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It’s cold.
Almost excessively cold, even by Kaeya’s standards.
Albedo’s campsite is littered with torches and campfires that bring light and warmth to the cave he’s been occupying for a while now, but they are hardly enough to fend off the sheer cold of the blizzard that’s raging beyond the mouth of the cave.
Kaeya is sitting next to a campfire, his boots and gloves off and his travel cloak thrown over his shoulders as he warms his feet and hands on the fire. There’s the sound of Albedo’s pencil stroking over paper and the creaking of multiple fires, but the wind outside swallows and drowns those sounds out easily.
He looks in Albedo’s direction where he’s sitting not too far away from him, focused on whatever it is he’s drawing, and he can’t help but smile to himself at the mere sight of him.
Fuck, he has it bad.
He actually wouldn’t be here to begin with if he didn’t have it bad.
Here as in: trapped with Albedo in his campsite during a blizzard.
He only has himself to blame for it.
It was duty that brought Kaeya to Dragonspine, but he wasn’t meant to go beyond the camp at the base of the mountain.
All he had to do was pick up a report from Iris, maybe exchange a few words with her, and then ride his horse back to Mondstadt to discuss the report with Jean. Simple. Shouldn’t take him more than five hours to come and go from headquarters — six or seven if monsters had taken over parts of the road.
But, no. He couldn’t just go back after getting this far.
Seeing the enormous icy peak before him reminded him at once of the Chief Alchemist’s empty office back at headquarters, and the idea of paying him an impromptu visit at his secluded campsite, bad as it probably was, took over his entire brain.
Albedo had been gone for two weeks now and he would be away for a couple more before returning to the city. That was a long time without seeing him, so Kaeya thought — why not?
Granted, the alchemist's campsite wasn’t exactly near the adventurer’s base at the foot of the mountain, but Kaeya didn’t mind the trek, and he kind of, sort of, really missed having Albedo around in Mondstadt.
He missed barging into Albedo’s office to talk about this or that, and having the alchemist complain about him being incorregible but amusing him nonetheless. He missed sitting in comfortable silence at the library with him, and taking Klee out for lunch at Good Hunter, and drawing bad doodles of each other on each other’s paperwork. He missed stealing glances of him every now and then, and quietly studying his features, his teal eyes, his flawless skin, and that golden star on his neck, which spoke of an ancient sort of wisdom that came from the same land Kaeya had come from.
He just…
He just missed him.
And he wanted to see him.
So, he left his horse in the stable at the adventurers’ base, bought two takeaway servings of Sunshine Sprat from Harris (so Albedo didn’t kill him on the spot for disturbing his academic retreat), and made his way up the mountain by foot.
And he was so glad that he did, at first.
“Kaeya,” Albedo greeted when he finally reached his campsite. He was working on his table, and he looked surprised but impeccable as usual, not a single ash blonde hair out of place even after all the time he’d spent in the mountains. At the same time, Kaeya knew he must’ve looked terrible, somehow both chilled to the bone and sweaty from the trek under his worn travel cloak, but still he saw Albedo smile a light, barely-there, but definitely genuine smile at him. “What a surprise.”
Kaeya couldn’t stop himself from returning the smile in the form of a playful smirk.
“A pleasant surprise, I hope?”
Albedo hummed.
“As long as the reason for your visit isn’t bad news, then yes. What brings you here? Is it business? Or did Klee get in trouble again?”
Kaeya laughed but shook his head, already warmed up by the sight of Albedo alone, not to mention his unexpectedly pleased reaction.
“Nope. Work is as usual, and Klee is out and about with the Honorary Knight,” he explained, pausing for a moment before resuming, “I just… y’know. I happened to be in the area and thought I’d pay my dear fellow captain a visit.”
“That’s hardly believable,” Albedo commented with a little private smile, but he didn’t inquire further.
He had no reason to— Kaeya knew his fellow captain could read him like an open book at times, and he had long since made peace with that. Albedo was pretty frank and straightforward, never one to tolerate other people’s bullshit if he got bored or annoyed, but he had never once expressed genuine boredom or annoyance at Kaeya’s antics.
And that had to count for something.
Kaeya hoped it wasn’t just wishful thinking, but he thought he could read Albedo pretty well himself.
