characters: albedo x female!reader
synopsis: you tease albedo to see if your lovely gentleman boyfriend ends up losing his composure. he won't, right? he's always been so nice towards you... until one day, you push his buttons way too much. It ends with an extremely sexually frustrated albedo giving you the best fuck of your whole life.
cw: there's no sex here yet, but it's just albedo eye-fucking, suggestive clothing, suggestive thoughts
wc: 2.2k words
this will have 3 chapters, with the third being the longest chap :) apologies if albedo is a tad bit ooc in this fic lol, i wrote this on pure drive
The alchemist stands far away from you, tending to his messy paperwork at the desk. You see scribbles, mathematical formulas, lifelike drawings, and… Well, your eyesight isn’t good enough to decipher his handwriting from afar.
You let out a long, drawn-out sigh, legs swinging up and down like a bored little kid. Every time you visit Albedo in his laboratory at Dragonspine, you end up sitting on a chair, patiently waiting for time to pass by as he works diligently. You have sat on so many of his chairs that you decide to sit on another one of his desks today.
The wood is warm, heating your chilled hands from the cold. You wonder how Albedo can stand the temperature here.
Then, you realise your boyfriend isn’t even a human. Well, he technically is; you consider him a human with a heart, from how tender he is and how he knows how to treat you like royalty. You bet he’ll also willingly suck your toes if you ask him to.
Perhaps that is why he is always so perfect. No flaws. Perfectly smart, perfectly beautiful, and perfectly yours. Does he even get angry?
When the two of you argue, he behaves like a saint, a gentleman sculpted by god itself, planted with the seeds of chivalry. He has never once raised his voice at you, nor has he ever offended you in any way. His words seem to go through layers of quality checking, assessed with caution and love, before leaving his lips.
Even during acts of intimacy, he treats you like holy nectar dripped out of a blessed flower. Caressing your skin, handling you gingerly, ensuring his one-millimetre-long nails don’t scratch your porcelain skin.
Albedo doesn’t hurt you, which is good, and you aren’t complaining.
…
Okay, maybe you are.
You wonder how it feels to have him lay a hand on you, gripping onto your chunks of fat so tightly, it bruises a deep purple red. You want him to pour out all his years of bottled-up frustration into you, forcing you to take it mercilessly; he doesn’t even blink an eyelash at your tears.
You really wonder how it will be if Albedo just let it all out, and well, for starters, cursed.
Will it be a loud surprise ‘fuck!’ when you clench down on him?
Or, will he be moaning a drawn-out ‘fuck…’ as he enters you from the back?
Your head is tainted, and it feels so wrong fantasising about things that might never happen to you. You look upwards, noticing Albedo’s eyes gazing at you, and you wonder if he’s judging your constipated expression from resisting the urge to grin like a lustful maniac.
Hence, that has become your plan for the next few weeks. A brand new experiment no one knows about, except for you, and the heavy erotica books that have been stacking up at your desk.
Experiment 1: Bending over. That’s it.
Your palms are sweating beads. You don’t know why, but excitement mixed with fear is beating in your heart. It is the first time you are being so confident in teasing Albedo, not knowing what to expect.
Days of planning should bear better fruit in a positive outcome. Albedo better drop onto his knees and pray to you like a worshipper to his goddess. If not, you will be disappointed.
Just kidding. You know your boyfriend is someone who barely loses his composure. Even just a tiny crack on his facade is more than enough to entertain you for the rest of the week. But oh god, if he curses. If he allows a little oopsie to slide out of his tongue, you might just ascend to the heavens.
“I might be getting a little bit too delusional, let’s stop,” You shake your head, and make your way to the Knights of Favonious headquarters. Today, Albedo should be in his office, a place where he rarely visits, as he is always holed up in his ice mountain. Fortunately, your D-Day landed on a day he is forced to attend meetings.
However, you should be quick on your feet. Albedo appears and vanishes as quickly as the wind.
You grip onto your thigh-length mini skirt, tugging it down slightly to at least preserve your dignity a few moments before you lose it. It barely covers anything, except your underwear. On the bright side, you are wearing thigh highs, so there isn’t much bare skin showing.
But, it is still a questionable outfit, and your heart is about to pounce out of your chest from how rapidly it is beating.
Still, you brace yourself, and suck in a long, deep breath, enough air until your face turns fully red. Then, you raise your hand, and knock, “‘Bedo, can I come in?”
His voice, smooth like high-quality luxurious silk, can be heard behind the door. It lures you in effortlessly, because before he can even finish his sentence, “Love? Yes, do come-” You have already made your entrance to his office.
And oh god, oh archons, oh any heavenly beings out there listening to your call- you think your grip on reality is loosening. The moment the door opens, Albedo’s gaze instantly falls on you, and you swear, it’s not your imagination, but his eyes widen for the first time. You have never witnessed your boyfriend being surprised at anything; it is almost unbelievable.
