ur albedo fics r soo cute!!!! (≧▽≦) i have a request if you're fine with it?
we accidentally run into albedo’s evil clone (we don’t know there are two of him) and he pretends to be the real albedo. later, the real albedo finds out we met the clone and becomes more protective of us to keep us safe from fake albedo (• ▽ •;)
idk if this made sense and it's ok if u ignore this LOL. whatever the clone does is up to u
✧. ┊ やほ〜(≧▽≦). In this Tumblr we are Albedo simps (hi, I'm the simp). A request involving Susbedo and Albedo? Girl, you got me! It makes so much sense if we take into consideration how much he wanted to steal Albedo's place (;ŏ﹏ŏ).
Here is your request, may be a bit long and slightly different from usual, but I hope you like it! ( ꈍᴗꈍ)✦.
✧. ┊ POV:
"You were going about your day as usual, meeting up with Albedo to start the day together. But… something felt off. The way he acted, the way he looked at you — you tried to brush it off, telling yourself it was just your imagination. But… were you really imagining things?"
‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹
❀ It was a regular morning. You arrived at headquarters right on time, as usual, ready to start the day’s work. As expected, you were greeted by the head alchemist of your division—Albedo. But something felt off.
❀ You and Albedo had been dating long enough that his routines were etched into your memory. That’s how you knew—something wasn’t right today.
❀ The first sign? He was too affectionate. “Is everything alright...?” you asked, your heartbeat loud in your ears as he wrapped his arms tightly around you. “Everything is perfect,” he said, voice as calm as always. But when he pulled back to meet your eyes, there was a strange smile on his lips—subtle, but off. “Shall we go inside?” You followed him in, an odd weight settling in your chest.
❀ As the day progressed, your unease grew. Albedo was… clingy. Hyper-aware of your every move. More interested in you than his work—an alarming shift. He even dismissed Sucrose, which completely threw you.
❀ Sucrose had noticed something, too… but was too timid to bring it up. Thankfully, you weren’t. “What’s going on with him today?” you muttered, frowning. “Uh… I thought it was just me, but something about Mister Albedo seems off,” she admitted, voice low.
❀ Things escalated at lunch when Kaeya showed up—his usual flirtatious, mildly irritating self. And Albedo? He got possessive. Your boyfriend—composed, analytical, distant Albedo—possessive?
❀ You were supposed to head out to explore ancient ruins together, collecting materials for one of your experiments. But he seemed to have forgotten. Albedo never forgets dates. Or work.
❀ “What’s going on with you today?” you asked, frustration creeping into your tone. It felt surreal. This man looked like Albedo—spoke like him—but something fundamental was off. The real Albedo would never act this irrational, this emotional. “Pardon me?” he said sharply. “I’m the same Albedo as always. Are you sure you’re not the one acting strange?” You opened your mouth to respond—but no words came. What could you say? He was your boyfriend… wasn’t he?
❀ So you nodded. Forced a smile. “Forgive me... Maybe something’s wrong with me today.” He returned your smile, small and unreadable. You turned away—already forming a plan. You’d get to the bottom of this. The pieces of the puzzle were already clicking into place.
❀ The longer the day went on, the clearer it became: something was very wrong. When he kissed you, it felt… mechanical. Albedo was usually gentle—quietly responsive or letting you initiate. This wasn’t like that. His lips might’ve felt familiar. But he didn’t.
❀ Then, you realized—he didn’t smell right either. Albedo always smelled of subtle herbs, minerals, alchemical ingredients… and that cold scent that reminded you of Dragonspine itself. But today, one of those notes was gone. Replaced by something faintly artificial, like an imitation. Another piece of the puzzle locked into place.
❀ By the end of the day, you suggested a trip to Dragonspine. Sucrose was busy with her own research and had kept her distance since the incident earlier. He didn’t know it yet, but that mountain would be where everything unraveled.
﹒ ︵︵ .︵ . ︵﹒︵୨ ꒰ㅤ꒱ ୧︵ . ︵﹒︵ . ︵︵ ﹒
The cold air was nothing compared to the sound of your heartbeat pounding in your ears. It stung your skin, but the nerves from the confrontation ahead burned hotter than any summer sun.
Albedo—or whoever was pretending to be him—stopped. His icy blue eyes stared at you, confused, as you stood still at the entrance to the ruins.
“Who are you?” you finally asked, voice tight with fear. “You’re not my boyfriend.”
He let out a sigh, clear frustration in the sound.
“Are we really going to do this? It’s me.”
“No, you’re not,” you said, a sudden wave of anxiety leaving your body as you stepped closer. “You probably want evidence to prove it, right? Well, I have plenty.” Your throat felt dry—maybe from the fear, maybe from the weight of finally confronting him. “First, your behavior. Albedo would never act like you do. He’s kind. Polite. Maybe distant, maybe cold—but never rude to Sucrose. And never possessive in front of others… especially not Kaeya.”
“So, being affectionate isn’t what you like?” he asked, voice colder now. “Even if my behavior today has been… unusual, that doesn’t prove anything. Everyone has those days. How do you call it…?”
