Chapter Text
“If you have time, please come visit me. No need to rush, just come by when you are free. And no need to bring any gifts, I will have the tea and snacks ready.”
Lumine rushed, practically sprinted to the nearest Waypoint upon receiving the letter. How could she forget? She felt so terrible. She’d been so busy in Inazuma that Albedo’s birthday slipped her mind. She internally chastised herself the entire Waypoint trip to Mondstadt, so much so that when she finally arrived, she bumped into Mikhail, the Fatui agent, her environment a swaying sense of dizziness.
There’s no use in being hard on herself, she thought after her surroundings stilled, pushing through the Fatui agents, she can only make it up to him. She stopped by Good Hunter, so she can use the oven to make a special, homemade cake for Albedo. In his letter, he stated she didn’t need to bring anything, not even a gift, but she had to, had to make him something special for his special day. He loved sweets after all; it wouldn’t hurt to bring a dish she made herself to the occasion. And she knew what sort of cake he loved.
She waited for the cake to bake, sitting at the table, tapping her fingers impatiently on the wood.
“Oh, Traveler, are you cooking something?” Sara asked from behind the counter.
Lumine turned her head, nodding. “I’m making a cake for Albedo’s birthday.”
“Ah, the Chief Alchemist, huh?” She smiled, like she knew something she didn’t want to spill. “Well, I saw Klee and Albedo earlier today. They ordered some food to take back to the Knights’ Headquarters.”
Lumine groaned, a small pang of guilt hitting her. Can this cake bake any faster?
The cake didn’t bake any faster, but in due time, it finished rising and cooling. Sara lent her some cake decorating supplies and Lumine stood there in Good Hunter’s kitchen, hunched over the counter, carefully icing and frosting the cake. When she finished, she took a step back, wiping her forehead, and smiling at her finished work.
She thought she did a pretty good job, not that it was her first time decorating a cake, but the level of difficulty the creativity took was nevertheless commendable. The sugared delicacy had dark blue icing, a white shell frosting border at the bottom, a dark blue frosting border at the top; she had decorated it with a white crescent moon and pale yellow stars, along with orange flowers. And lastly, the simple words “Happy Birthday Albedo” in cursive white frosting. She gave herself a mental pat on the back.
“Here you go, Traveler. Be careful with it,” Sara said, handing Lumine the cake, all boxed up and tied neatly with a blue ribbon.
“Thank you Sara!” Lumine took it in her hands and scurried off, careful not to shake up the pastry inside.
She opened the front door to the Favonius Headquarters, walked across the hallway, up the stairs to Albedo’s lab. She suddenly felt nervous, heart thudding frantically inside her chest. Now that she thought about it, she hasn’t seen Albedo since she left for Inazuma. But why did she feel so nervous about seeing him again? Would he like the cake, she wondered; would he be upset with her for forgetting his birthday? Is the tea and snacks he prepared cold or eaten by now? Impatient that she took so long?
She stood in front of the closed door of Albedo’s laboratory. With a deep breath, she knocked.
“Come in,” came a deep voice from the other side.
The wooden door creaked as she opened it, revealing Albedo and Klee, sitting at a circular table, a white table cloth covering the surface, teacups for three and snacks laid about. They looked at Lumine expectantly, a big smile on Klee’s face as she jumped out her chair.
“Miss Lumine, you’re finally here!” Lumine lifted the cake box over her head as Klee wrapped her arms around Lumine’s torso, giving her a tight hug, all at the same time relieving her of her worries from earlier.
“We’ve been waiting for you. I said that you didn’t have to bring anything. Not even a cake was necessary.”
Lumine stared at Albedo, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What? How’d you know I made cake?”
“Kaeya saw you at Good Hunter.”
“Damn that Kaeya…” Lumine mumbled.
“You really didn’t have to bring anything.”
“I know, I know. But it’s special. I baked and decorated it myself.”
Klee sat herself back down on the chair as Lumine placed the cake box on the table’s surface.
“See for yourself.” Lumine gestured at the box.
Albedo shifted towards the table, gloved hands hovering over the ribbon. He glanced at Lumine, who gave him a small smile, and then undid the ribbon, the fabric falling backwards, and opened the box.
Astonishment crossed Albedo’s features for a second at the creatively decorated cake, fondness washing over him at the moon and stars in frosting, at the orange flowers that reminded him of his Solar Isotoma, at his name written in Lumine’s neat cursive. He was in awe, at the Traveler’s creativity, at her skills, at her thoughtfulness.
