[ LANTERN MAKING ] ━━ each year, we send up glorious lanterns with our thoughts, prayers, and hopes for the future, and what makes them so special is that no one lantern is the same. create your own work of art to carry on into the vast expanses of the night ! / / i hadn't meant for this to get sad mfmewmkkds IMSORRYYY
little sun had found her other half by the xinyue kiosk dessert cart, unable to resist the temptation of a second confection in albedo’s hand. thus, she had stayed at his side for a good while━━nibbling on a fish-on-a-stick, being carried on his shoulders to touch a lantern, and dancing in front of a laughing musician while her brother twirled her around━━all to this moment.
curled up at his side, little legs thrown over his knee, klee yawned and held onto the lantern as albedo tinkered with it a tad bit more. their individual lanterns were beside them, left in the hopes of them creating one together. it had been klee’s idea, but albedo’s eagerness made it so that the dream became theirs.
another yawn; she pressed the pads of her fingers against the lantern’s structure, holding it still for him to work on. “do you think mama and papa will be able to see our lanterns once they’re in the sky? if they fly high up enough?”
she believed so━━mama’s schedule of sending mail always seemed to align with whenever klee finished a project. or whenever she waddled into albedo’s workshop with tears pricking the corners of her eyes. thinking about mama, and how much papa had been smiling when he announced the journey, made klee giggle a little. a breathless sound that toed the line of falling apart.
bright eyes began to water against her wishes, her bottom lip trembling even as she trapped it between her teeth. when klee raised a hand to her face, wiping at the corner of her eyes with her coat sleeve, a heavy weight began to settle in her chest.
“i miss them,” she whispered, “but klee shouldn’t be crying… klee’s having fun! she is, really! but… i… i want them to m━━make a lantern with us…”
but that’d be impossible; mama and papa were far away now, bravely venturing off on an important journey. that’s why she was here with albedo! and she was happy to be here, but… little sun wiped away at her face harder, sniffling into her sleeve until she felt her face was less red. enough to glance up at albedo with a small, weak smile. “can we… can we make them one, ‘bedo?”
he is fiddling with the frame of their lantern, teal irises boring into the paper craft like a paramount experiment. the afternoon is breezing by, idle words and hums fluttering between them like swallowtail kites. midday light casts its tranquil sunbeam over the little sun nestled at his side. even the alley cats have taken up colorful corners of the harbor to stretch out for a nap. at some point albedo had assumed the reins of their tinkering, having draped an arm around klee while she held the lantern for them. the occasional passerby casts the siblings a glance. all is well, their smiles presume. all is never as it seems, albedo's eyes volley right back.
he feels, first, before he sees klee cry. the first little sob that racks her body sends a pang of alarm through him, his arms tensing on instinct. the tiny sound of a hiccup comes next, calcifying a lump between albedo's ribs and driving his ministrations to a halt.
( the lump is large. it is heavy, it is peculiar, it is human. klee wrings this sort of thing out of albedo in record time, and perhaps that should scare him more than it does. )
albedo reflects. a homunculus he may be, but in this moment, he is the older brother that rhinedottir had never allowed him. rhinedottir herself is an enigma. he can only hypothesize his master's relationship with alice—he has done so for years—but all he has to go on is what they say about hexenzirkels of a feather. they go, they come, they go again. they leave behind more questions than answers. they leave behind crying children who try to be brave.
he closes his eyes, feeling his insides constrict more and more with each word that tumbles from klee's shaky lips. find the truth of this world, gold had instructed him, all that time ago. she had not made it easy.
but albedo has since acquired many truths and double the falsehoods. a valuable one of the former is this: children should not have to learn how to put on a brave face. that is the job of adults. he sets down his drafting compass, gathering her into his lap to give her his undivided attention.
"it's alright, klee. you needn't explain yourself," albedo starts, "nor need you fear anyone's disapproval. i know that you're having fun."
mindful arms loop around klee to ensure she cannot fall, allowing her to relax freely into his chest should she wish. she is safe here. she need not stand on occasion, nor sit up so straight. the minute that klee's sorrows demand any poise of her is when albedo will have failed her, too.
"that doesn't mean you aren't allowed to miss them, or feel sad when you do." a soft tilt of his head. "it merely proves that you have a very big heart..."
albedo continues, the tip of his index finger curling and uncurling in a single nudge, just over where klee's heart beats. like durin's, it bleeds warmth. it bleeds love, and life, and everything worth protecting.
"...with all that more room to hold bigger burdens."
if he could carry them all for her, he would. his gloved thumb brushes along klee's cheek, catching a stray tear and swiping it gently from her face.
"indeed, it would be wonderful if they could be here to make lanterns with us." albedo concurs, followed by a brief press of lips. what can he do? what can he say? him, an artificial creation masquerading as something more? "... however, i believe that aunt alice will be watching from afar. she would recognize your handiwork right away, and treasure your message to her. you're thinking of your parents, just as they think of you."
he cannot replace a mother's love, cannot replicate that which he does not know—only try to stave away the ache klee fights. he must strive to be enough. eyes soft in thought, albedo tucks a stray blonde lock behind her pointed ear. he is besieged by the urge to gather klee even closer, a soft sigh breathed into the crown of her head. after a moment, he pulls back, meeting her gaze with a faint smile.
"now, i do hope you're ready to blow everybody else's lanterns out of the sky. ah—figuratively. figuratively," albedo tacks on the last bit in a hurried mutter, tender palms cupping klee's face as he gives her another once-over for tears. when he finds none, he gives one cheek a doting pat.
"we'll make ours a sight to remember, hm? and, when aunt alice comes home, you can show it to her up close. let's see, we'll start with..."