He paused, searching for the word. Then his gaze fixed back on you, sharp as ice. “Bad days?”
“Sure,” you said. “But that wouldn’t explain the other evidence.”
You stepped close—too close—and inhaled.
“You smell wrong. Others wouldn’t notice, but I would. I’ve been in Albedo’s arms enough times to know his scent by heart. Yours is missing something.” You leaned back and narrowed your eyes. “And then there’s this.” You pointed to his neck, and his eyes widened. “The star mark under your collar—it’s been missing all day.”
Your voice lowered, calm and sharp. “One more time. Who are you?”
“Pff…” The smile he gave you was chilling—twisted, malevolent. His eyes gleamed, not with curiosity or affection, but something cruel and cold. “I knew I should’ve killed you the moment I saw you this morning.” With a hiss of steel, he drew his sword. You stepped back instinctively.
His eyes met yours one last time and—
You ran. Fast. As fast as your legs would carry you.
You could hear him behind you. Closer.
If he caught you—nothing would save you.
Please let this work… Please…
You reached the meeting point—and suddenly, a hand seized your wrist, pulling you into a protective embrace.
A sword was raised beside you, and you didn’t need to look up to know—
“Albedo…?” Your eyes flicked to his neck.
The star. Golden. Real.
He met your gaze with a rare softness. “Thank you. You’ve done wonderfully.” Then he turned to face the imposter, voice cold. “Head to the camp near Dragonspine. I’ll deal with this.”
You nodded, reluctant but obedient. As you turned to run again, the dread in your chest didn’t fade—but it was now paired with hope.
First, thirty minutes passed.
Then an hour.
Then an hour and a half.
Just as you were about to go looking for him, footsteps crunched through the snow.
“Are you alright? You look pale,” Albedo said, kneeling in front of you.
Relief washed over you. You dropped back onto the bench and threw your arms around him.
“For the Seven…” you breathed. “I was so worried…”
“…Sorry,” he murmured, arms wrapping around you gently. “I must’ve frightened you.”
“You did,” you whispered, pulling back. “But… it worked. You’re here.”
“Yes. Thanks to your help, the plan succeeded.” You smiled, and his lips curved slightly in response. For Albedo, that was practically beaming.
“You still owe me some answers,” you said, crossing your arms playfully. “Like why there are clones of you walking around. But,”—you tilted your head, proud—“it was easy to tell which one was the fake.”
He blinked at you. “Was it?”
“Of course. I’d be a pretty terrible girlfriend if I couldn’t tell my boyfriend apart from an evil clone.” You paused. “Also… I could tell by the way he kissed.” The words slipped out softer than intended.
But Albedo heard them.
“He kissed you?” His brows furrowed ever so slightly, thoughtful as always.
“A-ah, yes—but—” Before you could finish, his gloved fingers gently tilted your chin. He looked at you for a long moment and then—
He kissed you.
“Eh?!” Your face went bright red. “W-why did you—?!”
“Well,” he said coolly, meeting your gaze, “I may be experiencing what you refer to as… jealousy.” A faint blush dusted his cheeks—so subtle, but unmistakable this close. “I see… I may need to keep a closer eye on you moving forward.”
“…Why?” you asked, still a bit breathless.
“Well,” he said, smirking just slightly, “we wouldn’t want another incident involving one of my clones getting... particularly affectionate, would we?”
“Albedo!”
You covered your face in embarrassment—flustered, mortified, but also…
Blissfully happy.
Because who would’ve thought he, the cold, composed genius alchemist of the Knights of Favonius, could actually get jealous over you?
I made this a while back of all the "connections" in the game to the Rhinedottir family tree, I color coded + elaborated the different connections no matter how silly or small LMAO
I made the categories broken up into 4 boxes, at the tops of which the color to show different relationships and name for the category
This is also made while assuming that the "unicorn" thats mentioned in Cinnabar Spindle is referring to Dorian/rubedo BUT that could very likely be incorrect.
˗ˏˋ꒰ 🔪 love interest ꒱ . . . yandere ! albedo + subject two x fem ! reader
˗ˏˋ꒰ 🔪 format ꒱ . . . oneshot
˗ˏˋ꒰ 🔪 warnings ꒱ . . . drugging, mentioned? stalking, obsessive themes, yandere themes, tell me if I missed anything
˗ˏˋ꒰ 🔪 synopsis ꒱ . . . in which what you thought would be a quick trip to dragonspine turns into a nearly life threatening situation.
˗ˏˋ꒰ 🔪 authors note ꒱ . . . this has been rotting in my drafts forever but he’s finally free now. I had to rewatch a full ass play through of the 2.3 event quest thing to write this because albedo’s story quest doesn’t tell you SHIT about his backstory 💔
˗ˏˋ꒰ 🔪 word count ꒱ . . . 2.2k
“This is the last time I’m wearing these damn shoes to Dragonspine…” you mutter to yourself in frustration, struggling to force your heavy boots through the thick snow.
