Disclaimer: Reader is not traveller || mention of fire
Note: An incredible person helped me with the translation of this one-shot. Thank you so much Algol for your help!
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Soon, you could see your friend's camp, inserted in a large hole in the mountain. You crossed the broken bridge with your glider (you always wondered why he never tried to repair it) and, after a tortuous journey, managed to reach Albedo's camp.
The harsh weather in the mountains, for some reason, was never kind to you. Every time you had to undertake a new trip there, the fog thickened and the wind rose, not to forget the snow storms that caught you up in their gales whenever you set foot there. You always had to carry extra provisions in your backpack, which made it weigh twice as much as recommended for trips like these, but all that effort always paid off.
Considering the good taste he was known for, that camp was pretty… precarious. A couple of shelves full of unknown substances, books full of indecipherable texts, an alchemy table that emanated a certain aura of mystery (perhaps because you didn't know how alchemy worked, despite your friend explaining it to you a hundred times) and so many other scattered items that it would be impossible to enumerate them all… Apparently order was not a priority in his laboratory.
Upon reaching the cave, you decided to head in directly, since another of Albedo's great mysteries was: Why didn't his laboratory have a door? Wasn't it cold during those frigid nights and icy snowstorms? You preferred not to think too much about the matter, you would ask him later.
Glancing around the lab, you quickly managed to spot him on one of the desks. Concentrated on perhaps writing his conclusions or some procedure, he did not notice your presence, so you decided to call his attention.
"Knock knock" you called it in a singsong voice. Immediately, Albedo snapped out of his trance and gave you a small smile, as a form of saying 'welcome'.
It was strange to see him without the usual coat on him, especially considering the icy wind that was blowing through the place.
"Oh, you made it. How was your trip?" he asked with curiosity
"Tough, but safe. This time no hilichurl attacked me" you mentioned letting out a small laugh.
You tried to get closer to the fire that kept the place warm inside, but immediately your friend called you.
"Did you bring the materials that Sucrose received?" 'Oh, that's right' you thought.
Faced with such a reminder, you removed your backpack from your shoulders and extracted from it materials of strange origin, mainly flasks full of unknown substances and boxes with suspicious aromas.
"Put them on the table" he indicated.
And you did it just as he asked. After a couple more orders regarding his requests, you began to relax, and with the relaxation came a small gust of wind that made your body shake. You wrapped your arms around yourself to feel some warmth; you thought about asking your friend if he could give you a potion, a blanket, something to keep you warm, but he looked so focused that you didn't want to interrupt him.
"Please, hand me that book over there, the one with the green spine", "look in chapter four for the properties of this mineral I have here". With each request, you began to feel like an assistant more than a friend, which made you somewhat sad, since after that long and tedious journey, you received little or nothing of importance.
Suddenly an idea popped in your mind. You stood behind Albedo and began to give him a little massage, since that was a good way to tell if he had rested during the last few days. As expected, his back was far from relaxed. He, on his part, was startled for a moment by feeling your touch, so he decided to question you.
"What are you doing?"
"It's not obvious?" you responded rhetorically, with a sassy tone, to then ask him in a gentler voice "How long has it been since you slept?
Albedo took a moment to respond, unsure of his answer. After a few seconds of silence, he decided to speak.
"Three days"
His answer didn't surprise you at all. You knew well that his sleeping habits were not exactly healthy due to the dedication with which he treated his work. Because of this, a new objective crossed your mind: Operation 'Make Albedo rest', whose first step was to make him get up from his seat.
"Hey", you got his attention. "I'm a little cold, don't you want to come with me to the campfire? I brought sweets to share"
You weren't telling a single lie, the cold you felt was real and the sweets were waiting patiently in your backpack.
"Sweets, you say?" Your friend took the bait.
"Yes, and I'm only going to give them to you if you get your ass off the chair and come with me"
Albedo sighed, surrendered. His sweet tooth could be seen by far, so it wasn't too difficult to make him take a little break to recharge his batteries with a candy-flavored treat.
"Okay, but only because it's you" and finally he got up. "Are you saying you're cold? I have some blankets here, give me a minute and I'll look for them."
The ash blond disappeared under a desk and returned with a small stack of fluffy blankets. While your friend was looking for the blankets, you decided not to waste time and looked among your things for the sweets and desserts that you packed with great delicacy.
Once both of you were ready, Albedo offered you a hot chocolate to, as he said, 'warm up your body', to which you gladly accepted. After preparing the drink, you both sat on the ground in front of the campfire of his laboratory and covered yourselves with blankets to enjoy a well-deserved rest.
You raised your head slightly to look at him; his eyes were closed, possibly wanting to enjoy his well-deserved rest with you and your delicious gifts. You smiled sweetly at the adorable sight he was giving you. His closed eyes, his mouth half-opened, his disheveled hair after several days without fixing it... you wished that moment would never end.
Night began to fall, and with it your tired eyes, which were impossible to keep open after such an adventure through the mountains. The heat of the campfire and the warmth of the aquamarine-eyed boy's body didn't help, since they gave you a relaxing feeling as well as pleasant; it wasn't every day that you could rest your head on Albedo's shoulder, or receive the caresses of his soft hands on your scalp, much less feel the rapid beating of his artificial heart.
To your surprise, after a while he decided to say something.
"Suddenly I no longer want to continue working…", he declared. His words took you by surprise, since that situation was most peculiar.
"Do you want to sleep?" you asked softly in your voice.
