argue with his superior officer, who had been kind enough to attend this gathering, and so he just nodded his head a little, “If you say so.”
“I do,” she responded firmly, so confident in herself and her words. That was how she got through the day, he supposed. She had to be sure. “You’ll see. You’ll be living together, get to know each other better, and one day you’ll wake up and not know when the feelings had settled in.”
What a whimsical thought. “Then I suppose I have no choice but to accept your well wishes.”
With a smile and a few more words of well wishes, Jean moved on. She had to, of course. She had to make her rounds and then get back to work. Whatever work was right now. It was always something. It was always something for all of them. At least, that was how it was normally. For the next week, Albedo would have nothing to do at all but settle into his new life as a married man.
The thought was less than appealing. He had things to do, experiments to get back to, but Jean had insisted, for both of them he was sure, that a week off was in order. If memory served, two weeks was traditional, but really, Jean probably couldn’t afford for them to be gone longer than a week. That suited Albedo just fine.
“Uhm, congratulations.”
Albedo knew who that voice belonged to before he even turned around. “Sucrose,” he greeted her. “There’s no need for congratulations.”
“Of course there is,” she shot back. “It’s not every day that you get married.”
He supposed that was true. Even if it was just a contract, little more than words spoken and then put to paper, it wasn’t everyday that one got married. In fact, you were only supposed to do it once, so it was supposed to be something of careful consideration.
Like Jean, he knew Sucrose only meant well, and so he smiled. “I can’t argue with that point.” He motioned with one hand for them to go sit at a nearby table. He knew he could keep Sucrose’s attention for a little longer than Jean’s. Besides, he had words for her, too. “I would like to thank you.”
“Whatever for?” Her eyes were even wider than usual as she sat herself down in a chair. “Really, it’s me that should be thanking you!”
He chuckled, and the sound felt unnatural in his throat. “And why should you be thanking me?”
“For letting me be a part of such an important day in your life!” Her voice was so soft even when she used so much emotion in her words, and this time the chuckle that emanated from him felt a little more natural.
“How funny. I had been thanking you for agreeing to be my witness.” Gold hadn’t been able to come, of course. She had so many things going on at once. There had been other options, of course. He could have asked anyone on the investigations team to come, and he would have been confident that they would have said yes, if only out of politeness, but Sucrose was a bit of a more personal choice. Her bio alchemy studies differed from his own studies and interests, but Albedo had always thought that they got along well. Or, at least, Sucrose liked to listen.
If Sucrose had fallen through, there was always Timaeus, but to be honest, Albedo was glad it hadn’t come down to that. Sucrose was a fine and honest witness.
“Really?” A gentle hand came up to rest at the base of her collarbone. “But it was my honor. Truly. I’m honored that you asked me.”
“Then let us put the pleasantries aside.”
To that, Sucrose nodded her head enthusiastically. “So how does it feel, to be married?” That was the nature of their relationship. Asking questions and getting answers. Still, it was a question that Albedo had to ruminate on, because he wasn’t quite sure.
“I suppose,” Albedo realized mid-word that he had tilted his head in thought. He straightened in his seat. “I don’t much feel very different.” Should he feel different? Perhaps he should. His life had just been irrevocably changed, yet at the same time it wasn’t as though he himself had been changed. Just his status as a single man. It wasn’t a status that he’d put much care into. Just a fact. Why should that change now?
He smiled. “Maybe it just needs time to sink in.” There were physical aspects of his life that had changed, after all. Like where he lived and who he lived with. He was to share his life now, and despite the marriage being not much more than words on a paper, that meant something. He just wasn’t sure what yet.
It was all something that would have to eventually be discussed with his now husband, and speaking of the man, Albedo spotted said husband standing over by the doors. Albedo had looked up just in time to see Kaeya give a little nod of his head.
Sometimes social cues went right over Albedo’s head and he knew it, but this one seemed pretty clear; it was time to go, or at least Kaeya wanted to leave. That was fine with Albedo. After all, most of the people here were more Kaeya’s crowd than his. The only people who were here for him were the ones he’d already engaged with. Jean and then Sucrose.
Speaking of Sucrose. She was saying something, probably in response to what he’d said about it sinking in. There he went again not listening to others around him as he got caught up in his own thoughts. He knew the appropriate thing to do was not to ask her what she’d said. This could taken as offensive, even though he never meant to be offensive. Instead, he just nodded his head a little and looked her in the face. She was smiling, which Albedo hoped meant there was no harm done.
“You’ll have to excuse me,” he said in his politest voice. “It appears that my new husband is summoning me.”
“Oh!” Her face lit up as though he had just told her some fantastic secret. “Of course! Don’t let me keep you.” She practically jumped up from her chair, and Albedo followed suit. “Have a good night! I’ll see you in the labs soon.”
“Yes, soon.” There was that mandated week off for a honeymoon, but after that he’d be back at work and all would be right with the world again. As for having a good night? “You, too. Don’t stay up too late.” Sucrose was still young enough to be growing, wasn’t she? Old enough to be in the Knights of Favonious but surely not full grown yet. Sleep was important if she were going to reach her full potential. Sleep was important anyway, he knew, for logical thinking.