“Well, it isn’t even my fault…” you continued, “She’s the one who wanted me to deliver these boxes to that knight… Who would even choose to live out here…!?” you kept on mumbling to yourself about how unfortunate your situation was as you struggled up the mountain.
You’re an adventurer doing a commission for a woman named Sucrose. She asked for an adventurer to deliver a few boxes of supplies to a man named Albedo who lives in Dragonspine.
And Albedo, apparently, is the Chief Alchemist for the Knights of Favonius.
You had just gotten the commission and thought it’d be a quick trip to the frozen hell and back — but, oh, how wrong you were.
Turns out, there’s a terrible snowstorm picking up on the mountain right as we speak. You could barely see the path in front of you as the heavy wind blew the frost into your eyes, burring your vision. Luckily for you, you’ve made it to his lab right before the storm got too bad.
He had many fires and lamps lit to keep himself warm in the cave… but he was nowhere to be seen.
Something in you wanted to just set the heavy boxes down somewhere and leave, but that’d be kinda rude, wouldn’t it? And will you be able to even make it back in time before dark?
Because when the sun sets completely it’ll be even harder to get back to the city.
“Where in Teyvat is he…?” You muttered.
After taking one final look around, you set the boxes beside an alchemy table to your left and walked over to the fire near his desk to warm your freezing hands.
You could not lie, you were a bit curious as to who this “Albedo” person is. You’re not from Mondstadt, so you’re not all that familiar with the Knights of Favonious.
As you were looking over the miscellaneous items on his messy desk, you made sure that you didn’t touch anything in fear of messing something up.
That’s when you noticed a clipboard sitting alone on the far end on his desk. on it was a drawing.
Walking over to the paper to get a closer look, you take note of how extremely detailed the beautiful drawing was.
It was of a woman.
Strange.
Although the drawing wasn’t colored, there was something that kind of creeped you out about the picture.
She looks a bit like me… you thought.
It must be a coincidence. It has to be.
“Excuse me…” a voice suddenly came from the entrance of the cave, “may I help you?”
You flinched, not expecting to hear someone’s voice. Turning around, you met eyes with a particularly confused man standing right outside the cave.
Awkwardly, and rather embarrassed, you swiftly picked up the boxes and walked over to him. “I’m- I’m so very sorry,” you stuttered.
“Are… you Albedo?” You asked. “I’ve come to deliver these to you,” You hand the boxes over to the Alchemist. He hesitates for a split second before taking them.
Albedo eyes your body up and down, taking a mental note of your every move, “You’re an adventurer, correct? I could tell by your attire. Tell me, are you here on a commission?”
Albedo was a bit more… attractive than you thought he would be. His big, cerulean eyes stared into yours in silence, making you a tad bit nervous.
“Uh… yeah,” you nodded, “I’m so, so sorry that I’ve gotten in your way, Mr. Albedo. I’ll go now…” You declared, quickly making your way toward the exit of the cave. Before you could even step into the snowstorm, he grabbed you by your arm to stop you right there.
“What in the world are you doing? Do you not see the raging storm going on outside? You won’t even be able see your own two feet, I- I barely even made it back here.”
He grabbed the boxes from your arms set them onto his disorganized desk, knocking over some other things in the process as if he didn’t even care about them, including the clipboard.
“You will have to stay here until the storm dies down.”
At first you weren’t so sure. It’s not exactly safe to stay at a stranger’s home, Knight or not… But you gave in. You were carrying a sword with you, so you should be safe, right.
Still, you remained cautious.
Yet, not cautious enough.
“Oh, well thank you Mr. Albedo,” you watched him walk over to his painting easel and quickly flipping to another painting of hilichurls. Why did he do that? You wondered. Yet, you didn’t ask.
“Please, just Albedo is fine,” he said as he pulled out a chair for you to take a seat in without saying another word.
You couldn’t tell if it was attraction or pure curiosity, but you just couldn’t take your eyes off Albedo. It was almost inhumane how picturesque he was, how in Teyvat coukd a man be this pretty?
“Would you like me to make you some tea, Y/n? It’ll warm you up,” He stares at you, expecting you to say yes.
You so desperately wanted to decline, knowing that’d be the safer option, but you are extremely cold.
“Alright,” you answered.
He smiles again, but this time it’s a bit less genuine than the last, “Then give me just a minute.”
He walks over to the other side of the cave where a small fire was to heat the water for your beverages, “Who commissioned you to bring me these packages, Y/n?”
You blinked, a bit confused at his statement, “I… I thought you had known? Well, the commissioner said you did at least. She was a woman named Sucrose. Can’t say I know who she is though.”
That’s weird, You thought. When did I ever tell him my name…?
Albedo froze for a quick second as he whispered to himself, “Sucrose… Sucrose…”
“Ah, yes, Sucrose! She is my assistant.“
When the tea was prepared, Albedo brought it up to you carefully. You held the mug in your hands as you took a sip of the hot liquid, an unfamiliar flavor landing on your tongue.
Too focused on not burning yourself, you failed to notice Albedo’s unwavering gaze. He was staring as if he was anticipating something. But what was it?