“Woah, it’s so pretty Miss Lumine!” Klee gasped.
“Wouldn’t it be a shame to eat something this beautiful?”
“I think it makes it worth savoring,” Lumine responded, sitting herself down at the empty seat next to Albedo.
“Can we eat now?” Klee bounced up and down in her seat.
“Birthday boy should cut the cake and get the first slice.”
“If that’s customary.” Albedo picked up the knife, carefully cutting the cake into even slices.
Lumine’s eyes glazed over the table, taking in the selection. Berry and mint burst, tea that was still steaming, colorful macarons, a fish dish that seemed familiar; a smile tugged on the corner of her lips at the cupcakes iced in white frosting, decorated with a small Windwheel Aster on top.
“Klee is soooo happy you’re finally back from Inazuma, Miss Lumine,” Klee said as Albedo began plating the slices of cake, giving himself the first. “You were gone for so long, Klee really missed you!”
“I missed you too, Klee. I missed everyone here at Mondstadt.”
“Really?” Klee brightened up, taking a cupcake into her hands. “You know, Miss Lumine, after you left, Albedo started going to Windrise every day to pick Windwheel Asters to put in his lab. He said it was because Windwheel Asters reminded him of you and that he missed—“
Albedo coughed. “Klee…” He gave the little girl a look, then placed the piece of cake in front of her.
“Oh! Forget Klee said anything!” She popped the cupcake in her mouth.
Lumine giggled, glancing at a very flustered Albedo out the corner of her eyes. “I missed Albedo a lot too,” she said in a small voice as Albedo placed a plate of cake before her.
Albedo didn’t say anything, avoiding looking at Lumine as he forked a piece of cake into his mouth. He chewed, slowly, deliberately, thoughtfully.
“Do you like it?” Lumine asked, giving him an expectant stare.
His gaze still not meeting hers, he nodded. “Of course, it’s quite delicious. I don’t think there’s a single dish you can cook that won’t taste heavenly.”
“You think too highly of me.”
“I’m only making factual observations.” He cleared his throat, then changed the topic. “Now it’s your turn to try my dish.”
He picked up the only non-dessert dish on the table, it was fish, with fruit and vegetables arranged neatly on the edges, brown sauce on top of the fish; it smelled wonderful, aromatic and buttery.
“It’s my special version of Sunshine Sprat.”
“I remember that recipe. You gave it to me after we first met.”
Albedo nodded, then took a fork, scooping a piece of fish. “Open wide.”
Lumine tried to hide her shock—he wants to feed her?!—though a light pink dusted her cheeks, betraying the expression she attempted to control. She said nothing though, and instinctively closed her eyes and opened her mouth.
The fish was perfectly fried, buttery and flaky in her mouth as she chewed; the taste, so sweet and tender bursted in her mouth, reminiscent of a certain blooming flower she had witnessed countless times. When she opened her eyes, there was a gentle smile looking back at her. His bright teal eyes sparkling with expectancy and hope, corners upturned delicately—her blush only deepened at his intense gaze focused on her.
“It’s heavenly,” she said, surprised at how low she was speaking. “You’re an even better chef than I am,” she smiled.
Albedo scoffed, forking himself a piece and chewing thoughtfully for a second. “When one practices something long enough, they will eventually develop a skill for it.” He paused. “But with you, Traveler, you have mastered everything in this world on the first try. I wonder why that is?” He leaned in closer to her. “You always intrigue me,” he whispered, his voice an octave lower.
Lumine could only stare at his features, her mind processing his words, the intent beneath them. She placed a hand on his chest. “You’re praising me too much, I thought it was supposed to be your special day,” she whispered back.
He smirked, opening his mouth to speak—
“Klee wants some of Albedo’s food too!”
Albedo and Lumine backed away, embarrassed that they forgot they were in the presence of Klee. Though, the little girl didn’t appear bothered, rather, there were pastry crumbs about her face.
Lumine chuckled, taking a napkin and wiping away the mess on Klee’s face. “Do you want me to feed you?”
Klee shook her head in Lumine’s hold. “No! Klee is a big girl.”
Albedo laughed, passing the plate to Klee. “A big girl that wants a bedtime story after this, right?” He joked.
“Speaking of bedtime stories!” Klee beamed, brushing away Albedo’s jest, the piece of fish on the fork almost falling off. “Miss Lumine, can you tell us stories of your adventures in Inazuma?”
“Of course.”