You notice how his gaze slowly draws downwards, to the provocative skirt, straight down to the tight thigh-highs that hug your legs beautifully, fitting appealingly.
Before you can speak up, though, his eyes are back staring at your face again, as if he has never lost his way with his gaze. Like he just didn’t eyefuck you with those lust-filled pupils of his.
“Love, this is a surprise.” There he goes again, that soft, gentle voice that floods into your ears like a harmonious melody. You think he is going to say something about your outfit, maybe ask you to turn around and bend over so you don’t have to do the job yourself.
Instead, he stands up, and begins walking to you. All of a sudden, you can’t breathe anymore. Your ribs are dying from how powerfully your heart is hammering against your bones. You are glad that Albedo doesn’t possess any supernatural ability to read minds, because every single verse in your head is no longer age-appropriate.
Wait, this isn’t part of the plan!
You shut your eyes tight, holding in your breath, expecting to feel an icy hand touch on your skin.
Except, it never comes.
“Here, sit down,” Albedo pulls out a fucking chair, and drops it in front of his working desk. He turns around, and offers you the sweetest smile on all of Teyvat, as if he is intentionally ignoring the sounds of your heart cracking at the edges.
Then, he sighs, plops his butt on the chair facing yours, “I have another meeting coming up in a few minutes with the Grandmaster. I’ll try to cut it short, though, you know how chatty he is,” A lovable grin tugs on his lips; you think he’s actually trying his best not to smirk. “I can’t subject my love to solitude in my office, too, right?”
The light in your eyes fades away into nothingness. What is the point of this experiment if your boyfriend doesn’t bat an eye at your attempt at seduction?
You even bought a new set of cute underwear that cost an arm and a leg.
In the next few minutes before Albedo proceeds to the meeting, he drafts out his next experiment while he asks about your day, lets you drink the milk tea that has gone cold on his desk, and treats you so lovingly until you feel sinful about your dirty thoughts.
Until, the pen in his hand drops to the floor, rolling a few feet away from his desk. His expression twists, scrunching up into sudden discomfort. Your world stops for a second, scurrying into panic when Albedo’s hand instinctively reaches out for the temple of his forehead. A quiet groan leaves his lips while he fights his abrupt headache, as if he doesn’t wish to concern you.
“Huh, ‘Bedo— Oh gosh, are you alright?”
In an instant, your hands are all over your boyfriend, head moving around in so many directions, you get whiplash. But, can anyone blame you? Your boyfriend, a homunculus, usually all composed, gets a headache out of nowhere!
The blond slowly peers his eyes open weakly, and quickly, like nothing just happened, lets a small smile rise on his lips, “My love, I am alright. Just a little headache. Maybe I can use this as an excuse not to meet the Grandmaster later.”
Your boyfriend decides that, out of everything, the best choice is to crack a joke in your face. You mentally sigh, your imaginary wrinkles deepening into your complexion.
“You should limit the amount of sugar that enters your body, ‘Bedo. Overconsumption of milk tea will have you surviving on sugar spikes.”
“This is the only time you’re seeing me drink milk tea, love.”
“It’s the milk tea.”
“Now you’re just spewing out lies to blame the cup of milk tea. Is this who you truly are, my dearest?” Albedo fakes a disappointed long exhale.
You nearly facepalm, but resist. Before your fingers tear out your skin in frustration, you usher your boyfriend to head to the meeting after noticing it’s way past the few promised minutes. He hates the meetings, but he has no choice but to attend them, so you, being a helpful girlfriend, remind him of his real job.
Albedo agrees, as much as he’s dismayed about it. He ends his teasing session there, and stands up, sorting out the files and paperwork on his desk for the meeting.
A bewildered expression paints his face as he searches for something missing on his table.
His head turns towards you, inquires you genuinely, “Love, have you seen my pencil around? I could have sworn I was holding it earlier…”
“Your pencil? Oh, let me get it for you. It dropped somewhere here…”
You make your way towards the fine-quality pencil that rolled to a quiet corner of the room. It’s carved with a marvellous design, suited only for a professional like Albedo, creating masterpieces.
Squatting down, you take the fallen pencil and retrieve it for him, completely forgetting about your earlier plans and even how short the skirt you are wearing is. You don’t pay attention to how the back of the skirt blows upwards the moment you get down, revealing your entire glory beneath.
The thought of your boyfriend suffering from a bad headache has your attitude switching a 360, like someone has cast a memory wipe spell on you.
Albedo’s lips curve into a grateful smile as he takes the pencil from your warm hands, “Thank you, dearest. See you later for lunch.”
And Albedo leaves, disappears into the hallway without looking back.
Was it just you, or were his eyes a bit cloudier than usual just then?
Unbeknownst to you, the angelic smile on his face suddenly drops into a smirk, one that he rarely shows you, only when he’s really amused. And this time, you really did amuse him.
He knows exactly what you have planned the moment you show up in his office, wearing the shortest, skimpiest skirt known to mankind. The pearl white thigh-high stockings don’t help either. The way they snag at your thighs, forcing your absolutely delicious parts of fat to ooze out.