“What type of tea did you use?” You asked, knocking him right out of his thoughts.
Albedo cleared his throat, “Oh, uhm, Nothing special.”
He placed a finger on his chin, pretending to think. “Just mint, some herbs I found here on the mountai—“ Albedo was cut off by the sound of you violently coughing.
You had lost your grip on the glass mug and it shatter as it hit the ground, the hot liquid to spill onto the stone floor.
Falling out the chair, you gasped and struggled to breathe as reached your trembled hand out to him in desperation. How could he do such a thing!?
Your vision was blurring, but you could still see the beautiful yet wicked man standing above you. His gorgeous blue eyes as cold and as sinister as ever.
Albedo holds a little glass vial full of a strange, red liquid up to his eyes between his fingers, “My Archons…” he mutters, “I only put a few drops of this in your tea and your reaction to it was way stronger than I anticipated it to be…”
“How fascinating—”
Albedo froze. His eyes widening in shock.
He took a few uneven steps toward you before collapsing right beside your half-conscious body. And before you knew it, the lack of oxygen in your lungs made you pass out as well.
You jolted awake, panting heavily, “Wha- Where am I!?” You shrieked, startling the Alchemist that was sitting in a chair right next to your once sleeping body.
He looked at you wide-eyed then fixed his gaze on something else, “Goodness. You startled me…”
You slightly shifted away from him but he didn’t seem to mind, “You’re… ‘Y/n,’ yes?” Asks… Albedo? But didn’t Albedo already know your name?
“I sincerely apologize for what he did to you,” He sighs, looking over to the other… Albedo? Now tied up and unconscious on the opposite end of the cave by some crates.
Albedo would have killed him right then and there but, unfortunately, He has an unexpected visitor…
Your eyes flickered from the Albedo in front of you and back over to the unconscious Albedo. This other Albedo has the exact same features as the other.
Are they twins? duplicates?
He has the same blue eyes, thick eyelashes, snow white skin, and pale blond hair. He was beautiful, just like the other. The only difference between the two was the gold, four pointed star marking right below this Albedo’s adams apple.
When you caught yourself staring again, you fixed your gaze on the caves exit. It Snowstorm seems to be dying down, you may finally be able to go home today.
“Oh, and I apologize if the desk is a bit uncomfortable… I don’t really have anywhere where you could’ve laid. And it would have taken too long to draw a bed and blankets for you,” It was up until he said something that you realized you had been lying here. And what did he mean by “draw?”
“Erm… It’s alright. But, Mr. Albedo, when did you get here? And… and what did he do to me?”
Albedo set the clipboard he was just writing in down. “Both are easy questions, Miss Y/n. I was out collecting materials for an experiment I was conducting, so I suppose he found then to be the perfect time to play as me.”
“I arrived about right after he fed you that poison. I injected a sedative into him that’ll keep him unconscious for a few more hours. And as for what he did to you…”
The blond narrowed his eyes at you and sighed.
“From what I could tell, he was trying to kill you.”
You froze. “Kill you” But why in the world would he want to do that?
“What…?”
“Either that or he mistook it, the poison, with another one of my potions,” he marked something else down on the clipboard.
“Nevertheless, he is a highly dangerous being and I would advise you to get out of Dragonspine — no, Mondstadt as soon as possible, but…” you watched him get up and flip through the papers of his clipboard.
But then he froze for a split second, he stared at a certain certain piece of paper in confusion. Where did his come from?
“…It’s even more Dangerous to go out during such a storm.”
“What potion did he mistake it for…?” You asked, a bit fearful of the answer.
He wasn’t expecting your question and quickly turned to look at you, “A sedative.” He replied shortly. “The same one I knocked him out with, ironically.”
“He was trying to sedate me!? Why!?”
Albedo shrugs, “I’m not sure myself, Miss Y/n. But I suspect it’s because of this” He takes a piece of paper off the clip board and shows it to you. It was the same drawing you saw when you first arrived yesterday evening.
“Did you draw that?”
“No, he did. How could I have drawn a woman I’ve never seen before,” he puts the drawing away.
“Then… then how do you two know my name!?”
“I just found that out. I heard him mutter something about ‘Y/n’ right before he passed out… and I asked if that was your name earlier, remember?”
“O- oh, yes. Sorry…” you nervously fidgeted with your fingertips.
“No, no, it’s alright. I understand why you’re so suspicious of me. My… imposter,” He hesitated. “nearly killed you due to his recklessness.”
“Although he’s wanted me dead for years, I am more worried for your safety,” Albedo continues, “Because he is far more obsessed with you than he is of me.”
Obsessed with me? “What do you—“
“-Ah, the storm’s subsided,” he set his clipboard down, “Do you need any help getting back down the mountain?”
You blinked a few times, how have you not even realized the storm was gone. “Oh, no, I’ll be fine by myself. Thank you for saving me, too,” you jumped off his desk and left the cave after waving a final goodbye to the alchemist.
Albedo didn’t wave back. He just stared at you. Archons, why does he have that aching feeling in his chest again, is it because you’re leaving?