He gave Sucrose another quick nod, and then made his way on over to Kaeya, who had just given Cyrus a slap on the arm. With no seeming retaliation from Cyrus, Kaeya began to walk on out of the hall, and Albedo did nothing but follow. The door shut behind them, and it was really just that simple for the guests of honor to walk away from their own reception.
“Well, that was easier than expected.” Kaeya grinned, and Albedo suspected that he would be seeing that grin a lot. Even Albedo had heard about a certain sort of reputation that Kaeya had. A carefree smile was among the traits that came with that reputation. Albedo didn’t mind. It would be different, but he didn’t mind. He didn’t want Kaeya to feel like he couldn’t be himself, after all.
“Too bad Varka took off with all the horses,” Kaeya continued on. It took Albedo a moment to realize why. He supposed they were heading home from here. Home was no longer in the city. It was in Springvale. That was quite a bit of a walk from Mondstadt City. Albedo didn’t mind such a walk though. After all, he was used to walking all the way from Dragonspine. Perhaps it would be different in true winter, but this was spring, and as such would be light walking. Horses were a luxury most couldn’t afford, though he could quietly admit that they would make the trek faster.
“Hmmm. Unless you’re feeling especially hungry tonight . . .I’ll go by Springvale in the morning for some fresh game.” Kaeya really seemed to be more talking to himself than he really was to Albedo, but all that sounded fine to him. He wasn’t really hungry right now, and to be honest he didn’t really feel like he would get much more hungry before he went to bed. If he did, well, it wasn’t like this would be the first he’d gone to bed without supper.
“Hope you’re not an early riser." Though it was practically whispered, that comment was almost certainly directed at Albedo, and so he decided to respond in kind.
“What is it they say? Early to bed, early to rise?” If he were being completely honest, his bedtime did vary. Sometimes he just got busy and lost track of time, but truly getting up early was the best. There were few things Albedo enjoyed more than a good sunrise.
“Oh? A morning bird, are we?” Kaeya paused for just a moment. “Shall we go into Springvale today, then?”
“Yes, that would perhaps be for the best.” While it was true that he’d gone to bed hungry before, he didn’t want to skip breakfast. He did subscribe to the idea that it was the most important meal of the day. Besides, he couldn’t just consider himself all the time anymore. He wasn’t alone up on Dragonspine doing research anymore. Kaeya would surely want breakfast. Better to make sure they had it in their hands today.
“Ah, it’s a date, then!” Why did he have to phrase it like that? (Albedo knew, but still. Why?) “Come along, just a little detour.” Yes, Albedo supposed it was just a little detour. Through instead of around. If memory served, their house was just beyond the outskirts. Enough to perhaps be considered separate, but still technically within town. Around was quicker, but through wasn’t too far out of their way.
They continued on, and before Albedo was really aware that they’d been walking for any distance at all, Kaeya stepped ahead of him. “Hello!” His husband called with warmth in his tone. A second later, Albedo heard a long whistle. Beyond Kaeya’s form he saw one of the more famous hunters of the area waving off someone else in favor of them.
“The rumors are true, then.”
Albedo might have been surprised to hear that there had been any rumors at all, but how could there not have been rumors? The house they’d bought was old and long empty. Surely the townspeople would have been talking about it being moved into after all these years. As for the marriage . . . well, news of that had probably trickled down from the main city. All of Mondstadt seemed so tight knit that it would have more surprising to hear that no one had heard anything.
Them? Together? In their best clothing? Obvious proof.
“I suppose they are,” Kaeya agreed, and Albedo decided it would be better to just let him do the talking. It was clear that they knew each other, at least minimally. All Albedo really knew was that this was a good hunter. He didn’t know his name, though he probably should. “We were heading home on our happy day when we realized we might have had a teeny little oversight.” He sounded almost shy, and Albedo felt like that was a lie. Kaeya didn’t strike him as a shy person. Embarrassed perhaps? But there was nothing to be embarrassed about, and again, Albedo didn’t think Kaeya got embarrassed so easily.
“I don’t suppose you could sell me some game you’ve hunted?” And there was the offer.
The hunter gave a nod. “Depends on how much you want. Anything you get from us directly is going to be fresher than what you get from the shops. I can sell you some.”
“Much obliged.” It was really just that easy. There was some further discussion about what meat they would get and the cost, but truly it wasn’t long at all before they were on their way again, with Kaeya goodbyes and Kaeya’s arms laden with meats and eggs. The walk from there was fairly short, and soon they were at their front door, and Albedo was digging around in his pocket for the key.
With the door unlocked, Albedo opened it and held it open for Kaeya. His arms were full after all. It was only polite to hold the door for him, but when Kaeya approached there was a change in his face. It was a grin, but Albedo wasn’t sure what it meant. Was it gratitude? Was it disdain disguised? Was it joy? He genuinely couldn’t tell, and so there was nothing to do but let it go.
Naturally, Kaeya made his way toward the kitchen, and Albedo followed. The house was big, old fashioned, but most importantly, it was empty. The only things filling the void of hallways and rooms were boxes. His things, Kaeya’s things, wedding gifts, and things that would be jointly theirs going forward. Of course some things would remain the same, but Albedo suspected most of those things would be in their bedrooms. He remembered the way. He remembered picking out which of the massive bedrooms would be his.