Albedo lets his eyes wander for the first time, your body drawing him in like a strong magnet, but he doesn’t let them stay for too long.
Can’t let you have all the fun at once, right?
He enjoys making you think he’s an innocent saint. The alchemist has built up a reputation as the one gentleman who opens doors for you to enter first, pulls out your chair first in restaurants, and walks on the outside of sidewalks while holding your hand. In your eyes, he is probably the most perfect being to exist on Teyvat, follows his own virtues, thinks before acting, and lets logic be his reasoning.
And honestly, he can’t blame you for wanting to push him further, to see where it leads to.
He doesn’t blame you when you accidentally reveal yourself wearing the cutest pair of panties. In fact, he’s on cloud nine. His mind replays the scene again and again in his head as if it were a cinematic cutscene in theatres. He reviews the footage in his mind, the way your ass curves beautifully, stretching that piece of fabric that’s barely holding on.
Albedo thinks it might be his new favourite view of you. It would be better if the skirt weren’t blocking his view.
But archons, did he want to bend you over his desk, press his body against your back, until all you can inhale is his scent. He wants to hear your breathless moans when he pushes his growing bulge against your adorable cotton panties.
It won’t be fun if he loses his composure in the first round, so it takes everything in him to resist his fantasies.
Albedo might as well just play the wolf in sheep's clothing longer.
The alchemist rhythmically taps his finger against the files he’s holding, while he smugly smirks to himself.
He wasn't expecting today to be anything eventful. Although he considered this somewhat a norm for him with the life he's living, Albedo still assumed it wouldn't be too much trouble. His guard is always up, and he's always aware of his surroundings even when he seems to be deep in thought.
But when he was in the middle of thanking you for letting him get a few books for his research, just before you had to close up for the night, Albedo did not have prior plans to pull out his gun and point it at you.
Let alone having to pull the trigger.
He had immediately caught you when your legs instantly gave out. He feels immense guilt for putting such a terrified look on your face, and for scaring you. But Albedo had no choice but to act first, or the man now dead on the pavement could've done way worst. Just a glimpse at a particular pin on the man's jacket was enough to tell him it was one of those ruthless fellas from an enemy group. The ones that don't mind disposing innocent people for their own gain.
"My apologies...I had no time to warn you...", he says sincerely. Tone soft and gentle as to not rattle you more than he already has.
He's quick to drape his coat over your shoulders, moving you away from the body a few feet behind you. He made sure you didn't even get a glimpse. He didn't want such a sight haunting you tonight or for however long it would've taken for you to get over it. Though he's sure it'll be awhile until you can get over this event any time soon either. Not to mention you might not be able to look at him the same ever again. He won't just be a regular customer to you anymore, he fears.
You were merely an innocent civilian, minding their own business. Something unsightly shouldn't taint your thoughts. And now he needs to make sure there are several men stationed around the bookstore, and perhaps your home, or general vicinity to ensure your safety. You were targeted once, Albedo can't let it happen again.
He watches carefully as you still trembled within his grasp, clutching his coat for dear life as he quickly gives out orders into his phone. He needed to report this to his higher up too, but he'll do that later. You were more important currently.
For now he had to ensure you were okay. Calm you down, and figure out how to explain why he had killed a man without hesitation. Being apart of the mafia isn't exactly news people would just accept so lightly...especially not after thinking they were about to get shot.
He really had to make it up to you big time. The last thing he wanted was for you to hate him. Not to mention, there also goes his chance to ask you out for coffee like he had originally planned...
inc. xiao, albedo, kinich, lohen, wanderer, cyno, tartaglia
premise. there was once a time when the two of you were dating, happy to spend you time revolving around each other. however, when you meet again after being seperated, how will you both react?
notes. modern au guyz live it up, reader referred to as female in some sections, varying relationship details, some r better than others, may be ooc but take my poetic reasoning that your more soft and intentional with exes bc theres a lot of history there, angst to comfort in some, lohen ends kinda suggestive idk!!, not rlly proofread xx ly all
xiao
dating xiao, in your eyes, was one of the best things you did. your parents loved him enough to invite him to every family gathering, and he somehow wormed his way into your dogs heart when he moved in.
or maybe that was the exact problem; as students with similar majors, you were around each other constantly. xiao was in half your classes, the same study groups, and then you'd go back to see him at home. it was never about being bored of seeing him, never, but you had always loved the individuality you had growing up. things were easier when you didn't have to constantly consider the feelings of someone you saw twenty-four seven.
it was a selfish thought, that you were aware of, but you couldn't help the nagging feeling of wanting to have your own space. but what were you supposed to say: hey, can you quit your classes so i don't have to spend as much time with you?
although, you probably should've mentioned these feelings to xiao properly instead of having a screaming match with him as soon as he got home one night. to make matters worse, he didn't even shout back. he'd tried to calm things down, failed, and just accepted his fate. the following morning he'd packed his things with swift efficiency, but the most time was spent with your retriever, coco. you'd felt bad for a while. after all, not only was the dog practically his too, but your friends, family; xiao had just agreed to avoid them without debate.
it had been two years since you last saw him. it was lucky, considering he was living with his dad in your city. sometimes, you'd see him view your stories or like your posts, and that regret would come back.
you groaned, dog lead in one hand as your other maintained typing on your phone. this music was awful; you didn't need depressing ex songs to send you back in memories. whilst trying to find something a bit more uplifting, your hand slipped slightly on the lead.