Like when the alchemist smiled at the sight of him even if he showed up at his campsite unannounced covered in frost, or when he said it’s good to see you under his breath, or when he ushered him further into the campsite with a hand on his back, mumbling something about how reckless he was for going up the mountain in this weather.
Because it was snowing. It had been snowing since Kaeya crossed the first half-demolished bridge to the mountain, and then, when Kaeya was halfway to Albedo’s campsite, the snowfall got even heavier. The air turned colder, windier —
But Kaeya gave it no mind.
It was always like this in Dragonspine, and it wouldn’t stop him from at least saying hi and sharing a meal with his favorite alchemist.
It wasn’t until later, after they had heated up the dishes on the campfire and chatted animatedly about the excessive Fatui presence in the area, that the snowfall turned into a blizzard and Kaeya realized he had probably made a mistake coming here on a whim. The sky had darkened considerably and the wind had picked up to a dangerous speed, carrying chills and whirls of ice and snow, turning a pretty winter wonderland into certain death.
Regardless, at first, he intended to leave.
He put his cloak back on and everything, convinced that his vision and the lanterns along the way would help him make it safely to the bottom of the mountain. He never intended for this to happen, as much as he liked to spend time with Albedo and flirt with him sometimes, but Albedo wouldn’t have it.
It was the alchemist who said, pretty straightforward and matter-of-fact, “I don’t think you should leave until this storm passes”, while he watched him gear up, a worried frown on his face.
Kaeya tried to refuse.
“I couldn’t abuse your hospitality any longer,” he said, and he meant it. He knew Albedo’s time and space were sacred to him, and he respected that— he had already pushed too far by showing up in the first place, and he said as much. “It’s bad enough I showed up out of the blue. But don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. Plus, I can’t leave the Acting Grandmaster waiting for that report. Imagine if I don’t show up.”
Albedo’s frown deepened at that.
“Kaeya, I don’t mind that you showed up out of the blue,” he told him. “But I would mind if you were to leave now and freeze to death. I’m pretty certain the Acting Grandmaster would mind that more than a delayed report, as well.”
Kaeya snorted lightly.
“Please, I won't freeze to death.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Now, Captain, why does it sound like you’re underestimating me and my skills?”
Albedo looked at him with a curious look in his eyes, though his lips were still downturned and he had his arms crossed over his chest. He looked pretty like this, glowing like a rare gem under the light of several fires.
“I’m doing no such thing. I’ll be honest and say that I’m confused that you seem just as eager to leave as you were to get here in the first place, climbing half the mountain for no real reason…” he said straightforwardly, so casually that it caught Kaeya off guard.
“It’s not that I’m eager to leave…” he replied, his hands letting go of the travel cloak after fumbling to put it on. He hesitated, sought for the right words in his head before speaking again, looking straight at Albedo’s eyes. “It’s just… I don’t want you to think I did this on purpose. I never meant to overstep any boundaries, to invade your space, or annoy you.”
Surprisingly, Albedo smiled and laughed at that, a light and pleasant sound.
“Since when is the Cavalry Captain so timid?” He asked, playfully, but then he replied reassuringly, “it’s fine, Kaeya. Don’t you think I would have told you a long time ago if I found your impromptu visits annoying? It may surprise you, but your company is something I enjoy a lot.”
Kaeya didn’t say anything at first, but he felt the beat of his heart get louder behind his ears, to the point where it almost drowned out the whistling of the wind outside.
He wanted to say something, something smart and bold, but before he could even find the words Albedo spoke again.
“So don’t be an idiot and stay, Captain.”
And Kaeya ended up laughing at that.
And he ended up staying.
And really, it was a good thing that he did.
Just a short while after accepting his fate and once again taking off his cloak, a loud creaking noise came from outside. It sounded like a huge tree had gotten uprooted by the wind and had fallen down the mountain, and Albedo gave him a little look that almost said ‘see? ’ without using actual words.
It’s been a while since then, though, and although it’s cold, and some relentless gusts of ice and snow find their way inside the cave every now and then, it's still pretty comfortable here.
Cozy, even.
Albedo’s alchemy trinkets are all over the place, his mind always too busy with the adrenaline his ideas and projects infuse him with to care much about tidying up. But Kaeya thinks the mess only makes this place even more fascinating than the generally tidy office he occupies at the Favonius Knights’ headquarters.