That wasn’t important yet, though. The kitchen was their first stop. Once inside, Kaeya sat down his armful and began to open cabinets. For a moment Albedo watched him, finding mild surprise in the fact that they weren’t completely bare. Maybe they hadn’t needed to stop in town at all. Well. How were they to know? Someone else had clearly been thinking ahead for them.
After the second cabinet, Albedo turned his attention away. There were boxes here, and he found himself suddenly very curious as to what was in them. It was normal kitchenware, plates, bowls, cutlery, the like. Well, that was important. He’d have to find a place in the cabinets for them soon.
“Ah, home sweet home.” Kaeya was turning back to him, and Albedo lifted his head to meet his gaze.
“I heard three different stories about why this house is haunted, you know,” Oh. Right. This place wasn’t just considered old, it was considered to be haunted. He had known that, but really he’d just brushed it off as ridiculous and false gossip. Besides, wasn’t the idea that the anemo god guided lost souls to the afterlife anyway? You couldn’t have it both ways. Either there were souls haunting houses and places, or they were guided off to the afterlife in peace.
Albedo saw the statement for what it was, though. It was a bid for attention. Kaeya wanted to talk, or at least some sort of reaction. And he had to admit three different tales was curious. “Oh really.” He finally replied.
“Oh? Has our Chief of the Investigations team not been briefed?” He truly had not. Or, if he had, he’d just completely brushed it off. Haunted. Really.
Kaeya continued on. “I heard that a lovely little family used to live here.” Well, that part was probably true. Someone had lived here at some point. Maybe elsewhere they made houses that were meant to be empty. Not here in Mondstadt. Here houses were meant to be filled with people and things. “A happy little couple and their six bouncing babes.” That was a lot of children. This house surely wasn’t big enough for a family of eight was it?
“Unfortunately, such peace was not meant to last.” Kaeya dramatically put a hand over his heart, already deep into the storytelling. “Surely you’ve heard of the Butcher of Springvale.”
Of course, he had not. “You’ll have to enlighten me.”
“As the story goes.” Out of nowhere, Kaeya’s tone lowered into something Albedo recognized as the sort of tone used around campfires. That was usually where one told spooky stories, wasn’t it? He paid such things no mind, but the rest of the investigations team wasn’t so immune. He couldn’t discourage it, though. The unknown was supposed to call to them, and what were spooky stories but a call to the unknown? He couldn’t help it that he knew better than to put any stock in such farfetched ideas.
Never put faith into anything you can’t touch. That was something Gold had always told him. It was no different now.
Kaeya was still telling his first story. “Something mysterious happened on the night of the new moon. No one saw the intruder coming or going, but when morning came, the family was gone, and the only proof they’ve ever been there at all was their empty home . . . and the blood left behind on the walls.” At his juncture Kaeya paused, perhaps for more dramatic flair, and their gazes met again. “And though their bodies were never found, if you listen in the dead of night . . . sometimes you can still hear their screams on the wind over the hills.”
Albedo resisted an eyeroll at that last bit. “What do you think, dearest husband mine?” Maybe he should have rolled his eyes. That would have made his opinion quite clear. Kaeya was grinning again, though, so clearly he wasn’t taking this story as truth either. “Will our sweet dreams be interrupted by the wailing of ghosts past?”
“Even if they are.” Which he was absolutely positive they would not. “I have no doubt that we’ll survive.” The house was bought and paid for, after all. Even if they heard blood curdling screams occasionally, they would live, even where someone else had not.
“So confident! The first night or two, certainly, but after weeks and weeks of wailing and crying?” Kaeya was still smiling, still teasing, but there was something serious there, too. Perhaps it was a personal experience. Albedo knew he’d never know. “It’s so easy to make mistakes when you're tired.” Albedo couldn’t argue with that.
“Hmmm, but perhaps you’d prefer one of the other tales?” He’d committed to it now, so Albedo just waited for Kaeya to continue, which he did only a moment later. “Young Sage insisted that a Fatui diplomat once owned the place, and at the height of the war, the Four Winds themselves became so incensed by his presence – and his poor behavior within the community – that they manifested physical form and gobbled him right up!”
“That seems improbable.”
“Oh?” Kaeya gave off a soft chuckle. “But not impossible? Do I detect a hint of whimsy?” To that Albedo gave him a hard stare. Whimsy? Him? Not in this world at any rate.
“I confess, Miss Brooke had a good laugh when she heard that one.” Without skipping a beat, Kaeya went on. “Now Miss Brooke told me a much more reasonable story. The way she tells it, a young adventurer used to co-own the place, and the young woman lost her life to that big boar that used to live on Dragonspine.” Ah yes, Albedo knew the one. He’d never run into it personally, but there were some rumors you had to listen to. Boar were quite common on Dragonspine, and there were just too many adventurers who had come back with a story about the king of them all. It was supposedly gone now, but truth be told, Albedo wasn’t quite sure that was true. "As it would happen, her hunter husband was killed in the hunt that followed, and the place had been left sitting empty since.”
A sad story then. Not that all of them hadn’t been tragic, but this one was sad. Real. This was something that could be touched. “Does that better suit your sensibilities, Chief Alchemist?”
That was at least the second moniker that Kaeya had used that was not his name. Did he have something against his name? A question for later. “It does,” he admitted. “I’m sure there are records somewhere, but of your three stories, that’s the only sensible one.”