"jeez, coco, calm down. there's nothing to be that excited about."
the retriever kept tugging with a fiery determination. you tried pulling him back, just to slip from your fingers anyway, and he made no hesitation when bolting further into the park. your hands dropped your phone back into your pocket as you ran after her. "coco! where are you even—“
she'd found her target, alright. it didn't take longer than a few seconds to recognise him. you'd always said you liked his green hair, because it was unique enough to catch him in a crowd.
well, if you had noticed it in time, you would've definitely swerved.
"oh, uh, hi," xiao nodded awkwardly, his hands in limbo between petting coco and raised to you as if to say, 'i'm not hostile.'
in your mind, this had all played out quite differently when you imagined it. still, you couldn't deny that now you were in front of him, it was a pleasant surprise. you hummed. "hello, xiao."
coco barked, demanding more attention from him, which xiao gave in a reserved fashion. "oh, seems she missed you," you commented.
"well, i'd missed her too, so."
you nodded. this was so awkward. after two years, he still hadn't changed. same cologne, same hoodie that you used to wash for him on sundays. did someone else do that for him now, or—
"who washes your clothes?"
no, did you actually just say that?
xiao looked up with a quirk in his brow. truly, you had expected him to run off and call you deranged, but he stayed. "my dad. still living with him," he adjusted his gaze for his next words. "but he doesn't do it as good as you, if that makes any sense."
it did. you felt in when you fed coco, or took a test without him giving you a stern study session beforehand. sometimes. you'd even get out another plate before dishing up dinner. the one with a slight chip in it after you'd been reckless with the dishwasher. he said it was a symbol of love. seriously, after two years, you were still doing all of that.
"xiao, would you like to get coffee?" coco had barked in tandem, like she knew what you were saying. he smiled easily. would it seriously have been this easy?
"yeah, i'd like that."
albedo
albedo had always felt that he had a close-knit family. after his mother passed away, his auntie alice had moved in to take care of them, bringing her daughter klee with her. then, another boy the same age as him called durin not so long after. his family might not have been tied by bonds of blood, but he felt love was always present.
he'd experienced that even more when you used to visit. you had always been prepared: roses for alice, drawing supplies for klee, and durin had usually thanked you prefusely upon bringing a new book for him to read. apparently, you used to write notes for him to read in the margins. he hadn't realised till you stopped visiting their home.
at first, he avoided every trace of you. bagged his old bedding and replaced it, but that still didn't get rid of the scent of you, so he asked to swap rooms with durin.
(that didn't really help either. but he couldn't let durin think his sacrifice was in vain, and he definitely couldn't replace all of his belongings).
for the months that followed, it was just a known rule to not talk about you. klee would always slip up at times, as kids do; albedo couldn't even complain because he understood why they missed you so much. hell, so did he. you were one of the most insightful people he knew when it came to people, except maybe his auntie.
though, even a year later, it seems he can't escape mentions of you. they were all at the dinner table; alice had caved and bought chinese takeout.
"albedo..." klee started, her hands making a mess of using chopsticks. "i know we aren't supposed to ask, but why does name not visit anymore?"
he had heard durin sigh next to him, but that was no matter. it had been his fault in the first place; he told you ages ago that he didn't have the time. how was he supposed to explain that to a six year old, when klee knows him better than anyone? that he did have time, but not the effort. even worse, she looked on the verge of tears.
"just because you did something wrong doesn't mean that we did! can't you just ask?" her lip wobbled, chopsticks now discarded on the table. her feet pushed away against the carpet, and with choked tears, she made her way to her room.
his auntie had huffed a breath, muttering an excuse me before following after.
looking down at his plate, albedo ignored durin's small words of comfort, "i'll call her."
durin paused. "who?"
"name." it's not like he needed much convincing, anyway. he was out of his seat and heading into another room before he heard a rebuttal.
the phone rang out four times before someone answered. there was total silence on the end of the line for a few seconds; "okay, albedo, if you don't start talking in the next few minutes, i'm ending the call."
of course you knew he was there. you knew him best.
"hi. i'm sorry if this is random. er, klee just started talking about you again. i know we haven't spoke in a while, and it's a huge ask, but..."
was he seriously going to ask?
