sweet surprises | albedo x reader
albedo does not care much for birthdays. he thinks that it is like every other day of the year. you’re dead set on proving him otherwise.
a/n: WOW is grace back???? short answer: no. i’ve got clubs starting up soon, but i can’t not write about the blond who started it all!! routine was my first ever fanfic, and i kinda felt like i should write a little something for him.
looking to the future, chances are that thin ice will be updated next! after that, playing cupid finale, and we’ll go from there. thank you for sticking with me!
general masterlist
albedo didn’t wake up with the sun today.
instead, he was greeted with the soft peppering of kisses across his face. he felt your hands on his cheeks, cradling his head with tenderness. you smiled down as he fluttered his eyes open, kissing his forehead.
“good morning, ‘bedo,” you grinned, tucking his hair behind his ear. “how did you rest?”
“i slept well, because i was next to you, my dear,” he replied easily, sitting up. as he rose, he realized that you were already fully dressed for the day. “are you going somewhere? i thought you said yesterday that you had taken the day off.”
“ah…i was on-call for work, and one of the knights in my squad is sick. i’ll have to get to headquarters early in order to compensate for everything i wanted to do today. i was just about to head out, but i left breakfast on the table for you.”
“i see. well, i’ll follow soon enough. work hard today, my love,” albedo smiled, kissing your cheek. you giggled in response, kissing him on the corner of his cheek before pulling away.
“i love you, sweetheart. see you soon,” you waved goodbye as you walked out of your shared bedroom, shutting the door behind you gently.
rising from bed, he stretched languidly, rolling his shoulders and arms. yawning, he changed out of his clothes and into his labcoat. staring out the window as he braided his hair, he watched as you left the house, walking with a skip in your step. turning back momentarily, your gaze met his own. you waved with a bright smile, making him smile and wave back foolishly.
as he turned to reach for his satchel on his desk, he took note of the calendar. today was september 13th, a day like any other. he would have thought that, until he noticed that there were several circles, hearts, and a small doodle of a cake in the square box, all drawn by you in bright red ink.
oh, that was right. it was his birthday.
my birthday is hardly an important affair, he thought as he descended down the stairs. it only marked another year since his birth. you, on the other hand, argued for hours about the value of his birthday. “you’re so silly sometimes,” you had said the week before. “i love celebrating your birthday! it only goes to show just how much you’ve accomplished in the last year. and, there’s cake!”
that was true, he supposed. cake was always a nice treat.
as if on cue, when he lifted his head, he noticed that a small strawberry cake was on the dining room table. a small card was next to his cake, as was a fork and a stack of pancakes. smiling, he read the card. “happy birthday, honey! have an amazing day at work. make sure that you clear out your schedule for the evening!”
albedo let out a soft laugh, before picking up his fork. even if he didn’t care much for his birthday today, he was sure that today would be a good day.
as he walked into work, the knights moved like clockwork. kaeya was already hustling out, horse bridle tucked under his arm. “morning, albedo!” he called, before running out the door.
“good morning, captain,” he replied, saluting him as he passed by.
jean’s door was wide open, and her head was tucked down as quill scribbling. lisa sat opposite to her, flipping through a large book. klee laid on the floor of her playroom, doodling on some papers and kicking her feet out. eula led out her company, claymore leaning against her shoulder.
and you, of course, were running around, hectic as ever. in your arms was a large box, several items bouncing around inside. you ran out the door quickly, yelling for kaeya to wait up for you. you stopped momentarily to look at him, smiling breathlessly, before running off again before he could say anything.
flushing, he walked up to his laboratory with red tipped ears. “good morning, mr. albedo,” sucrose greeted, waving her hand. “you look red in the face. are you ill?”
“no, not at all,” he dismissed. “just y/n getting up to their usual antics is all.”
“i see…” she hummed, before smiling slightly. “master y/n has always been one for fun. i wonder what they’re up to today.”
“i’m sure i’ll find out soon enough,” albedo muttered with a foolish smile. “enough about y/n. let’s get to work.”
the rest of that morning was spent mostly in the lab, experimenting with a new growth serum that he had been working on all week to experiment at the collection of plants at the back of the lab. the back half of the lab almost looked like a jungle, with large, verdant vines scaling the walls. colorful and sweet-smelling flowers bloomed, some nearly touching the top of the skylight. it was a contrast to the lab itself, which was plain in color and sterile. he would almost liken the contrast to you and himself.
when 11 o’clock ticked on the clock, there were three sharp knocks on the door. he didn’t bother to spin around in his chair, too engrossed in his experiment. sucrose called to open it, and he heard her test tube fall back into its holder. he perked up, nearly dropping his entire serum into the plant. “m-master y/n!” she greeted. “how may we help you today? are you pulling away mr. albedo away for something?”