“My stories?” Kaeya laughed, but it didn’t feel like Albedo was being laughed at. “Hardly. I suppose they’re more the kind of stories children and their runaway imaginations would enjoy, hmmm?” For a second Albedo thought Kaeya would just leave it at that, but then he tacked on, “Much too flavourful for our Chief Alchemist and Investigations Captain, I see.”
“Hmmm.” Albedo wasn’t sure it was too flavorful. It was just that the first two stories were farfetched.
Kaeya put his hands on a box. “Hey, I think this is a wedding present.” It was a nice box, and Albedo had known there would be wedding presents. Albedo wouldn’t say all of them were from well wishers. Some of them would simply be out of obligation. The nobility worked like that, from what Albedo could tell. Obligation, rules, the like. They didn’t necessarily do things that they wanted, but rather things that they had to do. Albedo both could and could not understand that. He wasn’t nobility, or maybe he was now, who could be sure, but life had been a lot of things he’d both wanted and not wanted.
They’d been at war until relatively recently. He was sure most people’s lives had been a mix that leaned into the do not want.
“Let’s set it aside for now.” Kaeya’s words brought Albedo back to the present, and Albedo nodded. It was starting to get dark now, and opening one present would lead to opening others. It was best to just leave it for now. “It’ll be easier later if we open them all at once.” Yes. Albedo agreed.
Kaeya opened another box, and after Albedo had turned to a new, unopened not present box Kaeya suddenly said, “I’ll just distribute these, shall I?” And with that Kaeya ducked out of the room carrying the box he had just opened. Albedo did find it a little odd, but who was he to question such things, especially such innocent seeming things.
Albedo turned his attention back to the kitchenware, and soon enough Kaeya was back. He grabbed a glass of water and then said that he was going to retire for the night. Now who was early to bed? It wasn’t even 9 o’clock yet. Still, perhaps the day had worn on his new husband. It wasn’t every day that someone got married after all, even if it was little more than words on a paper for them.
“I won’t be too far behind you,” Albedo promised, meaning it, but ultimately knowing that he could well get distracted trying to find all these plates, cups, bowls, and such homes. They couldn’t very well leave these things out to gather dust. Just a little longer, he told himself, which was much like when he’d found a good book on a good subject. Telling himself just another page or chapter was damning. It was never that simple.
And so Albedo spent hours still in the kitchen. One box became three and then three became five. When he was done unpacking those he searched the cabinets and drawers to find good spots for things. By the time he realized that it was so dark that he really should have turned on a lamp ages ago, it was probably close to midnight. He should go to bed. He should have gone to bed hours ago, probably, but still he didn’t feel all that tired.
His eyes had adjusted so well to the dark that all he needed was the moonlight filtering in from the outside, but if he was going to bed he’d have to go out into the hallways, where there were no windows. He’d have to light a lamp.
Finding the lamp was easy enough, but for a moment Albedo couldn’t help but envy those with pyro magic. Matches were small and much harder to find in the dark. He knew he’d unpacked some, but where they’d gotten from there eluded him for a good five minutes before he simultaneously stubbed his toe against the corner of a cabinet and grasped at a small box on the countertop.
He lit the lamp. Once it was burning bright, he left the kitchen and made his way down the hall and up the stairs, going past Kaeya’s room, which was shut tight. He expected no less than that. For all his grins and smiles and talking, Albedo suspected he was a private person. And that was okay.
Albedo found his room fairly furnished with familiar things. His bed was, surprisingly, made. Someone had done a lot of work making sure that the basics were done. He wasn’t sure who would have done such a thing, but it did make it convenient for him to just slide into bed after changing clothes. (The clothes were a bit more of a bother to find, but he couldn’t just sleep in his best outfit)
The lamp was blown out, and the next thing Albedo knew he was awake again and it was morning - well, later morning. The sun was just barely peeking through the curtains, but it was time to get up. There was a lot more unpacking to do, after all. Finding an outfit was simple enough. He just pulled whatever sort of matched out of his boxes and threw it on. More elaborate or better outfits would have to come at a later date when he had things unpacked.
He brushed his hair and made sure and it was styled enough that it didn’t fall into his eyes. He’d like a shower at some point, but while they had water, did they have enough for such things? Or would he have to check the well? He’d have to find out. Later.
After he was properly dressed, he made his way down to the kitchen again, lamp in hand to put back in place.
He wasn’t up for very long before Kaeya came down, looking markedly more put together than he did. “Did you even sleep?” Kaeya said as a greeting.
“Of course I did,” Albedo shot back without looking up.
“Hmmm.” It sounded like Kaeya perhaps only half believed him, but he didn’t argue and instead ducked his way into the kitchen and then started tinkering with water and mugs. “How do you take your coffee?” Kaeya asked after a minute or two. “Cream? Sugar?”
Well. That was nice of him. Albedo hadn’t even gotten to the point of thinking about breakfast or coffee yet. “Cream and sugar, if you don’t mind.” What was the point in lying and saying he liked it black? It would only hurt both their egos.
With that Kaeya settled into making coffee, humming as he went along. Albedo went back to unpacking even more boxes and trying to get things put away. Though he tried to hurry, it didn’t feel like he’d gotten very much done at all before Kaeya was passing him a mug with an accompanying grin. “Here.”