"could you come over? and— this isn't just for klee, it's for me. but, then again, if your still angry," he wouldn't blame you if you were, "just take it as a favour for her."
again, the line had drowned itself in silence. "name? are you still there?"
your voice came across slightly muffled. "i can come. but if it's not too much to ask, could we talk over things from last time?" the breakup. it had been the last time you spoke, considering you stormed off crying after he had asked for his belongings back.
his lips formed into a small smile. "of course. i have a lot i want to say, too."
you hummed. "well, i'll be over soon. don't get too excited!" you had laughed, properly laughed, before ending the call. even in the last few weeks you were together, albedo hadn't heard that sound. he was too busy avoiding you.
but, this time, things could be different. he was sure of it.
kinich
your local cafe had seen you in every state. after passing your exams, getting a new job, getting soaked in the rain, reeling from your breakup and even now, two months later.
people had told you every minute, 'oh, things will get better!'. well, if being better was still rocking up in his black zip-up to the one place where you both had your first date, then maybe they were right.
at first, it was embarrassing. all of the regulars used to coo at the fact you and your sweet boyfriend came in every week. kinich may have been a man of few words, but he had always prioritised you; it was always his card that had clicked pay before yours. everyone at the cafe recognised it.
so yes, they did notice when you came without kinich for the first morning since you'd met him. it was much easier to say that he got caught up in a sickness bug than admitting you had broken up with him after being finding out he had secretly been texting mualani for weeks. they still pried, but you monopolised on the free coffee 'for the stress he must be putting you through whilst sick' and left.
(it didn't exactly help that kinich apparently went two hours later, bright and healthy. he'd texted you about the lie you told in the evening, but you were quick to block him after that notification came through).
still, he may have once been all for you, but that chat log with mualani was inexcusable. apparently she liked him at one point; therefore, seeing nine text notifications and two missed calls was enough evidence for you to call it off. you didn't need to know the details — they had been talking for weeks and that was enough.
some would call wearing your ex's hoodie a crime to your dignity, but hey, that had already vanished two months ago. you couldn't part with it, because it did remind you of the primarily good moments the two of you had. so much for getting over him...
"wait, name?"
hearing that voice, you jumped out of your skin.
"ah, kinich... it's you!" you couldn't tell if that was the voice of someone pleasantly surprised or horrified. still, you turned, giving him a glance before looking down at your own clothes. did he really have to see you dressed like this? you were still wearing his hoodie that he never picked up, with joggers that had seen better days. and your hair—
"i didn't think you'd still have that," he mumbled, before tugging at the sleeve. you hated how your wrist followed with ease.
"it's good for winter. thermal conductivity." that was the lie you had told your friends, too. you don't know why; kinich always ran warm, so his jackets were thin.
still, he accepted your flimsy excuse. that was when you felt it, the watchful eyes of most of the regulars in the cafe. you weren't thinking about onlookers in your somewhat anti-climactic reunion. "err, have you ordered?" you rushed to ask.
kinich nodded, which gave you enough permission to drag him into a corner booth. he stared at you. "well, that's a surprise. you've been screening my calls for weeks."
"that's kinda what someone does when they block someone."
"for no reason," he added, his right hand moving with his voice. a quirk of his you'd always noticed; he could never stop gesturing whenever he felt strongly about something.
"pshh," was he being serious? "you literally cheated on me!"
a great moment for the waiter to drop both your drinks at the table. his face was clearly one of surprise, as his mouth dropped in awe. he didn't even say one of their usual happy catchphrases, running to spread the latest rumour through the mill.
kinich halted his words. "...cheat?"
"don't think i didn't see your texts to mualani! and all the calls! for weeks, right in front of me!"
he chuckled. "seriously? i was planning for us to go visit the resort she works at. for our anniversary." to prove his point, he quickly lifted out his wallet, showing you the two tickets neatly placed. easybreeze tour tickets for, you guessed it, your one-year anniversary.
"i kept them in my wallet in case... i dunno. you came back to me. and then i just kept them because i wanted to."
"so... no cheating?" he shook his head. "and mualani isn't a big deal?" another head shake.
well, now you felt silly. you hadn't even checked their texts, just assumed; and now put you both through two months of pain for nothing.
"sorry," you muttered, looking the other way.
"i'm just glad you were wearing my hoodie. i don't think i'd have recognised you otherwise. your hairs totally—“
"don't finish that sentence!" "i was going to say different."
god, you'd have to end that rumour mill now.
lohen
"you know i only ask this because your one of my only guy friends, right?" you teased, eyes passing across lohen who was beside you.
usually, break ups are a messy entanglement of she said, he said, and it results in nothing except regret or sorrow. for you and lohen, you couldn't say the same. you were still close friends; he came round to your house, cooked meals, texted you like you were still together. you saw it as the best conclusion to a relationship you thoroughly enjoyed.
lohen, on the other hand, fucking hated this situation. you were acting like you didn't even have history, and yet he was the one left dreaming of kissing you again every night? if he had any backbone when it came to you, maybe he would have actually spoken up about how insane this situation actually was. you'd dated for four years, broken up for three months, and yet you were so quickly back to being buddy-buddy? though, he supposed that having you close here was better than nothing. it's not like head to watch you go off with anyone else.