This is only the first time he’s seen you face to face, Albedo needs to pull himself together.
He took a deep breath, “Now that she’s gone…”
He turns to face his imposter once again, “…What should I do with you?”
I might make a part two but it’s not guaranteed
I finally found my sisters tumblr acc from 2024 but she FUCKING deactivated it so I can’t stalk her fics bro 💔
TW: blowjob (He has never had sex, yet alone seen a naked woman b4 lol)
I LOVE this man so much it’s not even funny, anyways enjoy^^
🪷~
People from the outside might think dating albedo was a dream come true, but you knew first hand that that was the biggest lie. He tried his best to be the best boyfriend he could possibly be, but with how much work he has, it’s kinda hard to find the time to hang out as a couple.
“Albedo, I didn’t know you were gonna be home today”
you said looking at the blonde man standing in front of you
“I thought it was about time I take my pretty girl out on a date, so what do you say?”
Albedo had that smug look on his face as he spoke, gently taking your hand in his, kissing it lovingly while holding eye contact
“Oh!..that’s so unlike you, bedo..” you shifted your gaze to the floor, trying to hide just how flustered he had made you so easily
“Unlike me?..just how long has that bitch been neglecting you..”
“What?”
“Ah..just how long has it been since I last took you out?”
you had honestly forgotten the last time you two had been on a date yet alone..made love. Albedo seem to have noticed the shift in your mood, as he placed a finger under your chin
“Forget it..how about you get comfortable in bed and I join you in a little.”
How could you say no to that, even though something in you was screaming “this is so unlike him” you were so touch deprived that you didn’t hesitate to run off to get yourself ready. Missing the look of absolute disgust on your lovers face
Dorian was honestly having a full on panic attack, he has never touched anyone before yet alone know what to do in bed to please you the way he do desperately wanted to, that was until he saw you walk in
“Bedo why are you looking at me like that, it’s not like you haven’t seen me naked before” little did you know..
“No it’s just you look gorgeous..” “albedo” patted the seat next to him on the bed, and you happily followed suit.
“Ngh..” Dorian didn’t know what to expect when you told him to take his pants off, but having you sitting all prettily in between his parted legs with his cock stuffed deep in your throat was probably the last thing he could’ve ever thought of.
You continued to swirl your wet tongue around his dick, pulling away just to kiss his tip just to hear more of those beautiful sounds from his sinful mouth
“Lucky fucking dickhead” he couldn’t help but think to himself. Just the thought of his golden brother probably being used to the feeling of your warm mouth around his cock filled him with rage, making him push his shaft even deeper into your throat
“She will be mine
Mine
Mine
Mine
Mine”
When he finally finished in your mouth, and you having swallowed all his cum without another thought in your pretty little head. Now having gotten dressed and ready to go to bed for the day, with his head resting between your breasts, He couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride that he had made you feel this pleasure, him, and not his useless brother
Content Warnings: spoilers for the old dragonspine event and brief references to an attempted (but failed) murder! In case you aren't sure who this is, Rubedo is also known as Susbedo, Primordial Albedo, and etc.
Thinking about Rubedo who lures you to Dragonspine one day with a letter impersonating Albedo; something about how 'the primordial subject' is back. You show up, Rubedo tries to kill you... and it almost works, but you manage to knock him out with a pretty harsh blow to the head, and the snowy mountain falls silent.
...He isn't dead, obviously, but you can't just leave him there to wake up and continue his potentially nefarious plans. So you lug him into your teapot abode and lock down your guestroom. When he awakens after a few days, the first thing out of his mouth is:
"Where am I...? And- Who are you?"
The hand prepped on the hilt of your weapon falls, and all the intimidation you've been hyping yourself up to exude suddenly melts away into hesitance.
"You're in my home." You reply carefully. "Do you remember anything about how you got here?"
Rubedo's brow furrows; more expressive than anything you've seen on him, and shakes his head.
The following days are strange, to say the least. After you left Rubedo in the guestroom to 'get him some water,' you teleport to Mondstadt in a rush and burst into Albedo's office for help.
"So from your understanding, Subject Two has lost his memories...?" Albedo surmised. "He may begin to recall things after some time. But in the odd chance that he doesn't..."
This could be a new start for him. A life separate from the burdens of his past.
'There should not be anything that other humans or I can do, that he cannot.' You recall Albedo's words. Perhaps you may find him as a helpful companion for your adventures.
Or, you may be able to help him settle into a 'normal' life.
Putting aside the moral dilemma of making up a new identity for him, you've been living a little awkwardly with Rubedo in your teapot abode, ever since. He really doesn't seem to remember his vice against Albedo or intent to silence you - and you've been mostly treating him like a patient up until now.
"Good morning," you greet, nudging open the door of the guestroom with your hip while you balanced a tray of food in your hands. "Did you sleep well?"
Rubedo looks up from the Teyvat Travel Guide that you've brought him for light reading (he hadn't requested any specific material; just content that would jog his memory about Teyvat), and nods. "It is still hard for me to recall the contents of my dreams, but I believe I was on the mountain you described you rescued me from." Dragonspine.