Albedo took the mug carefully, knowing it was hot. Kaeya seemed to be waiting for him to take a taste, and so, equally carefully, still knowing it was hot, he took a sip. Luckily for him it wasn’t quite hot enough to burn, and the flavors while not perfect to his tastes were, “decent.” He nodded his approval.
“Oh? Merely decent?” Kaeya took a sip of his own coffee and seemed to find it agreeable as well. “We’ll have to step up our game, now, won’t we?” Was he taking decent as an insult? By his next words, that certainly seemed to be the case. “If you have any suggestions,” his voice was even in sing song, “don’t hold back.”
“Decent is good,” Albedo tried to reason. He’d meant no harm with the word, but Kaeya was clearly looking for feedback. Albedo could provide that. “Just a little less cream and sugar, and little more coffee, and I’m sure it’ll be perfect.”
“Noted,” the sing song notes of his tone were gone, replaced with a perfect seriousness. Perhaps, Albedo thought, for Kaeya’s household, coffee was a much more serious thing than it was for him.
With that settled, Kaeya seemed to move onto breakfast. He got things out of the ice box and very simply began to prepare them. A skillet was removed from its place and a fire was lit at the stove. “Medium rare ok?”
“Yes,” Albedo responded. “That’s fine.”
That seemed to be enough for Kaeya, and from there breakfast was quite simply made. Albedo didn’t watch the whole thing. In fact he only lingered for a moment before he left the room entirely. Many people didn’t like to be watched as they worked, Albedo had found throughout life. Unpacking stuff was one thing, but cooking was another thing entirely. Perhaps Kaeya would accidentally burn the steaks if he were watched, and that was something Albedo didn’t want.
There was plenty to do outside the kitchen. Just like it, there were boxes everywhere, though Albedo identified a couple that were most definitely gifts. One was even wrapped in bright aqua colored paper. A color that signified the anemo god’s favor, Albedo presumed, as though a color could do such a thing.
It felt like all he’d done was sort out a few boxes into different piles before he heard Kaeya’s voice coming softly from the kitchen. “Food’s ready.” He’d better not delay. Cooks had pride in their food, and they tended to get mad when one let food get cold.
Even though he didn’t dilly dally, by the time he arrived, Kaeya had settled into one corner and was eating. What Albedo presumed to be his own plate was nearby, and he grabbed it with one hand, muttering a socially obligated thank you.
When Kaeya took a sip of coffee, it reminded him of his own coffee, abandoned when he’d left the room. He grabbed that too and sat down to eat. Their eyes met, and Albedo looked away a second later. He hadn’t taken a bite yet, and he was sure Kaeya was looking for approval or disapproval. He cut up his steak, which looked to be cooked to the appropriate temperature. Similarly, the scrambled eggs didn’t seem to be overly dry. He gathered a bit of both steak and eggs on his fork and finally took a bite. He nodded his approval. It was good. Nothing to complain about.
“I was thinking of taking a quick walk of the grounds.” Kaeya’s words seemed to come out of nowhere, but Albedo gave another nod at them. Kaeya could do what he liked of course. “Care to join me?” Now that was surprising. Did he want company for such a simple task? Albedo gave the smallest of head shakes all the same. He wanted to stay here and finish unpacking at least the kitchen.
“Anything you want me to pick up if I swing by town?”
Now that was a question, and Albedo contemplated it carefully as he swallowed his bite of food. The cabinets had food in them. The cabinets also had kitchenware in them now. Perhaps at a different time Albedo would have made a list, but for now - “I cannot think of anything.”
Kaeya took another, and apparently last, bite of food and then set his plate down. “I won’t be gone long.” His husband gave a small and casual wave of his hand. “If you need me, just holler.” Albedo was sure that wouldn’t be necessary. All he planned to do was continue unpacking, and Kaeya said he wouldn’t be gone long.
He was gone before Albedo would wish him well. That was fine. Albedo was more than used to eating alone. In fact, he was used to cooking his own meals, so really, this was practically luxury for him. He finished eating, clearing his plate before he got up again and dragging the coffee mug along with him.
The kitchen was almost completely unpacked, and Albedo was determined to finish it before Kaeya returned. That would be one room down at least.
Two boxes later (one filled with knives and the other filled with serving utensils), the kitchen was finally set. The center of the floor was cleared minus a couple of gift boxes, and the counters were filled, but not too filled, with useful items. Everything had a place, and it was time to move on.
Initially, Albedo made his way back out to the hall, sorting boxes here and there. Once the boxes were sorted by what was clearly packed items and gifted items, Albedo opened the first box to find it full of framed items. This . . . appeared to be Kaeya’s. Albedo hadn’t brought anything framed, and he was fairly certain it wasn’t anything gifted either, because why would anyone gift someone a box chock full of framed things.
Even though this had been left in the hall and had not been hauled off to Kaeya’s room, it felt a little too personal for Albedo to unpack. This wasn’t like kitchen items which would clearly be used by both of them. This was a collection. He would leave it be. In fact, he also left the next two boxes alone as well. All of them were filled with decorative pieces that Albedo knew were not his own. Maybe they could discuss it when Kaeya got back.