At some point, Albedo sat down close to the same campfire Kaeya was sitting next to, warming his hands and feet, and he started drawing quietly. Kaeya hasn’t interrupted him once, still stupidly self-conscious even though Albedo reassured him more than once that he didn’t mind —and even enjoyed— his presence, but he’s starting to get a little antsy.
Since when is the Cavalry Captain so timid , Albedo had said.
And he has a point. Kaeya’s not usually like this — he is never like this when they’re back in Mondstadt, and just because they’re stuck together in a blizzard by accident doesn’t mean he should start acting like a different person.
That’s why he clears his throat and breaks the dumb silence that had stretched between them, quick and easy, the way he’s used to tease Albedo literally everywhere else.
“So,” Kaeya starts, his single eye fixated upon Albedo and the way the flames glow on his skin and his pretty teal eyes. “You look very focused.”
And very pretty, too , but he doesn’t say that.
“That’s because I am,” the alchemist replies simply. “Or I’m trying to, anyway.”
“Are you drawing?”
“Yes.”
“What are you drawing this time?”
“Things.”
“Communicative, are you,” Kaeya teases with a smirk, noticing Albedo’s pencil is no longer dragging across the paper. “Are you distracted?”
Albedo only throws him a little glance over the fire before returning to his drawing.
“Maybe. A little,” he says, and Kaeya’s smirk only grows.
“Is it my fault?”
“Not exactly. Sometimes it’s just hard to get my hands to agree with what I have in my mind… although, it would probably help if you didn’t keep staring at me.”
“I’m not staring at you.”
“Yes, you are. I can feel it.”
“I looked at you now , yes, but I haven’t been looking at you.”
Albedo sighs, and this time when he looks back at Kaeya he keeps his eyes on him, and he doesn’t bother hiding the amused look on his face.
Kaeya’s stomach flips, but he keeps his playful, teasing face on.
“You’re finally sounding more like you,” the alchemist says to himself, almost like an afterthought that escaped him. It’s a quiet and gentle sound, barely audible under the bellowing of the wind outside, but it seems almost fond, and it almost punches the breath out of Kaeya’s chest.
He swallows awkwardly and makes a quick decision to steer the conversation back to Albedo’s drawing before he can get too affected.
“Anyway, what ‘things’ are you drawing?” He asks, gesturing at the drawing notebook on Albedo’s lap with his head and using finger quotes when he says the word ‘things’. “Can I see?”
“No,” the alchemist replies. “Not yet. Maybe later. It’s not finished yet.”
“Ah, but those doodles you always draw of me with only three lines — those are finished to you?”
Albedo doesn't even hesitate, and his lips curve upwards in a light smirk when he replies.
“Yes.”
Kaeya clicks his tongue. “Come on, let me see. I’m starting to get bored.”
“I’m pretty sure that looking at what I’m drawing wouldn’t provide you entertainment for longer than a few seconds.”
“You don’t know that,” he says, echoing the words Albedo said to him not too long ago, but the alchemist pays him no mind.
Or he tries to pay him no mind, at least, because Kaeya can see he still hasn’t been able to put his pencil back to the paper, clearly more focused on their banter.
“You could pick up a book, if you’re so bored,” Albedo offers without looking at him. “I have plenty lying around here.”
Kaeya makes a face. He likes reading, and he loves how comfortable it is to just sit in silence with Albedo while they mind their own business, but Albedo’s books…
“They're all about alchemy…” Kaeya complains, but he still looks around the campsite for a source of entertainment. There’s a bunch of ingredients for experiments and interesting little trinkets, but nothing he would find entertaining. He’s about to give up when his eye spots one of the crates sitting against the walls of the cave and he gets an idea. “Do you have wine here?”
That makes Albedo look up again.
“I keep some bottles of liquor here, yes. It helps fend off the cold on nights like this.”
Kaeya chuckles.
“Of course you’d drink for something practical like that and not for fun…”
“And of course you’d consider something that numbs the brain and hinders productivity a source of fun.”
“Ouch,” Kaeya says, though he’s not genuinely hurt. They’ve had similar conversations before. “You know, it’s fun when you’re with the right people. It can help you unwind after a long and stressful day.”
“Hm, I suppose so,” Albedo agrees, then after a beat or two he puts his pencil down against the paper, looks up at Kaeya, warm flames dancing in his eyes. “Are you stressed right now?”