Lumine launched into tales of her time at Inazuma, the highs and lows, the thrilling bits, the fast-paced commissions, the melodrama. Klee stared wide eyed, gasping at the dramatic parts, laughing at the humorous ones. Albedo nodded every now and then, keeping his attention on Lumine, finishing the desserts and tea on the table, asking a question occasionally. Lumine didn’t get through all of it, Klee had eventually fallen asleep, her temporary sugar rush quickly ending into a crash of exhaustion and slumber. Albedo brought the little girl to her bedroom, tucking her soundly into bed while Lumine cleaned up.
“She’s snuggled with Dodoco in bed now,” he said upon returning to the lab, walking over to the table.
Lumine hummed, stacking the empty plates on top of each other. “She’s such a small kid with so much energy. Eating all those sweets really tired her out,” she chuckled.
“She was really excited to see you today. I’m glad you were able to come.”
Lumine picked up the last cupcake, picking the Windwheel Aster topper and putting it into her mouth. “Truth be told, I forgot your birthday was today. I felt so guilty,” she sighed, the sugary flower melting on her tongue.
“I know. I assumed you would have. Don’t feel bad, I understand how caught up you can get in your searching and adventures.”
Her shoulders slumped a bit, eyes gazing at the cupcake. Albedo shook his head, sticking an index finger out and scooping the frosting off the cupcake, smearing the white cream on the tip of Lumine’s nose, causing her to turn her head, eyes wide in mild disbelief.
He took her chin in his fingers, slightly tilting her head up. “What matters is that you’re here now and you were able to celebrate this day with me. I wanted nothing more.”
Lumine stared at him, at his kind and earnest words, relieving her of her guilt. “Albedo…” she started, “Why’d you put frosting on my nose.” She pouted, wiping the frosting off with her index finger.
Albedo laughed at her cuteness, then grabbed her hand, bringing her finger to his mouth. She let out an audible gasp when his tongue swirled around her finger, licking off the frosting. She reddened, yanking her hand away.
“Albedo!”
“Sorry,” he snorted, not feeling sorry at all, “I couldn’t help myself. You taste so sweet.” He took a step closer, placing a hand on her shoulder, the other wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer. “What an addicting taste. I want more of it,” he leaned in, whispering, his hot breath over her ear causing her to shiver, heartbeat racing.
“... It’s yours to have,” Lumine breathed out.
And with that, Albedo closed the distance between their lips, taking her softness between his. She tasted sweet, sugary; and as his heart pounded against his chest, he only kissed her deeper, urging closer to her until she was pushed against the table, the wooden edge digging into her lower back, her fingers finding solace around the fabric of his shirt.
He tasted so soft against her, and how she missed this taste, this electrifying feeling of his body against hers, his lips molding perfectly with hers. A taste sweeter than any dessert.
“Such a decadent flavor,” he breathed out once they parted, staring at her through hooded eyes.
“So Klee was right, you did miss me a lot, huh?” She grinned, hand caressing his cheek.
“Did my eagerness give that away?”
“Very much so. I missed you a lot too,” she said, leaning in and rubbing the tip of her nose gently against his.
He said nothing, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder, taking in her warm and comforting scent, a fragrance he missed dearly. They stayed like that for a while, taking in each other’s presence, each other’s warmth and embrace.
“Let’s finish cleaning up and head to bed?” Lumine suggested, her fingers threading through his soft hair, massaging his scalp gently.
He nodded, pulling away from her reluctantly, before resting his forehead on hers. “Thank you, Lumine, for this wonderful birthday,” he said softly, his voice tender and earnest, melting her heart.
“Albedo…”
He picked up his head to look at her as she called out his name, his body tingling with the lilt of her voice.
Then, she grinned mischievously, smearing the cupcake she still had in her hand across his cheek and mouth. “Payback,” she laughed.
He stuck his tongue out, licking the frosting away from his lips. He didn’t say anything, standing there for a moment.
“Albedo?” She placed the cupcake on the table, his sudden silence unnerving.
His arms shot out, grabbing her and pulling her closer, while she yelped in his hold.
“Wait, no!” She squirmed in his arms as he gave her a peck on the lips and nuzzled his cheek against hers, spreading the frosting from his skin to hers. “Noooo,” she whined as he pulled away, grinning at their mess.
They stared at each other briefly, the white cream sticky and sugared on their skin, before bursting into joyous laughter.
“You know, these ordinary days turn into something different because of interesting people like you.” Albedo smiled, tucking a blonde strand of hair behind her ear.
Lumine returned his smile, taking his hand into hers and giving it a squeeze. “I'm glad I can share these days with you. Happy birthday, Albedo.”