Speaking of . . . shouldn’t he be back by now? By Albedo’s estimate, it had been almost an hour since Kaeya had departed, and he’d said it wouldn’t be long. Albedo frowned but wasn’t worried. Kaeya could certainly take care of himself, he knew, but where had he gone? Had he truly gone into town? The only way to know would be to either go into town himself or wait until Kaeya did come home.
Ultimately he decided to wait. Kaeya would think he didn’t trust him if he went barging after him now. No. It was better to wait. Surely he wouldn’t be too much longer, and then perhaps they could discuss the boxes of decorative items. In the meantime, he decided to head up to his own room where all the boxes were his.
Upon starting to open his boxes, he found that a great deal of the boxes were simply a mix of clothes and books. That only made sense, at least sort of. The books he expected, but the amount of clothes he apparently owned was surprising. He couldn’t help but wonder if Gold had snuck in a few boxes of them herself, even though she too would value the books more. Maybe she just didn’t want it to appear as though he had so much less than his new husband.
Truthfully, Albedo didn’t think Kaeya would care. It seemed like Kaeya cared about things, judging by the boxes out in the hall, but he didn’t strike Albedo as someone who particularly cared about other people’s things.
Whatever, the clothes were here now, through Gold’s fault or not. They had to be put away. Luckily he had a closet and an armoire for his clothes, and he was fairly certain he could get all of them organized properly between the two. Outfits and other outer clothes would go in the closet and the rest would find places in the drawers of the armoire.
Yes, this would take him quite a while but not nearly as long as it would take to properly organize his books on the bookshelves. That would take at least one full day in the near future.
“Honey, I’m home~!”
Albedo banged his head on the side of the armoire when he jolted. Such a sudden noise, but it was good to hear that Kaeya had finally returned, even if he was still using monikers that were not Albedo’s name.
That had been much more than an hour. In fact, by Albedo’s estimate, Kaeya had been gone for at least five hours.
Curious more than anything about what Kaeya had been doing, Albedo made his way downstairs and poked his head around the corner of the kitchen door. “Welcome back.” He paused just long enough for Kaeya to take in that statement before he added “You were gone longer than expected.”
Kaeya didn’t argue with him about that, but he did free one hand from the load (of groceries?) he was holding to place it oh so dramatically over his heart. “As I was gazing across the picturesque hills of our beloved homeland, what should my eyes fall upon but a woeful adventurer surrounded by pyro slimes, desperately in need of rescue. Of course, being the fine upstanding knight that I am, I had no choice but to immediately come to the rescue.”
"Ah yes, Pallad." There was a sigh that left his lips after he said he words. Everyone knew about Pallad, even those that did not necessarily venture out too often. "I've never had the pleasure of meeting him personally." May it stay that way.
Kaeya was beginning to take things out of the bag he’d brought in as he continued on. “At that point, I was already more than halfway to the city, so it seemed more efficient to make a trip of it than turn around.” So Kaeya had wanted to get things himself before wandering out. “Do you think Cyrus would be open to requiring adventurers to take up the defense program the knights put on?”
"Hmm," he paused, thinking, "I don't know if he'd agree, but I don't think it would be a bad idea." Everyone could use a little defense training, if you asked him.
“Then I ran into our little Spark Knight trying to sneak out,” Kaeya said as though that weren’t a completely whole new thing compared to Pallad.
"You ran into Klee?" Honestly, he didn't know why he sounded so surprised. She was always in trouble for something and was always trying to get out of the punishment.
“So naturally I had to stick around a little longer, first, until her babysitter caught up.”
He watched the man take out a container with the required amount of attention. His eyes widened a little as he realized, perhaps belatedly even, that it was for him. “She insisted I bring this back for you. Insisted it’s your favourite?”
"Did she now? How sweet of her." Klee was, underneath it all, a sweet girl. A reminder didn't hurt. "Well, thank you." He said as he reached for the container. His favorite. He wasn't even fully aware he had a favorite. "You certainly did not have to."
“Apparently I’m Big Brother Kaeya, now, since I’m your prince and all.”
He let out a snort. "I'm assuming Klee called you my prince?" He shook his head. "Again, how sweet of her." And inaccurate. They were not each other’s great loves. It was merely a marriage of convenience. A good match, Gold said. Albedo wasn’t sure he saw that, but if Gold said so, it must be so.
“You realize that makes you the princess, right?” Albedo rolled his eyes at that and chose to otherwise ignore it. They were a male-male couple. Neither of them was a princess. If either of them were going to claim such lofty titles in the first place.
“Look at this tomato.” The change of subject was abrupt, but it did draw Albedo a little closer as Kaeya pulled out the largest tomato Albedo had indeed ever seen.
"That is . . . quite large," he admitted. Though why that had made its way back to their home was quite the mystery. Did they need a tomato? They weren't bad to have around. "Was it the only one of its size?" Maybe the farmer had had a bumper crop.
“No, there was a whole basket of them. But this was the biggest one.” So it was a bumper crop then. How fascinating. He wondered what caused it. The soil? The fertilizer? Even just the quality of the water used?
“We could have toasted sandwiches for dinner.” That was a thought, judging by what else Kaeya had pulled out of the bag it was indeed perhaps the only thought. “When do you usually eat?”
“Around seven o’clock,” he answered easily, though really it was a little bit of a lie. That was just around the time he would remember to eat dinner if he remembered. He didn’t always remember.
