• HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALBEDO!! you wonderful homunculus you,,, i believe in your humanity more than anything. as a small celebration here's a short little drabble on the very first birthday he spends with kaeya and klee (after he and kaeya get together)

when he finally returns home from his past two weeks in dragonspine, the sun is about to disappear under the horizon. mondstadt's skies are dyed a warm purple, before transitioning into the calm blue of the night albedo loves so much (because it looks the same from dragonspine regardless of the cold; because its deep colour reminds him of a certain someone). he shucks off his coat, taps excess dirt and long melted snow off of his boots and is reaching for the light switch to his right when--

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BIG BROTHER ALBEDO!"

teal eyes widen at the sight of a small red bundle hurdling herself towards the small arch that separates albedo's entryway from the rest of his home. klee tosses something into the air, and there's confetti of all colours and sizes raining down from the sky, and little sparks of light that glitter for a few seconds before fizzling out with a quiet hiss.

klee bounces around on the balls of her feet excitedly as she stretches her hands towards albedo in greeting. he smiles, hooks his hands under her arms and carries her, allowing her to nuzzle into his shoulder.

"thank you for the surprise, klee. i'd completely forgotten myself."

she hums satisfactorily. "big bro albedo, you're finally home! y'know, we were starting to worry that we'd have to wait until tomorrow, or even next week until you came home..."

wait, "we?"

as if on cue, kaeya walks through the doorframe, leaning on it with his arms crossed, a content smile on his face. he was wearing an apron speckled with flour and what looked like chocolate cream, clearly albedo's own since it barely went past the man's torso. he tilts his chin towards the door and says, "happy birthday, sir kreideprinz."

albedo smiles back, and feels his shoulders relax, as though the hours-long trek from his camp in dragonspine to mondstadt had barely happened at all. "kaeya," he says, and sees how kaeya loosens up immediately as well, how his cheeks color ever so slightly. it's good to be home.

albedo pinches klee's cheek, eliciting a sweet laugh from her, before walking into his living room, where he finds a dangerously tall pancake stack, drizzled in chocolate and caramel sauces and dressed with all manner of fruit. sat on top of it is a single unlit candle, while the rest of his dining table is decorated with colorfully wrapped boxes, ranging from small to large sized, and a bouquet of cecilias and asters.

dotting his ceiling are green, yellow, and orange balloons, just like the ones that dotted the sky during windblume-- but hopefully not as explosive. the minimal lighting of his apartment bathes everything in a perfect, warm glow, reflective of the feeling bubbling under his ribcage.

"it's nothing too extravagant. we figured you'd rather come home to the quiet, than to bursts of color and noise. i hope that it's..." kaeya raises his eyebrow as he rests a hand on the small of albedo's back and walks into his vision, pressing closer so the three of them are huddled together as he gestures to the setup before him. "... to your expectations?"

"well," albedo smiles up at kaeya, "given that had no expectations in the first place, i'd say you far exceeded any. i'm assuming you brought her here?"

albedo settles klee back onto the ground as he waits for kaeya's response. "it was easy to convince jean after telling her i'd be spending my day off with klee to prepare something special for our favourite chief alchemist."

albedo shoots upright, eyes widened in shock and sudden realization. /day off./ of course! archons, how could he have forgotten?!

"oh, kaeya... i can't believe i forgot. you took the day off because you asked me to accompany you today. it completely slipped my mind, i..."

kaeya chuckles, a hand settling at the crown of albedo's head. "of all days, this is the one where you especially have nothing to apologize for."

"but-"

before he can protest, albedo feels someone tug at the end of his coat, he looks down at klee, who is pouting. "why are you saying sorry on big bro albedo's birthday? hey, hey, can't we sing and blow the candle out now?"

albedo leaves his shame behind for the next few hours, as they celebrate his birthday with the pancake stack, then more sweets kaeya procures from the icebox. klee performs a short magic show for him, something she's been practising for the past few weeks while in confinement. she juggles her jumpty dumpties and dodoco in a surprisingly artful fashion, heedless of kaeya's tightening jaw and clenched fists, the cold sweat that drips down albedo's neck as he braces himself for the worst.

things end sweetly, though, with klee catching all of them in her tiny arms, and tossing one into the air which explodes in a similar fashion to how he was greeted at the door. albedo chuckles as he hears kaeya let out a relieved sigh before welcoming klee into his arms, patting her cheek and complimenting how well she did.

they lounge around afterwards in albedo's tiny living room, taking small bites out of the various cakes and sweets sitting about, unwrapping the gifts placed on albedo's table. he receives a handmade scarf from timaeus, a set of gorgeous glass potion vials as well as a tin of special sugarcubes from sucrose, a custom set of gold-gilded plates from lisa and jean, and what seems to be a stack of scrolls accompanied by a handwritten letter from alice.