Kaeya hums.
“Not particularly, but it has been a pretty long day…”
Albedo’s lips curve into a smile.
“Should I fetch a bottle, then?”
“Ah, I don’t know,” Kaeya answers, playing hard to get a little because it’s no fun otherwise. “It sounds tempting, but it’s no fun to drink alone.…”
Albedo tilts his head.
“Who said you’d be drinking alone?” He says, mindfully closing his drawing notebook and setting it down on the floor before getting up.
“Oh, I won’t?”
“No,” Albedo replies, but doesn’t turn around to look at Kaeya. He just heads towards one of the crates and Kaeya follows him with his eye, more than a little bewitched by him. “I just said I drink on nights like these. I do it to keep me warm, but I wouldn’t mind joining you for a cup or two…”
“Oh,” Kaeya blinks, surprised but not in a bad way. Albedo is giving him a very nice view of his backside and his legs as he looks through one of the crates, probably without even noticing it. It’s not polite to stare, but Kaeya does it anyway. “Well, in that case, if the Chief Alchemist wants to share a drink with me, then who am I to say no.”
He hears Albedo snort to himself as he finally fishes out a bottle of liquor from the crate, but he doesn’t say anything in response. He simply picks two slightly rusty metallic cups from a shelf before walking back to where he was sitting before, over an old rug spread on rock, not too far from Kaeya.
“I don’t guarantee neither taste nor quality to meet your standards. I know that, whatever they are, they’re probably higher than mine,” Albedo says as he removes the cork of the bottle with his ungloved hands. He starts talking about the favorable effect the cold weather has on the wine, and then says something about wherever he got this wine from, but Kaeya’s mind wanders to the point where he isn’t paying attention anymore. Not to his ears, but to his eye.
He’s staring — staring at Albedo, and his ungloved hands.
There are golden, star-shaped marks there, too, on the backs of them; pretty gold standing out against otherwise chalk-pale skin. They look almost exactly the same as the mark he has on his neck, but getting to see these ones is a rarity. Albedo hardly ever takes his gloves off, and Kaeya thinks that’s a pity because he could spend hours studying his hands, the stars on them, his long and pretty fingers, his smooth skin and the way it tenses and stretches over bone with even the smallest movement —
“It’s all the same, Albedo,” Kaeya assures the other man absentmindedly, bringing one knee up and leaning his elbow on it as he watches him pour translucent liquid into the cups. “Quality is important, but like I said before, drinking is more about the company than it is about the liquor.”
Albedo hums thoughtfully.
“You never said that, though,” he points out, and Kaeya smirks at the deadpan tone in his voice, recognizing it right away as Albedo’s own brand of playful banter.
“I implied it,” he says, then asks, “wait, do you need help with that? Sorry I didn’t ask.”
Albedo shakes his head, his ash blonde hair swaying lightly with the movement. “No need, but thank you,” he says as he stretches a cup in Kaeya’s direction. “Here.”
Kaeya takes it, unable to ignore the way Albedo’s warm fingertips brush against his own for a split second before returning to the jar of wine, to pour the second cup.
“Thank you ,” Kaeya returns, looking down at the wine in his cup for only a second before returning his gaze to Albedo as he works. He waits for him to finish pouring his own glass before lifting his cup in his direction.
Albedo looks down at Kaeya’s rusty cup, his fingers of one hand curled around his own and the star on his hands glistening under the light of the fire.
“Toast?” Kaeya offers, tilting his cup a little and smiling playfully. “To… terrible weather.”
Albedo eyes him a moment longer before he lifts his cup and bumps it lightly against Kaeya’s, smiling.
“To terrible weather,” he echoes, but then he adds, “and pleasant surprises.”
Kaeya raises an eyebrow at that, warmed up inside even before taking a sip from the wine.
“Pleasant surprises, hm,” he says, eyeing as Albedo brings the cup to his lips and takes a sip. “Is it safe to assume you mean me?”
Albedo swallows the liquid, then licks his lips. There’s leftover wine on them, and his tongue is an inviting shade of pink, and fuck , maybe Kaeya shouldn’t drink after all because he hasn’t had a drop and he’s already like this, thinking stupid, inappropriate things.
“You’re a smart man, Captain, so I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.”