“no, actually,” you hummed as he finally looked up from his plant. spinning around in his chair, he set town the test tube, observing you from afar. you leaned next to sucrose, hands moving in an animated manner, motioning to the bag on your shoulder. “sound good to you?”
“a-as long as your husband says it’s alright!”
turning, you looked at albedo, smiling. “is it okay if i steal away sucrose for a little bit? it won’t take very long, i promise!”
“of course,” he replied, nodding. grinning, you walked over to reveal a small paper bag hidden in your satchel. he recognized the scent immediately: almond cake from good hunter. “dear, you really shouldn’t have. all i’ve eaten today is cake. that can’t be too healthy for me.”
“and it’s your birthday! you deserve all the sweets and more today. i know you love them~” you laughed. kissing him on the cheek once more, you motioned for sucrose to head out. “bye, honey. i’ll see you later, alright?”
and he did see you later, though in brief moments. you were moving in and out of headquarters quickly. as soon as sucrose returned, he heard you call out for amber to get her glider out. from there, he heard the click of your boots skip up the stairs at an interval of about every 45 minutes. when he went downstairs, he saw as you and klee walked out together, carrying out small gold polka dot boxes. as he arrived out of the library, you were speeding inside, asking for lisa’s assistance. even at the end of the day, you looked still did not look tuckered out, bouncing on your toes.
albedo watched as you moved your hands anxiously. worriedly, he walked over to you. “are you alright?” he asked, tilting his head. “you seem to have exhausted yourself today. i can take care of whatever it is you’re doing.”
“ah!” you squeaked, standing up straight. “oh, hi, ‘bedo. nope, nothing’s wrong! i was just waiting for you to get done up in the lab. are you ready to head home?”
“i am,” he replied, opening the door. “now, tell me. you seem really frantic today. is everything okay?”
“oh,” you scratch the back of your neck sheepishly, ducking your head away from him as you both begin down the stairs and back to your home. “well, i had a lot of errands to run today.”
“that sounds like a lot, considering that you had to cover work for one person.”
“it was no big deal. it was just a couple of tasks around town, and i had to consult some of the knights for some help.”
“i see,” he hummed, before looking at you. “so, then, tell me what you were up to today.”
you described your day, but albedo was unfortunately not listening. instead, he observed you from afar, watching as the setting sun hit your cheekbones. your lips looked soft in this light, and eyes bright and brilliant. he let the softest of sighs, admiring the sight. as he took your hand in yours, you only seemed to become more jubilant.
as you approached your house, you abruptly stopped, a pout coming on your face. “agh, what am i saying?! albedo, you sly fox, it’s your birthday! let’s stop talking about me. what would you like to do now? i’m all free for the evening.”
“i suppose that i would like to spend time doing anything with you,” he hummed. “actually, i’d like to have more cake with you. is that alright?”
“of course it is!” you clapped your hands together, smiling. “i think i have another cake in the fridge ready for you.”
“then, i believe that our evening should be free to eat cake. and of course, i’ll make dinner for you as well. it’s only natural, since you’ve worked so hard today.”
you only let out a soft laugh, skipping up ahead of him to open the door. “too sweet,” you sighed out happily.
the house was dark and quiet. the living room’s curtains were drawn closed, and none of the lights were on. as he headed forward, he wondered why the dining room was so dark. he could have sworn that he had left the windows and curtains open this morning before leaving the house.
turning around, he noticed that you had suddenly disappeared from behind him. in the dark, his brows furrowed. he blindly reached for the lights, and before he could realize it, the dining room’s curtains flew open.
“surprise! happy birthday, albedo!” a chorus of people chimed at once, making him stumble in surprise. the room was flooded with light, illuminating the gold and white balloons. small star decorations decorated the walls, glittering in the sun. he saw a myriad of people that you had probably gone and asked for their help setting up the small party. klee was being held back by jean from eating the two-tier blueberry cake. lisa sat by the stack of his gifts, as was kaeya, both holding glasses of wine. sucrose only smiled sheepishly, a present in her hands.
and of course, you were in the middle, next to the cake. your mouth was quirked up in a beaming smile, absolute joy on your face. hopping up from where you sat by the table, you walked over to him, taking his hands in your own. “did we surprise you, sweetheart?” you asked, looking at him with tender eyes.
he only smiled bashfully, shaking his head. “you did. what a pleasant surprise. so this was why you were so busy today.”
“it was all worth it. nothing but the best for you, ‘bedo,” you grinned, letting go of his hands and tucking your head into the crook of his neck.
kissing your forehead, he let out a soft sigh of content as you began walking towards the cake. “i appreciate it, dear,” he thanked you.
you only leaned your lips next to his ear. “happy birthday, my love.”