(kaeya tells him they found it sitting in front of albedo's office a few night before. albedo may know many things, but how alice seems to sneak in and out of the ordo without a soul seeing her is one he thinks he is far from figuring out.)

when his eyes turn to the bouquet, klee excitedly tells him the story of how kaeya picked her up from the ordo before sunrise today and they made the trek to starsnatch cliff to pick fresh cecilias still dressed in morning dew, before heading to windrise to gather as many asters as they could fit in their bouquet and returning to albedo's apartment to begin preparations for his (unexpectedly tardy) arrival.

albedo looks to kaeya in thanks, who has a hand covering his mouth, and can't seem to meet his eyes, ears tipped with pink.

as the evening deepens and the sky grows darker still, their conversations soften in volume, and albedo shares his discoveries on the mountain with kaeya and klee until they find she's fallen asleep on the couch, curled up against albedo's side, clutching a velvet cushion in her small hands.

kaeya walks over to where they're sat and scoops her up, allowing albedo to lead them to the small bed he keeps in a corner of the living room for whenever she asks to stay over.

once albedo's got her in her pajamas and tucked in, he turns to find kaeya back in the kitchen, pulling two glasses out of the icebox, one a pleasant blue colour and the other containing, undoubtedly, kaeya's favorite indulgence; a death after noon.

when kaeya sees him staring, he shrugs and gives albedo a sharp smile, "i figured that once she went to bed, it'd be time for the adults to have our own playtime."

"i don't know how you were able to fit so much in my icebox, it's really not as big as you made it seem today."

"well, seeing as how someone is never here to stock it, i wasn't surprised in the least when klee and i arrived to find nothing in there but a container of frozen lizard tails and a half-eaten sunshine sprat that had been sitting there for /barbatos knows/ how long."

albedo squints at him to hide his embarrassment. "i... well that's..."

kaeya laughs, hearty but quiet, and sets their glasses down to walk over to albedo and grab his hands, grip his shoulders, wrap his arms around his hips.

"happy birthday, albedo."

"kaeya..." albedo settles a hand on kaeya's chest, feels his warmth, his heartbeat. "i'm sorry i forgot that we had plans today. that you had asked me months in advance to spare today for you. to think that even though you remembered my birthday like this, i ended up wasting your time, almost all of it..."

"what do you mean, 'wasting my time?'" kaeya pulls him back, his lips a line of disapproval. "albedo, i spent my magnificent day off with somebody who i might have the most in common with in this whole entire city because of one very important fact alone: that we love you."

albedo watches as kaeya's eye shifts to the cot behind him, where klee is fast asleep. he sighs, pulling kaeya's attention back to himself, and slides his hand over kaeya's shoulder, leaving it to rest just under his nape, tucked behind his ponytail.

"i've never celebrated my birthday like this. it's difficult for me to comprehend that i even deserve one, seeing as how i never grew into who i am in the ways that you... people like you have. human beings."

albedo thinks back to his days with rhinedottir. how she described human emotions and values to him. the first time she introduced him to a 'birthday,' as they peered through the window of an inn in natlan, saw a family sitting around a table with a small cake at its center, singing jovially. he could not get the image out of his mind, one of togetherness, of synchronicity.

a few days later, he hesitantly asked her if she knew when his birthday was. rhinedottir paused in the middle of her experiment, gave him a pointed look from where she stood heads above him. then, as though it were nothing, gave him this date, before returning to whatever she was doing before.

he's kept it in his heart ever since, used it whenever needed. but as time passed, and the fluttering in his chest faded into a quiet buzz whenever he remembered his birthday, the value he had given to this date was redistributed amongst other things that he had taken interest to in life.

so it was truly a strange thing when he felt it whir back to life, as soon as he stepped through his doorway.

"...but i think i'm starting to understand why people look forward to these days so much." he pulls kaeya a little closer, rests his forehead on the expanse of his chest. "thank you."

albedo pulls away, after a brief moment of solitude, and walks towards the drinks kaeya left on the counter before picking up his own to take a sip, then tilting his head in the direction of his bedroom.

"well?" he feels his heart pick up the pace as kaeya follows in his footsteps, never breaking eye contact with slightly parted lips. "the night is still young. what was that you said about 'playtime?'"

though the favonius cathedral's bells echo in the distance, signalling midnight, they close the door with a quiet click, careful not to wake the night they've left behind.