You've noticed that he does differ from Albedo in a couple of ways (not that you managed to observe him at all before this debacle, since he mysteriously went into hiding after your first meeting long ago). Rubedo is a little sharp and blunt in the way he speaks - regarding the trinkets you've brought him with curiousity, but not quite wonder. He is curious about the outside world but regards them as new content to pick apart. You've seen the gears turning in his head as you handed him a kamera for the first time, and he spent the day disassembling it and putting it back together again.
You have no doubt that Rubedo is also a genius, judging from the way he copied Albedo's alchemy back during your first confrontation on Dragonspine and effortless dissection of trinkets you've brought him. But you're also starting to feel bad for keeping him trapped in this room; you're cautious for a reason, yes, but he is still a person. You can't keep him under room arrest for much longer.
"Rubedo," you start, causing his eyes to flick up from his book to meet yours. "Would you like a tour of the abode?"
"Are you sure?" He stays put in his bed, regarding you with a stare that is not quite blaming, but not deceived by your demeanor by any means. Rubedo can tell that you're keeping him here for a reason, but he's never attempted to pry beyond taking note of how nervous you seem around him. His lips curl into a small smile. "I was beginning to wonder if we weren't on amicable terms, since you've always been a little wary around me."
You try not to react. "Of course not! It's just, your whole memory loss thing made me cautious; I didn't want to be too forward when you don't remember who I am."
"Forward...?" He tilts his head, a little cat-like. "In what way?"
Shit. "In- In a friendly way!" You ramble, making stuff up. Of course he'd be the type to pay attention to wording. "We used to spar for fun, and get into fights that weren't too serious..." You start to get flashbacks of Whopper-bedo attacking you and your friends. "You... were quite the alchemist." You finish weakly. "We were acquainted, but weren't too close. I just happened to be the one who found you on the mountain that night, like I told you before."
"...And I lived quite a secluded life, so not many people knew me." Rubedo repeats the half-truths you've told him. His smile turns a little crooked. "I must've liked you quite a lot, to have interacted that much with you."
"I guess so!" You agree, ushering him out of the room in hopes that his first view of the rest of your house will distract him.
Rubedo scans over the furnishings, stopping by the picture frames around the living room. It doesn't take long for him to decide that he doesn't know any of these people. "You must have been quite the popular adventurer."
It's a good thing you had the foresight (read: paranoia) to remove all images of Albedo, just in case Rubedo did manage to sneak out of his room when you weren't there. "Well... I've been to a lot of places, so I guess it's natural to collect my memories like this, somehow."
Rubedo hums. "And it seems like there is none with me."
Unsure of how to respond to that, you blab the first reason you can think of. "Well! We never had a reason to take pictures together, and weren't that close, so..." You quiet down. "I wasn't sure about our boundaries."
It's quite clear that you are holding something back, or lying. And despite Rubedo's unfamiliarity with human customs, he's not an idiot. "Traveler..."
"Right! You haven't been outside in a week!" You grab his wrist and promptly drag him out to the outdoor area of your abode; filled with flowers and critters that you've adopted during your travels. "Some fresh air would do you some good!"
Disagreement flickers in Rubedo's eyes until you push the main doors open, leading the both of you into a lush, peaceful scene. Crystalflies and birds flutter about your large garden, which is being tended to by the wonderful means of Tubby, your teapot supervisor.
The 'sunlight' and night in here is also somewhat manually decided upon, thus it's comfortingly warm as you both stroll through the flowers and gaze out at the great expanse of floating clouds. You mention that on one of the far-off islands, you've been meaning to create a little sanctuary walk with waterfalls and the like, but haven't had the time to.
Rubedo's been a little quiet. And finally, he asks:
"...Why are you showing me all of this?" This time, confusion tinges in his voice, as he finally forces you to meet his eyes by turning to you. "No matter how you may have felt responsible for my care, we didn't seem to be very close. I don't understand why you'd keep me here instead of sending me back to where I used to live."
Your bravado wavers. Everything he's said is reasonable, but you don't have the heart to say that you don't know where to send him, nor want him to find out that there's 'another him' walking around in the form of Albedo, and question his origins from there. It's clear from your time with Rubedo that he's sharp and will figure it out in no time.
"The truth is..." You force out, grasping for straws. "You never told me where you lived - we only met on Dragonspine as our little getaway. So I don't know who else you're acquainted with either, or who to contact. But, um... You've also lived here before, so I figured it wouldn't be too bad if I just housed you until you got your memories back, and..."
You would later learn that Rubedo has an excellent memory. And that, mortifyingly, one of the books you've haphazardly brought him based on the title, thinking it was a regular novel, was a romance book.
'When one stays over at another's home, that may imply that a type of close relationship exists between them...'
'...Was there something of that nature between us?'
Perhaps it was the way he was looking at you; intent, thoughtful, and somehow intense, but it felt like something bad may happen if you said no. Something in your gut told you that while saying yes would land you into a whole different boat of trouble, saying no means that Rubedo may discover the truth somehow with that brilliant mind of his - much sooner than you're prepared for.