Kaeya grinned at him, assuring him that he would have dinner handled and ready by that time. Was that going to be part of their arrangement? That he handled the meals? It certainly did not have to be, but for now, Albedo wasn’t going to argue the matter, and soon after the assurances he made his way back upstairs to his room. He wasn’t done with his clothes, after all.
He made his way back up the stairs and began to work again on organizing his clothes. He had just been beginning to wonder when he’d acquired so many sweaters and jackets when there was a banging noise. Though rhythmic, it wasn’t like knocking. It was too loud - too sharp - for that.
At first, Albedo tried to ignore it, but it kept coming, and eventually curiosity overtook him. The noise was coming from downstairs, and so that’s where his feet took him next. Barely a turn took him back into the hallways where all his questions were answered. He might have guessed that it was Kaeya, but now that was confirmed. His husband was banging away at the wall with a hammer, hanging things.
Right. He’d forgotten all about those boxes full of frames. With the kitchen done, Kaeya must have decided those boxes were his next project. Fair enough.
Although Albedo had not looked closely at anything in the boxes earlier, he took a moment to look a little more closely at the things Kaeya had decided to put out.
The first thing to catch his eye was a painting. If Albedo wasn’t mistaken, it was of the Dawn Winery area, with the winery’s main building at the center, red roof and all. It was small, though, compared to the rest of the painting. There were plenty of trees to fill the foreground, but the background was all Dragonspine. Still, Albedo could barely look at the mountain when you could almost see the individual grapes on their vines.
When he moved his head just a little, his eyes found a second painting in a similar style. This one was of Windrise, with its statue of the seven tiny and glowing at its center. By comparison, the tree was engulfing. Was it truly that huge in real life? Albedo had walked by Windrise many times, but he couldn’t remember feeling so small beneath its boughs. There was also something to be said about the time of day this had been painted. It was clearly at dawn and the yellows and oranges permeated the whole picture - even the painted clouds in the sky.
The third thing Kaeya had taken out was a statue. From where he stood it appeared to be made of copper, and was clearly a depiction of the Dragon of the East. It was a well made piece, or at least it appeared to be well made. At a glance Albedo could see a lot of detail had gone into it. Even the tail and feet had tiny engravings on them to make the statue feel more complete, but it was the wings that made the piece. They were opened wide almost in welcome. Albedo couldn’t imagine how else one of the four winds should look.
And then his eyes took him to a fourth piece. This one was harder for Albedo’s mind to piece out. The first thing his brain latched onto was that there was glitter. There was a lot of glitter. The next things he could make out were clearly just a blue blob and a red blob. The red blob was larger than the blue blob. The colors had also bled together in spots, and someone - the artist, no doubt - had tried to separate them again to little success. And then there were the eyes. Both the blobs had them, making them into what were clearly supposed to be people, but . . . was it Albedo, or did those eyes follow him as he whipped his head back around to look at something else?
It was so out of place. The first three pieces were lovely, and then there was something clearly done by the hand of an amateur. He couldn’t help but wonder what was going on there. But he didn’t dare ask. It seemed too personal, and so he withdrew his presence from the hallway and let Kaeya continue on as he wanted. Maybe someday he would ask, but certainly that day was not today.
He made his way back upstairs to his room and let Kaeya be, at least until sometime later when he heard a light knocking at the door followed by “Dinner’s ready ~ !”
“All right, on my way.” It was only a few moments before Albedo made his way over to the door to open it, but already Kaeya was gone. That was fine. Albedo couldn’t expect him to wait around for him, especially when they were talking about a warm(?) dinner. Who knew how long it might have actually taken him if he hadn’t been just organizing clothing? It might have taken an hour or more for him to find a good stopping point. It was better that Kaeya felt free to do his own thing.
As it was, Kaeya was eating by the time he made it to the kitchen area, including a serving of what faintly smelled like wine in a mug with a mustache on it. He didn’t think much of it, despite rumors that had reached his ears. This was the first wine he’d seen, and plenty of people liked to have a glass of wine with dinner. In fact, other regions might joke that the whole of Mondstadt had a glass of wine with each meal. Albedo wasn’t like that, though. He preferred things like cider, but they didn’t have any cider, so water would do.
His mug (because it seemed they didn’t really have any proper glasses) did not have a mustache on it, and by the time he’d settled by the counter with his warm sandwich and glass of water, the smile that had been on Kaeya’s face had faded.
“So we’re going to need a kitchen table.” Kaeya said by way of starting the conversation. This wasn’t to say that Albedo didn’t disagree. They were, after all, resorting to sitting on the ground or leaning against a counter to eat. “We should make a list, come to think of it, and a trip into town to visit Master Goth.” They really should; Albedo agreed again. They had a lot of stuff, but it wasn’t all that they needed to make a household. They were missing a proper couch for instance, and chairs, and that was the least of it.
Kaeya took another bite of his sandwich before he spoke again. “And we should open our gifts sooner rather than later.” Ah yes, the literal pile that was starting to truly add up. Yes, they ought to. “I’d like to have the thank you notes out before we’re back on duty.”
Now, that gave Albedo pause. That didn’t sound like proper etiquette to him. That certainly wasn’t what Gold had taught him. “Shouldn’t we thank them in person?” That was what he’d been taught. No matter how impersonal you were with the gifter, always thank them in person. That would show that you remembered them properly.