##

• constellation au / kaeya and albedo are personifications of their constellations (pavo ocellus and princeps cretaceus, of the western and northern skies respectively) they exist worlds apart except for when, every 100 years, eighteen representatives are chosen to represent the skies and convene in the celestial court, overseen by the otherworldly beings of celestia. there, they will exist for a year, living amongst the most ancient and wise stars of the central skies.

this year, however, things are a little different. for kaeya has been tasked with a mission to find and bring home someone who bears an incredible burden, holds an incredible secret that it is vital none but those of the western skies know. what is he to do when he discovers that the person he's searching for to find not only refuses to give him the time of day, but is also one of the most beautiful beings he's ever seen?

• !inspired heavily by this fanart by max_eera!! their work is so incredible! AHHHHH

https://twitter.com/max_eera/status/1435216754398085122

lets get jiggy with the lore...

• the eighteen constellations picked to join this year's convention

of the north sky:

• albedo
• noelle
• beidou

of the south sky:

• tartaglia (ajax)
• scaramouche (en)

of the west sky:

• kaeya alberich
• dainsleif
• fischl

of the east sky:

• kamisato ayaka
• kaedehara kazuha
• kujou sara
• qiqi

and six npcs/nameless individuals...

permanent residents of celestia

• mona
• the unknown god
• ningguang

##

what is some significant constellation lore?

• the belief is that they are all birthed from a burst of explosion made by celestia itself, the breathing, existing central sky and galaxy. then, the unknown god looks far into their future, thousands of lightyears into their existence, and according to the paths they will burn (at least at a first glance) assigns them to a sky.

-> or. maybe it should be prettier? maybe constellations are told that they are born when someone makes a wish for their guidance. each constellation is like their own god, but they are referred to as 'guides'- for instance, pavo ocellus is the guide of wit and cunning, noctua is the guide of wisdom, princeps cretaceus is a guide of knowledge. guides are not unique, however, and other constellations can share their guiding trait (for instance, while diluc is the guide of wisdom within the western sky, ningguang is the guide of wisdo, in the north). that being said, the reality is that they are all birthed with a purpose deemed by celestia. only celestia knows the truth of their existence, can manipulate them at anytime.

• stars are guiding lights; it is imperative that the lights they shine upon the many many worlds whose skies they decorate are appropriate for the individuals living on said worlds. if a constellation is misplaced, the fates of those worlds could quickly go downhill. this is why it is only in very specific circumstances that constellations can be relocated to other skies. celestia can evaluate the circumstances in these cases, and are the only ones capable of said relocation.
• unsurprisingly, the act rarely occurs, and if so, only with great hesitance from celestia's part-- mostly because them choosing to do so alters fate in a way they are unable to predict; enables a future they have no power or hold over.
• when stars burst or burn out, after several millenniums of life, it is said that they leave behind remnants of themselves in the wake of the explosion. celestial ornaments, artifacts, sometimes even new young constellations, that embody aspects of themselves such as their deepest thoughts and beliefs.

##

all kaeya needs is one look to know he's found exactly who he's looking for. hair that shines like rays of sun, delicate gold chains that dangle off his shoulders and exposed midriff as he descends the court's grand staircase with the regal air of a star that's burned for thousands and thousands of years. his eyes sparkle teal, like the inner swirls of galaxies far beyond his own sky, his lips perfectly set as he leads his fellow stars to where the others are already waiting.

they bow to the unnamed deity seated at the far end of the hall, and just before the northern congregation disperses, kaeya spots it: the yellow star on his neck, perfectly exposed where it sits between his golden shoulder guards. kaeya can't help the smirk that catches his lips, brings his wine glass quickly to his mouth to hide it. that was much easier than master varka made things out to be.

<i> i've found him. </i>

##

their dance has gotten them here, their swords inches away from extinguishing any and all memories of their existence in the night sky. kaeya keeps his eyes locked on albedo's, the grip around his waist bringing them so close that he can feel the rise and fall of his chest press against his own. warmth rises to the surface of his skin where albedo's got his blade, that wicked blade, the reason for all of this, flush against his neck, where kaeya can feel the tendrils of darkness flowing through it, searing with an ominous energy that kaeya can't quite place.

kaeya clenches his jaw as he shifts his weight ever so slightly into albedo's sword, hears him gasp lightly when it pierces through his skin and a line of red drips down, down, until it lands on the perfect white of albedo's chest, right over his heart.

ignoring the bite of darkness kaeya feels flowing from the sword's tip into his body and never ever breaking eye contact with albedo, whose gaze leaves kaeya to follow the trickle of crimson, kaeya begins counting down, knowing he's only got mere seconds before this window of opportunity closes.

kaeya hears varka's voice echoing, ferocious and deep, <i>this is your one chance, you must bring it home, no matter the cost, or it will be too late. </i> his mind races with memories of albedo; under the light of celestia's many moons, illuminated by the gold of his hair, his soft touch that night in the garden, his skin pressed against kaeya's own.