"...Maybe." You look down at your hands, delaying the inevitable. Twisting this into something that may become much worse, once his past was brought to light. "It was never anything official, but there were things about each other that only we knew."
True, yet horribly false. "Despite that, we still had a bit of distance between us. But we did continue to meet on Dragonspine... and I guess I just didn't want to take advantage of your memory loss, so I've been keeping my distance."
A budding romance that never really caught on or bloomed. That seemed to be enough for Rubedo, who seemed to regard your past behavior as fairly in-line with what you just said; it explains why you were willing to house him but seemed uncomfortable at the same time. Maybe you'll twist this into a 'I think my feelings have settled, and that we should just be friends' situation in a few days, and that'll be that.
...That should've been that, but after a short period of retrospection, Rubedo seems to have decided on something. And you cant be sure if this is how he'd genuinely respond to the situation or if it was just a test.
"What... What are you doing?" You squeak, not having expected a pair of hands to cover yours, taking the knife and ingredients gently out of your grasp as Rubedo replies, standing behind you.
He's way too close!
"I just thought I'd help you cook, from now on." He answers, voice soft due to your proximity. Despite not having any body heat, you could feel his hair tickling your shoulder as he looked over it to chop up the vegetables on the cutting board for you. "I'm afraid you'll have to guide me through the steps, but I've watched you prepare dinner enough times to know how cutting these work." He pauses. "Is it not what couples do?"
Spending time together. Cooking together. And maybe...
Rubedo is not a person who picks his words without thinking, and the word couple hits you like a truck. Suddenly, your ears are burning. And it takes all the willpower in your body to hold still and not expose how flustered you've become.
Knowing Rubedo, even if this was a test - he wouldn't be the kind of boyfriend that's shy by any means.
(This might come off as disjointed cause I was a bit tired when I wrote this so apologies in advance)
Yeah, somewhat. I don’t condone his actions in the game proper, but I do think there was a lot that was glossed over by both the narrative and the fandom to focus on his envy for Albedo and reducing the conflict to just that. There was much, much more than the envy going on there, especially for someone like me who’s familiar with this kind of dynamic that Rhinedottir has with Albedo and Subject 2. Or Susbedo…did he even have a name?
The part that usually gets understood and addressed is how Susbedo felt resentment for being abandoned by Rhinedottir, and envy for how Albedo was able to integrate into Mondstadt when he was deemed a failure and believed he could never fit in even if he tried. Thus, he was driven to try and replace Albedo by taking up his appearance and killing him. But you know what doesn’t seem to be addressed? Albedo’s apathy towards how a lot of Rhine’s other creations, and by extension Susbedo, were treated by her. As her “perfect creation”, Albedo tends to see Rhine as someone who made some mistakes but ultimately tried, and tbh, that wouldn’t be much of an issue if he was her only creation or the others were similarly treated or given plans for their future, but as we know that’s not the case. It’s that thing where Genshin tries to write in middle-school level conflicts, then sticks them into situations with severely traumatizing/potentially world-ending stakes and expects the audience to just roll with it, and that’s what happened with Susbedo, who absolutely did not get even the barest minimum support that Rhine at least tried to prepare for Albedo. And that includes how Albedo treated him as well, which wasn’t much different from how Rhine did. Now, he wasn’t the one who abandoned S2 and left him to be swallowed by Dragonspine Durin, that part is true. But he absolutely did pick up on Rhine’s attitude towards him as one of her “failures” intentionally or not, and doesn’t deviate from it or even question it. He even calls him “Master’s Failed experiment in the dragon’s belly” at one point, same dehumanizing language that she used and very little thought for whether Subject 2 would hear him or feel anything about it. Susbedo not only had to watch someone from similar circumstances as him fit into human society with few issues, but watched him do it while being as dismissive of him as this “failed experiment” as Gold previously was. What really doesn’t help is how Albedo tends to elevate Rhine and see her behavior in a positive light, which can blindside him to consequences of her behavior towards those who weren’t as supported as he was. And once Susbedo finally shows himself, he’s treated like a problem to be dealt with rather than someone who can feel things by not only someone who was supposed to be his brother (and therefore someone who could’ve understood him or even could’ve been his ally), but by this random Traveler that Albedo met recently who instantly believed what he had to say and also saw Susbedo as a problem. Susbedo had no one and nothing to turn to, and that can really mess with the way you view the world. While it doesn’t absolve, you know, literally trying to kill someone and take over their life, there’s also that angle of never being sided with and having the golden child (hehe golden) of the family also participate in the very mentality that got him abandoned on a snowy mountain in the first place to really consider here.
Therein lies the second problem: that pattern of Mondstadt/Hexerei characters (barring a few exceptions like Kaeya) upholding some harmful societal/familial beliefs or rules, and never having to be challenged on them or face any real lasting consequences because Mond is so moral and good and praises the Traveler so much (TM). I’ve talked a lot about how badly this problem manifests in Varka, Jean, Diluc, Amber, Rosaria, etc…well what do you know, Albedo and Rhine have that issue as well, and though it was there since early in the game it really showed from Paralogism onwards.