Kaeya almost feels lightheaded already.
He probably shouldn’t drink, but he does. How could he not drink, after making Albedo go through the pain of looking for a bottle and even pouring him a glass? He takes a sip, then another, and he catches himself humming in surprising pleasure at the taste.
“Good?” Albedo asks, and Kaeya nods.
“Very. And, like you said, my standards are pretty high,” he says, taking another, longer gulp, and Albedo chuckles. It makes Kaeya smile, exhaling in delight after swallowing the flavorful drink. “I’m glad I decided to visit after all. You are really a five star host.”
“Am I really? Hm. Not ten minutes ago you were complaining about being bored, but now that I gave you a drink I’m a five star host?” Albedo asks, teasing in that deadpan voice once again. He even clicks his tongue dramatically. “You know, I can really understand why you have the entire town wrapped around your fingers. Even the old ladies! You definitely have a way with words, Captain.”
“You think so?” Kaeya asks, unsure if he should feel flattered yet.
Albedo nods.
“Of course,” he says. “It’s evident. And it’s not only with words, but with actions too. You can make people feel… special.”
Kaeya lets out a little thoughtful hum, unsure of where Albedo is going with this.
“That sounds a bit too generous,” he says, watching as the alchemist takes another sip and realizing belatedly that this is the first time they’ve ever drank together after all this time. They've shared toasts at formal events they’ve been invited to as authorities of the Knights of Favonius, but they’ve never drank together alone . It makes Kaeya feel warmer yet.
He licks his lips, enjoying the taste of wine on them.
“It’s one thing if I have made you feel special, but I would rather you didn’t word it like it’s something I seek to provoke on everybody I’ve met. I know I come off as a flirt at times, but I hope you know I… I don’t go around climbing mountains for just anybody.”
He is looking straight at Albedo, so he sees the way a gulp of air catches in the alchemist’s throat at his words.
It’s pretty much a confession from his part, but for some reason it doesn’t come out with difficulty. It practically rolls off his tongue, probably sick and tired of being kept in the shadows for so long. Kaeya has many secrets, far too many to count, but this is one of the few that feel good when spoken out loud.
He’s certain it doesn’t come as much of a surprise to Albedo, anyway, as the truth of his interest in the alchemist has been right there, hiding in plain sight for a long time.
He’s probably only surprised he’s actually saying something instead of keeping things the way they were.
But the thing is, Albedo is, like Diluc once was, the person who knows the most about him.
And it goes both ways, because Kaeya, too, knows quite a few secrets about Albedo that nobody else even suspects.
He knows Albedo’s skin comes from chalk and ancient knowledge, and he knows that the very chalk that made up his body comes from the same ravaged land Kaeya’s flesh comes from.
He knows Albedo holds inimaginable power; the kind of power that could easily overflow, devour him from the inside, and bring forth the destruction of everything he knows. He knows he thinks of himself as a time bomb, as a potential hazard to the world.
Kaeya knows all that, and still —
Still, he likes him. Wants him. Misses him. Thinks him beautiful. He still wants to be around him, learn from him, and banter playfully with him. Still he wants to look at him, to touch him, and to make him feel so much and so intensely that he can never doubt his own humanity again.
And he’s getting tired of hiding it when everything indicates Albedo wants the same and the careful balance between them has been disrupted.
“I don’t think that,” Albedo says, his voice light and gentle. Kaeya sees him look down at his cup, sees his fingers play with the surface of the cup, and sees those stars— those stars that make him feel an inexplicable type of longing in his heart. “I know you don’t. It’s just that it’s a little hard to believe, sometimes.“
Kaeya doesn’t mean to sound insistent, but he can’t help it.
“Why?” He says, scooting closer.
Albedo doesn’t seem to mind and shrugs before answering.
“Well,” he starts. “It’s pretty simple. I think you and I both know that you could choose to spend your time with anybody in Teyvat or beyond and not only would they be willing, but you also wouldn’t have to climb any mountains for them.”
He doesn’t sound bitter or upset as he speaks; it simply sounds like he’s speaking an objective truth, not an ounce of self pity in his voice.
“People like you,” he continues. “It’s a fact. You are charming, and good looking, and you know exactly what to say to make people fall to their knees,” the warm thing that lit up in Kaeya’s chest when he first saw Albedo nearly burns up at that, and he can barely resist the sudden urge to move even closer when he sees Albedo’s cheeks and the tips of his ears blushing, giving him away in the most human way possible.