"you've gotten blood on my clothes," albedo says, quiet as ever, as though the were not locked in a danse macabre. this is kaeya's chance, his only chance, to take what he wants.

in the short window of time that albedo's loosened his grip, kaeya knocks the festering desire from his hand, releasing his own sword to press his hands into albedo's hips. albedo realizes his mistake immediately, rushes to catch the aquila before it falls to the ground, but he's a step behind, for kaeya grabs his wrist midair, twisting it behind him to pull them chest to chest, and in a moment of heat and desperation, presses their lips together.

<i> finally. </i>

//

behold my uh mostly shameless (sometimes shameful) kaebedo/kaeya/albedo headcanons

some nsfw.. there's my warning!

##

• kaeya is not, despite popular belief, a khaenri’ahn prince. his father yes, did have ties to higher lords and ladies, but for the most part his family served them (they were more middle class though, not servants, more attendants? consultants? they did not have immense power, but more than the lower class, and were in the better off spectrum of the middle class simply for their work with khaenri’ah’s upper class).

that’s why he was disposable, sent as their last hope because although kaeya was incredibly cunning and bold even for a youngster, he was literally the only survivor they were willing to risk, regardless of it being such an important task.

• kaeya does not remember the trip that he and his father made from a hidden settlement of khaenri’ahn people hidden somewhere along a corner of the vast sumeruan desert. he just remembers sun, heat, the skin around his feet boiling til they swelled red, the way his shoes were worn only two days into their trek (how they lasted until mondstadt, no one’s really sure)

all he remembers is the way his father’s lips quivered as he told kaeya they were his last hope, squeezing his shoulders once before he slipped away, replaced by a cold, unfamiliar breeze. how crepus’s hand on his cheek gently took its place. “this moment will be frozen in time”

much later down the line, kaeya finds out (or realizes?) that his father does not particularly regret sending him away, that his quivering lips were most likely the product of adrenaline, of fear of their mission failing (at this point, his father no longer exists). it’s not an issue to him, kaeya’s very peculiar about how he allocates his affections anyway, and how is he to care so deeply for the thoughts, the existence of, a man he barely remembers?

• kaeya loves backhugs! he loves wrapping his arms around albedo’s waist, pressing against his back and resting his chin on one of albedo’s shoulders, nuzzling against the crook of his neck, reaching over and inhaling deep into his collarbones.

(nsfw) he loves sex like this too, because he loves the comfort of albedo’s [or his other partners] presence, seeping into him, melting together. kaeya loves nibbling, but he hates being nibbled lol or bitten

it’s fine for them cos albedo isn’t like…. placid in bed or anything but he’s not immediately assertive. u can tell when he wants to take charge a little more, and kaeya’s been with him enough times to be able to recognize when that switch is on (and is happy to comply, to submit).

##

• albedo is quite a transparent character, he is who he is quite naturally and it isn’t that he doesn’t have a penchant for lying, (he’s quite good at everything he puts himself to, really, oft times to kaeya’s chagrin, but who’s he to be getting jealous or whatever because he’s equally as good at lying n other things…) he just chooses to live simply, and to albedo, honesty (though others would call it bluntness) is simple

that being said, his honesty also means that when he doubts himself (be it his knowledge, or most importantly, ideas on his origin and existence) it becomes awfully difficult for him to function. he gets rigid, he begins to stutter (or just goes quiet? does not talk a lot?) i’d like to think that he also breaks into cold sweats but doesn’t show it at all outside of light perspiration (his body doesn’t shiver because he’s strangely unaffected by odd temperatures-- isn’t that strange?

albedo was told by his master that he is chalk (what does it mean exactly? born from a burst of pressure, simply as the person he is today) but as he continues to pass his days in mondstadt, meeting people, caring for klee, when he touches kaeya, he starts to doubt his belief in what used to be a fundamental truth to him. he knows he’s capable of feeling, that had been certain to him from long ago… but to harbor more complex desires, to long for more than just knowledge, is something he doesn’t understand why he is suddenly capable of. was this part of the plan too? was he to discover something-- or someone-- here that would pivot his life like this, bring him even closer to completing the task his master left him?

then there’s the ever-burning question (though its more like a quiet fire), forever present at the back of his mind: once he finds the answer… what happens then? what will become of him?