"Maybe so…" he answered before letting out a yawn and raising his arms in a stretch. That movement made the blanket fall, for which you laughed a little. "Sorry", Albedo covered you with the warm cloth and proceeded to look for some pillows to finally get that much-needed sleep.
Returning with the pillows and, additionally, a mattress so you wouldn't sleep on the hard stone floor of the cave.
"Klee insisted on bringing this" he said referring to the mat, implying in some way that he didn't really use it.
After throwing the mat and pillows on the floor, he indicated you to lie down on it. Next, he imitated your actions but behind you, so he could loosely hug you. Immediately afterwards, he covered you both with the blanket.
"I hope we don't lose body heat like this" he mentioned.
Despite his carefully chosen words, you could tell his true intentions by feeling his heartbeat. What a beautiful melody.
You both cuddled together by the fire, enlightened and warm. You yawned at the same time, action that made you both laugh at such an unexpected synchronicity. You snuggled into his warm chest to feel his heartbeat and his calm breathing. He, on his part, began to caress your hair again, so the cold no longer existed, just that warm moment shared with your favorite person.
Disclaimer: As english is not my first language, there might be some typos or incorrect use of words. || reader is not traveller
Note: I loved writing this, it made my heart feel fuzzy and so full of love ajfjsjfja
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You cuddle in the warm touch of who, with pure love and sweetness, rounds your body between his arms. Both of you coexist in the same bed, sharing the body heat you detach, surrounded by the frozen and eternal winter of Dragonspine. You try to sleep, but as soon as you manage to close your eyes, your lover gently kisses your forehead, which wakes you up by making your heart bloom in irrepressible emotions, for which you laugh slightly. He laughs too.
You really want to tell him to stop since his kisses, more than relaxing you, they wake you up, but your heart doesn't allow it; it's been a long day for him and the only thing he wants is to give you all the affection he couldn't manage to give you during his workday. You sigh.
"Something's wrong, my love?" the ash blonde asks in a soft tone; you almost prefer that he doesn't stop talking than that he continues giving you kisses.
"Nothing, it's just that..."
You stop for a second, heavily doubting about whether to declare your thoughts or not.
—"... that?" he insists.
You meditate on your response for a moment. Noticing that any idea flows through your mind (perhaps due to exhaustion after being awake for many, many hours), you decide to give a vague answer.
"It feels good" you sigh " y'know, here..."
He smiles slightly in the gloom.
"Here where? In Dragonspine, in bed…" he questions with a certain humorous tone.
"Here, on your chest..." you mention in a sigh as you rearrange your arms to encircle your lover's small waist.
For his part, the teal-eyed man lets out a little giggle. If it weren't for the absence of light, you might notice a certain blush staining his cheeks, giving his face unparalleled tenderness.
"Oh yeah? Tell me more"he asks genuinely.
"Let me sleep, 'bedo," you exclaim as you snuggle even more into his chest, while in turn squeezing your arms harder against him.
Albedo giggled again. How dare you be so adorable? Even in a stubborn way, you manage to release an inexplicable tenderness, capable of melting a heart buried in the snow.
"Okay" he sighs, then gives you another damn kiss on the forehead.
Those kisses, full of affection and pure sweetness, could be welcome at any other time. You think again about asking him to stop, although without realizing, you begin to breathe heavily, which alerts your loved one.
"Sure you're okay? I notice you agitated, do you need something?"
"I need…" you speak without thinking. You wonder why, but it's too late to start reflecting "I need you to stop kissing me, it won't let me sleep".
Your blunt answer surprises Albedo who, worried and somewhat confused, decides to apologize.
"I'm sorry, I... I thought it would help you relax," he began, "I thought it would be a good way to... show you my love in a relaxing way. I'm sorry…"
You feel your heart skip a beat, "What if I hurt him?", you think. You stay reflecting on the situation for a moment, until suddenly you remember something.
"Remember when I said I could fall asleep just listening to you talk?" you blurt out.
Your words cause the sadness in Albedo's mind to be overshadowed by a giggle.
"Oh yeah? Well… what do you want to hear?"
"That's a very good question," you think in realization. What could he talk about? What theme should he touch?
"Anything," you reply quietly. "Tell me about your day, a project you have in mind… something"
Your partner giggles. Oh how you love that laugh.
"Well, let me tell you about my day"
And so you feel how the minutes pass by, listening to the warm voice of Albedo who, with unquestionable passion, tells you about the experiments of the day. An adulterated philanemo mushroom, a substance that allows slimes to increase their size by three...
Little by little, and with the help of a couple of caresses on your scalp, you begin to feel that typical heaviness in your eyes, the one that indicates that at any moment you are going to fall into the arms of a sweet dream. However, you notice that your partner stopped talking for a moment, which is strange to you. Suddenly, Albedo starts speaking again.
"You seriously take my breath away, even asleep". Your heart skips a beat. "In my life I never thought that I would be able to feel so much... peace" he murmurs before letting out a sigh. "I hope you are having sweet dreams, my dear, because there is nothing I want more than to protect you in my arms, feeling your breath, your warmth, your heartbeats..."
The sweetness with which he describes his feelings... his warm words make your heart beat faster and faster. You want to answer him, but you really need to sleep. After a pause, your partner murmurs again.
"You are my little ray of sunshine, my life, I mean it, and I will never get tired of repeating it" he takes a breath and then continues speaking in a low voice "please never forget it, don't forget that you will always have a place to return, a shoulder to cry on, a partner to share your joy with"
Albedo places his delicate hand on your head and snuggles you closer to his chest, that rumbles thanks to his relaxing palpitations.