Still, Albedo isn’t done talking, and he even meets Kaeya’s eye when he continues, “So it’s a little hard to believe that you would choose to come all the way here to pay me a visit, of all people,” Kaeya wants to interrupt, to say something about how Albedo shouldn’t be so surprised and absolutely shouldn’t make himself smaller or less amazing than he is, but he stops himself when he sees the alchemist smile the warmest. “I’m not saying I’m not worthy of it, mind you. I know my worth, but I also know you’re a pretty solicited bachelor, and that there are lots of pretty women and handsome men who would do all sorts of things to be on the receiving end of your affections.”
Kaeya can’t help but chuckle at that, feeling himself blush now.
“You make me sound like a serial heartbreaker.”
Albedo chuckles too, and he’s so beautiful when he laughs that Kaeya can’t resist it anymore. He reaches out with his hand, places it on Albedo’s bare forearm. It’s a bit of an awkward touch, but Albedo doesn’t push or pull away from it.
“It’s the truth, and you know it,” he says. “But it’s fine. That’s not the point. The point is it makes me happy. You make me happy, and comfortable, and unafraid of myself in a way I never thought a human could make me feel. I like being alone, but I think I like when you’re with me just as much, so I’m glad you came by.”
“You are?” Kaeya asks, a smile taking over his lips as he dares move his hand lower to be able to touch Albedo’s hand. Neither of them is wearing gloves, and the sensation of Albedo’s cool skin on his is addictive. “Even if we’re stuck together now and you can’t get rid of me?”
Albedo, surprisingly, turns his hand around so his palm can press against Kaeya’s and their fingers fall into place in the spaces between each other’s.
“Whatever makes you think I’d want to get rid of you when you’re literally holding my hand?” He says as he puts his cup of wine down on the ground with his other hand, and Kaeya can’t imitates him. He doesn’t need the wine, after all. It tastes good, and it’s true that it’s useful during cold nights, but this right here - Albedo’s hand in his, Albedo’s eyes on his, and the confession that Albedo is just as weak for him as he is for him - warms him up more than any liquor could.
“Perhaps I need you to tell me again about how charming and good looking and solicited I am,” Kaeya jokes, leaning closer, biting his lips as he studies Albedo’s face. He’s not pulling away, and his fingers are safe and warm between his own. He’s looking up at Kaeya with something like curiosity and wonder in his eyes, and not for the first time, Kaeya wants to kiss him until he has no breath left in his lungs.
“I think once is more than enough, Captain,” Albedo says, bringing a hand to the side of Kaeya’s face. It’s a shy touch at first, like he’s testing the waters, but he quickly gains confidence and lets his elegant fingers cradle Kaeya’s jaw and his thumb rest over his cheekbone.
Kaeya feels like he will catch on fire even.
“You won’t tell me you’ve fallen to your knees for me either?” He asks, playful, though he suspects Albedo can tell he’s nearly burning up.
“Maybe,” Albedo gives, moving a little closer himself this time, sitting up a little so they’re at the same eye level, and oh - a brief glance downwards shows Kaeya that he’s literally on his knees. “When I show you my drawing.”
Kaeya reaches out with his free hand, puts it on the blue shirt covering Albedo’s chest, and nearly melts. There’s a heart in there, he knows it. It may not be like his own heart, but that hardly matters when it’s allowing Albedo to breathe and talk and hold him and feel .
“But I want to test something first,” Albedo says quietly, his eyes going from Kaeya’s own eye to his eyepatch to his lips. They stay there for a moment too long, he licks his lips, and then they return to Kaeya’s eye.
Kaeya swallows.
“Of course,” he says, hoping it sounds inviting and charming and not choked and way too excited. His fingers curl around the fabric of Albedo’s shirt and rug a little. He brings him a little closer, leans a little closer. “Anything you want, Captain.”
Albedo lets out a light breathy chuckle, murmurs a quiet ‘okay’ , and then he kisses Kaeya.
He doesn’t even give time to Kaeya to meet him halfway.