We already learned previously how Rhine treated a lot of her creations (aka many of them were considered failures and abandoned), the havoc unleashed on all corners of Teyvat because of her various experiments and the multiple generations of trauma that resulted from that, and how isolated Albedo was under her tutelage. And yet…despite being considered one of the Sinners of Khaenri’ah, it feels like the worst of the consequences are bore by everyone but her (especially innocents caught in the crossfire), and therein lies the problem. She’s still a valued member of the Hexenzirkel and treated like an old friend who just “played around”, though considering the other members’ stances on things I guess it’s not too out of place. Even then, in Paralogism she’s still painted as “made some oopsies” or “she wasn’t that bad”, and while she does lament Dragonspine Durin’s fate…she still does it while holding onto the mentality that it was because he was flawed and thus a failure from the moment she created him. And wouldn’t you know it, that mentality was also the one that got Susbedo abandoned and swallowed up by Durin in the first place, she hasn’t really moved past it and no one who could has really pushed back against it, and even Albedo can see that. And she gets to ascend by eating the shade of life…yippee. Right alongside that is Albedo not only insisting that she wasn’t that bad, but also upholding a lot of her mentality whether it was intentional or not. Albedo…you know, the guy who Rhine didn’t abandon and paid the most attention to because he was deemed her perfect creation, and even then had the support of her best friends afterwards as well as the ability to fit the standards of a city that places a lot of emphasis on legacy and appearances. The guy who really should not be speaking on her behavior as a whole when he’s way more privileged than a lot of those involved in her shit, and the way she treated him was the exception, not the rule. It would be one thing if this narrow worldview was explored and treated like a genuine flaw (which would open up potential for incredible character development), but when he says that we’re just kinda expected to take his word for it, because Albedo is so smart, nice to the Traveler and befitting of Mondstadt (TM) so he MUST be a reliable narrator. /s He’s never challenged on that worldview by the Traveler or anyone else, nor does he get challenged on the way he talks about Susbedo, which isn’t that different from the way Rhine talks about most of her experiments and is meant to be agreed with because of how much the game treats Susbedo like a problem to be dealt with first and foremost. And with the way the other characters practically venerate Albedo and how he never has to really face consequences in-game for even the things that could be his flaws…yeah. With Rhinedottir, you could make the argument that she’s not meant to be seen as a morally sound character in the first place…but when it’s Albedo, someone presented as a much more nice, wise and worldly character who’s even a member of the playable cast, that’s where you need to address that flaw otherwise it’ll make him come across as less sympathetic than intended.
I get that when you’re looking in from an outside perspective, it’s easy to reduce the entirety of the conflict in there to “oh he was jealous”. But through the eyes of someone who’s been in such situations…there was likely also a shit ton of resentment for Albedo not only reinforcing a lot of Rhine’s attitudes and negative beliefs that got attributed to him, but the kind of positions Albedo and Rhine were in making it practically impossible for S2 to be believed or taken seriously if he ever tried saying how he really felt. Like, that’s the kind of shit certain teachers use to pit students against each other in school all the time, and oftentimes it’s the people pleasing kids who meet standards getting roped into helping enforce a lot of those toxic habits and shaming those who don’t meet said standards whether they realize it or not. Being way too familiar with that kind of crap, I had a hard time seeing this whole plot line as just “Susbedo was jealous that he didn’t get attention.”
At the same time, that’s not to say Susbedo’s pov was entirely sound or that he was never blindsided. Like I’ve discussed before, a lot of the times when Mondstadt shows love and admiration for someone, it tends to be for something very surface-level and puts the person on a superhuman pedestal, which might not be the kind of admiration S2 ends up reveling in when you really think about it (though to be fair the narrative is also pretty iffy about addressing that). Also, who says he has to be loved by Mondstadt specifically? It’s not the only place in Teyvat (though it says a lot about the kind of favoritism Mond gets by the game and fandom when it’s treated like failure to not be loved by the nation that’s ironically kinda judgmental, like in Eula’s story too). And he didn’t seem to think about how Albedo was still under some kind of pressure to achieve with how Rhine’s attention was on him, and other potential downsides if he’d managed to catch her eye with some kind of talent or something. I feel like that could’ve been expanded on a bit more if they didn’t treat Susbedo like just a problem for the good and moral (TM) playable cast to solve from the word go, it would even supplement his extreme actions, and emphasize how much he messed up in doing what he did while also being a good opening to address what kind of longstanding patterns in the family dynamic/society drove him to have that worldview in the first place. But that would require Albedo, Rhine (and the rest of the Hexenzirkel), and to an extent, the Traveler and the nice suburban town to be able to bear actual lasting consequences for their actions and we can’t have that here. /s
I might write a more detailed and less disjointed analysis on this later on just because of how tired I was when I finished this one, but TLDR: Was the jealousy a major factor in the way he acted? Yeah. Was there a lot of other shit going on that was just as important as that and shouldn’t have been as overlooked as it was? Also yeah.