"this guy asked me out, and i don't know whether to say yes. should i?"
he slowly shifted to look at you. "are you being serious, bunny?"
you had hummed, eyes shifting back again to the magazine you'd been reading. from this angle, he could see the necklace he'd gifted you years ago, two ears dangling from a circle. it reminded him most of his favourite animals, and of you, so he quickly purchased it. but, you were still wearing it; was that a sign you still loved him? or a fucked up torture device?
there was an easy route to this, one that could still keep him in your good books. give the advice, then go and beat up whoever the hell this guy was. he would argue he's a much stronger guy than most; if they couldn't bean lohen himself, they didn't deserve you.
but then, if you did find out, you'd be quick to throw him on the streets. that means he'd never have a redemption; one fleeting chance to say the break up was a stupid decision and have you run back in his arms.
"is he... nice? the words felt like venom on his tongue. lohen wasn't always a nice guy, and yet you lasted four years. what about an angel incarnate? engagement? marriage? he couldn't watch that play out.
you mulled it over. "err, i don't really know him. my friends just sent me a picture of him and asked."
lohen smirked. "show me."
this was the true test. you can tell everything from someone's appearance, he'd learnt that the hard way. as your hands moved to pass him the phone, he could barely hold back a laugh. he could pick anything out! a bad hairline, a frown which could show bad intentions.
his eyes scanned the screen immediately.
"wait— fucking varka?" he yelled. you had titled your head, but his tirade was only just beginning. "varka? my boss, varka? you've literally met him!"
"he seems... cute." you shrugged.
"okay, i've had enough of this," lohen sat up, facing you directly. "i don't want you seeing other people. we were together for four years, bun, i'm not getting over it in twelve weeks. you can like me back or not, that's fine, but i can't watch you do this in front of me!"
he heard your giggles first. "wh—okay, what's so funny?"
"haha, it worked! it actually worked!"
"huh? what worked?" his hand was on yours now. sneaky guy.
you wiped the tears from your eyes, "varka asked me to do this because you were being so mopey at work... i just said yeah because i would've asked you out again anyway. pffft, this is amazing!"
lohen smirked. "intentional, huh?" he was even closer to you now. you hadn't noticed. "i'll get you back for that one."
wanderer
your old relationship with wanderer had always been described as odd. he was standoffish, even with you at times, though you swore he was different behind closed doors. at the end of the day, other peoples opinions weren't supposed to sway either of your minds; you were happy with eachother, and that's the priority.
well, that's what you had preached in the beginning. but after being told from your siblings, friends and practically everyone you interacted with that he 'never seemed interest' in you, you were hasty to cut it off. it was one of those decisions you had always regretted, and always would, especially since he still remained in your close circle of friends. you had always wondered why they all kept him around if he was such a disinterested guy, but they must have saw something you didn't.
that thought lingered at every hangout: you'd see him across the table, typically enjoying himself (though pretending he didn't). was this the side people thought was careless? you had never figured it out. it wasn't like you were together for long, a few months, but you'd liked him for longer. probably since you first met him. whether that was reciprocated, you had never been certain.
it was another one of those hangouts, though. the ones where you'd all crowd at someone's house and do random shit because you were all unemployed or bored. last month it was a movie night, you'd avoided wanderer with every bone in your body, but it was game night tonight.
not like you were really in it. you were surprised you had still been invited, considering you had an argument with one of the biggest personalities in the friend group. you were still permitted to come, but you couldn't help getting bogged down over it. after all, half of your friends were eyeing you up like they held pitchforks.
"okay, food break!" one of your friends had exclaimed, most of them running to the kitchen. they'd been cooking up a pot roast all night, so no surprise there.
you failed to follow, staring at your cards in the palms of your hand. then, the weight of another adjusted beside you on the couch. he was there; you hadn't noticed him get up to move.
"...hello?" it was more of a question than a greeting.
"you're wearing the scarf. the sad one."
hearing that, in any other context, would've made you laugh, but you knew what he meant. when you had been together, and even before then, wanderer always said that he could tell when you were upset because you wore the pink scarf from the back of your closet. it was comforting, but it was certainly annoying that other people could tell. or maybe it was just a wanderer thing.
but he was giving those eyes. you could never hide anything, not that you'd want to, but he had that certain look which made your words tumble out rather than come out carefully selected.
"i had an argument with someone here and i feel like everyone's mad at me 'cause they kept looking at me during the game. not competitive way but like ugh why are you here way—"
wanderer scoffed. "who?"
you looked around, before whispering the name into his ear. you didn't want to start anything new, and it sent an electric shock through your body to be that close to him again.
"her?" he looked deep in concentration as he spared a look for the cards in your hand. "i don't really like her anyways."
"huh? why?"