There wasn’t much distance between them to begin with, but Kaeya can feel a contagious wave of excitement wash over him when Albedo’s lips finally press against his, tasting of wine and warmth in spite of the blizzard outside. He stays still because Albedo stays still too, simply feeling Kaeya’s lips with his own and his face with his hand. His bare fingertips draw the lines of his features, from below his eye to his cheekbone to his jaw, and Kaeya endures it for a good few seconds before he loses his patience.
He presses back against Albedo’s lips, brings him even closer with the hand he has on his shirt, and then he moves . He pulls back an inch, parts his lips, tilts his head, and captures Albedo’s mouth again with barely restrained hunger. Albedo gasps and sighs, unembarrassed, and he kisses back for real this time, his wine-flavored lips sliding against Kaeya’s own over and over.
The blizzard outside doesn’t exist anymore, and the gusts of icy wind that manage to get in the cave turn into steam before even reaching Kaeya’s skin.
Kaeya even fears his god-granted Vision might melt, turn into a useless cloud of steam, the moment Albedo’s hand lowers to his neck, his shoulder, and then the back of his head to feel his hair. He growls quietly, in love with the sensation and hungry for more — for more kisses, for deeper kisses, for more touches, for more skin.
Long gone is his carefulness from before, and Albedo doesn’t seem to mind.
His hands are as impatient in their exploration of Kaeya as is his mouth, and Kaeya has never been more glad to be a subject of study. He tugs at Kaeya’s clothes like they’re annoying obstacles hindering his research, but he also uses them to pull Kaeya closer to himself, and that Kaeya doesn’t mind. He follows the pull obediently, moving closer, closer - close enough that he’s hovering over Albedo, and then, close enough that he can climb on top of him while the alchemist lays on the rug by the fire.
The kiss lasts for hours, or years, and Albedo refuses to let him go. It’s so easy for Kaeya to let himself go, to forget everything and everybody that exists outside the mouth of the cave, and let the heat of the campfire and of the body beneath him consume him.
Albedo’s hands are precious but strong and steady when they cup his jaw, when they travel down his neck, and when they hold on tightly to Kaeya’s long hair. They’re precious and insistent when Kaeya pulls away because he needs to breathe, tangling between strands of blue when Kaeya kisses the side of his mouth, and his cheek, and his ear.
Albedo hums, pleased and almost bubbly, and Kaeya grins.
He is holding himself up so he doesn’t crush Albedo, but a part of him wants nothing more than to let that bit of self-control go and let his body crash against Albedo’s and stay like that forever.
“Is the test over?” He asks playfully, pulling back just enough so he can look down at Albedo.
He’s not prepared for how beautiful he looks like this, though -
His blonde hair splayed around his head like some sort of divine halo, his skin still glowing under the dancing flames, his eyes twinkling and his pupils dilated —
Kaeya feels almost guilty to admit that the real deal is even better than the images he had conjured in his head on lonely nights.
“Not really,” the alchemist says, bringing one of his hands from where it was resting on Kaeya’s neck to his lips. Kaeya can hardly keep the urge to moan back when a soft thumb parts his lips and slips lightly into his mouth. “Your mouth is really something else, Captain Kaeya.”
“What can I say?” Kaeya says, speaking against Albedo’s thumb and feeling hyper aware of the blunt fingernails resting on his cheek and jaw. “Words aren’t the only thing I’m skilled at.”
Albedo chuckles, looking genuinely happy even if he’s literally teasing Kaeya and testing the limits of his self-control with the way his thumb keeps pressing against his lip. He looks handsome, and sensual, and so, so beautiful, Kaeya doesn’t know what to do.
“I can see that.”
“I want to kiss you more,” Kaeya says, blunt because he needs it like he hasn’t needed anything else in his life. “I want to kiss you forever.”
Albedo lets out a shaky breath at that, his eyes nearly hazy, and Kaeya wishes his want would consume him the way it’s consuming him, too.
“I’m… I’m not unwilling,” Albedo says. “Obviously, I’m not. I want that too. Kissing you just now, Kaeya, I — I don’t think I’ve ever felt more alive.”
“You are alive, Albedo,” Kaeya tells him, in case Albedo has ever doubted it. He kisses below Albedo’s ear, mutters against his skin. You are so full of life , he says. Life overflows you, you might as well be a god, a master of life, because everything you do is create and bring the dead to life — that he doesn’t say, but he thinks it and he feels it when he captures Albedo’s lips again.