Thankfully, Kaeya didn’t seem put off by his question. “Well, yes, I imagine there will be some people we’ll thank in person, but.” He paused, seeming to have the need to consider his words carefully. “I’m not too keen to go knocking at Lawrence manor.” Well, yes, Albedo supposed that was true enough, but why not just one note then? The rest of them would probably be from people they interacted with at least occasionally. “And it’s considered basic manners, I suppose. Rules of polite society and all that.” Ah, there it was. It was a custom from a class above his own. Gold had money, but nobility was a thing unto itself.
“Huh.” And that was all he had to say about that. It even encapsulated his feelings on the matter. This was overrated.
“Don’t worry your little head, Chief.” There he went again, using something other than his name. He almost huffed. Almost. “Your prince will take care of it. All you have to do is help me keep track as we’re opening them.” Kaeya then blinked. It was an exaggerated motion that made Albedo think he meant to wink, but with only one eye to do it with. Ah, well, the intention came across. After a couple of seconds, Kaeya went back to his food and drink, in fact taking a deep draft from his wine and then going “Ahhh.”
And after that they went back to eating in silence, as though they had not just spoken of things that could be spoken of at depth. Somehow, that was fine. The food was good, certainly above the level that Albedo was used to having when he was at Dragonspine. If he had one complaint it was that by the time he had finished, the egg had gone completely cold, but that was more of a speed problem than something Kaeya needed to hear.
He had a bite or two left when Kaeya started pushing himself up to his feet to put his dishes in the sink. “So!” he began as he fully stood up. “How about it?”
“Hmm? How about what?” They hadn’t been talking for a little bit, and so Albedo had to go back into his brain and think about what they’d been talking about before. Sure there was the list, and that did need to be addressed, but after that and more recently had come “the presents?”
Kaeya gave him another one of those grins. “No time like the present, wouldn’t you say?” That was a pun. Albedo knew it. They said it was the lowest form of humor, but Albedo didn’t agree. He quite liked puns, but he also knew Kaeya was trying to get a rise out of him. He couldn’t let him win this one.
“All right. I suppose that’s agreeable.”
“Mmmmm.” If he was bothered by his lack of reaction, Kaeya didn’t show it. Good. That was good.
With that, Kaeya began to open drawers, eventually pulling out a notebook and pen. Had those been there earlier? You’d think Albedo would remember, but then again, he had put away so many other things. One notebook and one pen simply wouldn’t stand out, especially when it was clear they were for the mundane task of making simple grocery lists. It was slim and not meant for long paragraphs.
After finding the pen and paper, Kaeya scribbled a few words onto it, and then flipped to a new page before they made their way out to the pile of presents. Once there, Kaeya spent a few more minutes organizing them this way and that before, out of nowhere, scooping the notebook up again and offering the first of the gifts to Albedo.
This startled him a little, but he reached out and took it anyway, glancing quickly at Kaeya before opening it. As though he needed permission. The first gift Kaeya had picked out was from Sucrose herself. She, of course, sent something useful she had discovered. It was a cleaning agent, supposedly better than the rest, but the final product was untested. She wanted their feedback, according to the note she’d left.
If Albedo had expected this to be a back and forth with them each opening gifts from “their sides of the family,” he was wrong. The next was also passed to him, and it was clearly from someone Kaeya knew well, as it was a set of disturbing mugs. “Are those teeth?” Kaeya didn’t answer him, but he suspected the answer was yes.
The next couple of gifts were more normal. A good set of knives for the kitchen followed by a set of dinnerware complete with wine glasses. Good, Kaeya wouldn’t have to drink his wine out of mugs anymore. He had heard that drinking wine out of inappropriate glasses ruined the taste.
And then there was a Dvalin plush, followed by a book of fairytales, and then candles. He was sure the candles weren’t as normal as they looked, but he couldn’t see what might be off about them at a glance.
Then there was a tapestry to hang on the wall, a bunch of vouchers and promises of discounts, and finally, a silver pocket watch and a pair of noctilucous jade hair sticks that Kaeya seemed especially interested in.
“Well, then,” Kaeya said as he put the hair sticks back away in their box. “I suppose I ought to get to work.” He chuckled.
“Yes, I suppose you ought to.” There was a lot. It was far more than Albedo had anticipated even having seen the pile. It was as though the whole of Mondstadt had sent them something. Truly, it was a little overwhelming. “Let me know if you need any help.”
“You could help by putting some of this stuff away.” Already the other man was scooping up the Dvalin plush as though he knew where it went. Well, Albedo could at least help get the dinnerware and knives put away for now.
“I can do that.” He picked up the disturbing mugs and followed after Kaeya into the kitchen. Much of the things they’d gotten would go into the sink for later washing, and it appeared the plush would be going with Kaeya up to his room, which was fine. As for the tapestry . . . he’d find a place for it to hang later. It would remain folded for now. The cleaner went under the sink where it could do minimal damage before being tried out. As for the pocket watch and sticks? They agreed that they could stay where they were, for now.
And then, all at once, they were done. They said their goodnights and went their separate ways.
Albedo clicked his door shut and changed clothes before lying in bed. They’d accomplished so much today, so why did the whole of it feel so empty?