"because she was one of the people who told you to break up with me, right?" he looked at you.
your face flushed. "what? it— er, no—“
"shut up, i'm not blaming you," his fingers plucked a card. "it just annoyed me, since they were just doing it for their own personal gain."
well, that thought had crossed your mind since the breakup, but you daren't mention it to anyone in case you were wrong. but the scarf, the reassurance... were these things typical with a guy who doesn't care about you or your relationship?
"though..." he groaned. "i want to get back to where we were before. if you'd want that."
your eyes went back to the card he'd chosen. four of hearts. was that a coincidence, or?
"yeah. i think i'd like that, too."
cyno
"you may now kiss the bride!"
cyno, at his young age, loved going to ceremonies such as weddings, purely because he saw you and him at the forefront. he never questioned whether it would be him waiting for you at the end of that alter, or who his best man was going to be, giving the largest speech on his infatuation with you.
except, now that he was actually watching his first wedding since your break up, he could understand why people held such disdain for them. when there's no one to join the ceremony with you, or even to imagine yourself with, it's a much more boring affair.
he had never even asked if you wanted to be married in the future, nevermind to him. he just always kept it locked as a dream, one he could confidently rapture to you when the timing was right.
it was a shame the timing had never come, or maybe he'd missed his moment. watching you exit your shared home for the final time was hard to swallow, way harder than any confession would be.
truly, it was disgusting for him to be thinking about this. it was one of his friends weddings, yet he was sat here wondering about what you were doing. it was still relatively early; were you making breakfast? or still in bed? if he was there, he would've made you breakfast anyway.
"is it bad that i already know what your thinking about?" tighnari grumbled from beside him, jabbing him in the chest.
cyno just smiled into a sigh. "no. it shows we're a perfect pear. like— pair, pear."
"you can't seriously be doing this at a wedding," he whispered, frustration oozing despite the ongoing ceremony.
cyno returned to watching the happy couple. you hadn't spoken in a month, but he could still picture you perfectly. he was sure you'd wear a dress with flowers, you had always been obsessed with making chains out of them. he would ask to play genius invokation before the big day, and you'd probably slap him. that's where he wants to be.
everyone had slowly started fanning out of the hall when cyno had tugged on tighnari's arm. "tell the couple congratulations for me. i'm going."
"going? going where?"
"to tell her i love her, and that i'm going to marry her."
tighnari's jaw gaped open. "you're proposing to her? are you an idiot, you haven't even seen her in a month!"
cyno just shrugged, smoothly working his way around the sea of people. you could say no, but he was pretty sure you wouldn't. he had a feeling for stuff like this.
his car swerved in front of your flats soon enough. he probably should've conserved his energy for the big speech; instead, he ran up the stairs and pounded on your door like the world was about to end.
"god— i'm coming, i'm coming!" he heard you shout from inside. then the door swung open, and you seemed more exasperated than anything. "cyno?"
"marry me."
your hand dropped from the door handle. "excuse me?"
"well, that wasn't how i wanted it to come out. i was just at a wedding," as if you couldn't tell by his suit get up, "and i couldn't help thinking, that should be us. me and you."
"you know we haven't spoke in a month, right? we broke up, getting married wouldn't work."
"no, it's the solution! trust me, we can sort this all out. the argument was petty and i'm sorry but trust me on this. please."
the door moved to let him in. "just come in."
"i have more. we make a grape couple. great, get it? the fruit puns are really growing on me—"
you nearly slammed the door in his face.
tartaglia
alcohol, as one wise man must've proclaimed some years ago, was the key to unlocking the soul. otherwise, why would every inebriated individual spill out their guts after a few gulps?
that was tartaglia's argument for drinking so much at least. it was a truly immature act, in front of his co-workers, but he couldn't resist. he hadn't spoken to you in two weeks after he came home bloody and bruised from a street fight. you were usually so understanding, but everyone has limits, and he was sure he'd pushed yours to every limit imaginable before you finally shut him down for good.
though, that left him to reside in a god-awful tavern with workers who did a shitty job. you couldn't expect him to stop his fighting hobby, and he couldn't expect you to put up with waking up at forsaken hours to bandage his wounds before they got infected. upon reflection, however, he should have definitely toned it down when you asked...
ugh, he was done for. his words were flowing quicker than his thoughts, god, he even had four hands. was drinking truly this detrimental to one's health? he'd have to let you know on his forty-second voicemail.
"i could call name? i still have the number from a few months back," one of his co workers discussed with another, who agreed vehemently.
you had been revelling in the new tv show you'd decided to binge when you got the call. you recognised the contact; she was one of your ex's co-workers, yes, but a sweet lady who genuinely strived for the best. you answered swiftly. "hello? what's up?"
"name, save us!" someone screamed down the phone, and your feet stirred from the floor.
"sorry to call you, um... childe's here. he's being childish, ironically. he's just pretty drunk and keeps talking about you, and i'm so sorry to dump him on you—"
you sighed. the tv session was long gone by now. "i'll be there in ten."
thing is, you weren't even annoyed about seeing ajax, or as his co-workers named him, childe. why did he need so many nicknames? anyway, you saw your non-contact as a decisive break for him to get his shit together. though that had clearly backfired; he crawled onto you as soon as you entered.
"oh, am i dreaming...? it's you!" he cheered, drink sloshing at the sides as he toasted for your 'return'. jeez, you were glad you never went on a night out with him.
the two who rang you early waved meekly before scurrying off. seriously, no help to the car? not like you needed any, though; he was begging for you to take him home.
"i don't like this atmosphere when your around. you deserve better." "where were you, anyway?" "i got some good pics. i'll show you at home." "can we bake at home? brownies, wow..."
you'd call him a toddler if you weren't dumb enough to date him. he'd managed himself into the car, but you still had to lean over to push the seatbelt. "ah— name?"
"yes?" you sighed; you couldn't do this for much longer.
"i'm sorry. i won't stop my fight club for you, but i get i was pushing you too far. sorry."
his most heartfelt apology had been when drunk. you didn't know whether to laugh or scream at that. still, you laughed softly, leaving him for a moment to get in the car yourself.
"i'm glad you see where i'm coming from. i know your strong, ajax, but it's never nice to see you hurt and know your doing it intentionally."
"to get stronger," he retorted.
"still?"
he hummed, a lopsided smile on his face. "we're dating again."
"woah, i never said that," but as soon as you saw his face contort into a frown, you paused. apparently your break was over, lest you want ajax to actually cry in your car. "okay, fine."
Note: Happy birthday Petal, I hope you enjoy this little token of appreciation. Thank you for being such a good friend through so much, if I could, I'd make the alchemist real for you (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)
Tags: albedo x reader, established relationship, fluff
"Go on, open it." Albedo sounded far more animated than usual, almost enough that it made you chuckle.
From the sparkle in his icy eyes alone (and maybe the fact that Klee had tattled about her big brother's excitement several days ago) that he must've been looking forward to giving you this.
Both of you scooted closer on the bed, Albedo wrapping an arm around your shoulders and tucking you against his side.
The package in front of you was odd to say the least. A long cylindrical cardboard tube with a single piece of string wrapped aroun it and tied off in a bow. You plucked the little lid from one end and tried to maneuver the tube to shake out the contents.
For all his enthusiasm, Albedo placed a slender hand atop your arm to pause your movements. "You're not even going to see if you can guess what it is?"
You blinked at him in confusion and his expression grew even more fond.
"Try to guess?"
He nodded. "Mhm, Klee insists that's a very important part of birthday gifts, we can't have a family member not follow those rules right?"
Albedo kissed your temple while warmth bubbled in your chest. A family member. It still felt almost surreal. You gave the tube a little shake and Albedo hummed, studying you with the same careful look he had when painting.
It was relatively light, not a lot of sound when shaken either. Something had briefly rustled, but that might as well be the summer breeze outside.
"Do I at least get a hint?"
He quirked a brow, reaching for the cup of coffee on the bedside table holding out yours as well in quiet inquiry until you shook your head. "A hint.. I suppose I can answer one question." Albedo took a small sip before his eyes narrowed playfully. "But I won't answer exactly what it is."
You tugged at the brown string, trying to remember anything you might've mentioned wanting that would fit just vaguely in shape.
"Oh wait- Did you paint me something?"
"Only one way to find out."
What landed in your lap as you turned the cylinder upside down was indeed a large piece of rolled up parchment. As you slowly unfurled it, your breath caught in your throat.
Cold whites and grays with dots of orange. Large painted curves that looked almost bone-like. Things fell into place. You knew this view. The sky dark and foreboding in the most beautiful way, snowflakes whirling through the air and making you pull up your hood. Scattered bushes with golden leaves and naked trees with icicles hanging down.
It was Dragonspine. The view you'd see whenever you convinced him to let you go with him to his litte hideout. It was a masterpiece.
Albedo had stopped moving, his voice much quieter now, almost as shy as the day he'd first kissed your hand and asked for more.
"You see, if I could, I'd want to give you an alchemical recipe for everything in this world that you desire so you'd never run out. Unless you ran out of materials- ah I'll have to consider that.. But since that seemed a little outside the realm of possibility when considering the time I had available.. I decided to instead make sure we can always gaze out on the same view, even while I'm away."
His words had made your chest tighten so much you could barely breathe, vision getting blurry from the moisture collecting in your eyes. Albedo noticed only moments later, a look of panic flashing through his eyes before he pulled your head to his chest.
He kissed the top of your head tenderly. "Ah, was it that bad of a gift?"
Both of you laughed at that, your voice coming out with little gasps as you tried not to cry while swatting at him.
"Not at all, but I am noting that there are things even the great chief alchemist admits he can't do.."
Albedo squeezed you even tighter, his heartbeat just a little faster than before.
"Yet," he protested, nuzzling into your hair, "things he can't do yet. But for you, I'm sure I'll work it out."