• albedo does in fact remember khaenri’ah. its just that he remembers it through the eyes of his master, rhinedottir, in her memories. she, being of the same ancient & long-lived race as klee and alice, lived more than long enough to have seen the ancient underground city before its unfortunate demise.

grand sandstone buildings that seemed to stretch for miles and miles, the sound of running water & clopping of horseshoes against warm cobblestone; bright flashes of fabric that hang from canopies and windowsills that flutter in a wind that seems to blow in from nowhere at all; light, filtering down from an unknown source so grand, barely visible to the human eye, as though the sun never sets, as though the sky is ever present, even in a world so far underground. the scents and flavours of spice, warm and comforting in the depths of your throat. the beautiful blue patterned cloth worn by royals and their guards, in great ballrooms with painted ceilings of deep blue, patterned with constellations that made no sense to albedo, yet spoke to him as though they held all the secrets in the world and more.

the first time he and kaeya are able to honestly talk about their experiences with ‘khaenri’ah,’ the time, the place, the feeling, albedo tells him all of this, and by the end of it, silent tears are falling in fat drops down kaeya’s face, seeping through the dark fabric of his eyepatch, and albedo almost reaches out to wipe them away before catching himself, choosing to grip his own wrist lightly instead, and laid it on his lap as he watched kaeya cry, offering his comfort through silence.

why was kaeya so sad, so overwhelmed by memories of a city he in his lifetime was never given the chance to see or experience? one rendered to dust more than two thousand years ago, barely a memory in the world, let alone a place he could call home?

maybe it’s because he found an anchor. he found solace in the reminder that albedo, too, was left behind by someone, with nigh but an impossible task so incomprehensible at times it made him feel as though he was going mad. that albedo has an non-human, artificial side to himself that he does not care to explain nor understand (kaeya thinks to the minutes he spends in the bathroom after his day is over, pulling the string from his eyepatch undone, gazing at the dark, horrendous blue that melts over the skin of his right eye, seeping to the bone, cold and rigid).

kaeya didn’t have to compromise on his own anymore. no longer was he alone.

(nsfw)

• umm a kinky hc AHA well albedo loves it raw!!

kaeya’s a little upset by this sometimes bc he’s like cherish urself more lol, but he complies whenever albedo asks nicely.. which is like most of the time.. n im still thinkin abt this, like how does kaeya ensure he’s clean (he can’t jus go to barbara and be like uhHhh so hey i need u to.. um.. help me.. make sure of this thing.. unless he can? CAN HE?? do i rly make barbara bear the brunt of this horrendously awkward convo?) (and yes! there are condoms/other contraceptives in teyvat LMAO)

what kaeya doesn’t tell albedo tho is that he loves it the most when albedo is feeling good so… even tho he makes a fuss about it a little bit he doesn’t mind, he’s simply more concerned with himself & how he can ensure his lover is safe as they bow chika wow wow (given the nature of his past, of the things he’s allowed himself to do for work as the cavalry captain, etc...)

##

• so like.. why does kaebedo work so well to me?

two people tht are both trying to find the answers/understand the tasks that very important people in their life gave them but albedo is devoted to his task, while kaeya almost resents it.. but overcome by the feeling that he has nothing left (to lose) he desires to understand albedo’s passion and fervor instead, not thinking that the need to know and learn and understand may have been written into albedo’s biological code at first-- he never saw albedo as anything other than human until they grow closer and albedo’s insecurities became a little more clear to him.

• “so why do you stay here? you’ve got encyclopedias of knowledge living in your head, surely more than i could ever comprehend in even a lifetime. you have everything, you could go anywhere. why do you stay?”

albedo thinks about the sun on his back as he stands in the town square, observing timaeus and sucrose’s results on a task he’d given them only a few days ago; he thinks of the sweet, deep musk of books of the library, the crisp echoes of heeled footsteps of the cathedral; the view from his apartment, tall enough for him to see over the city walls, as the sun sets over dawn winery in the far distance and windmills turn to keep the city running.

“i… why, you’re quite right. why don’t i go elsewhere? surely sumeru would have much more to offer to me and vice versa than the ordo does in its current state. how peculiar,”

(he thinks about the gentle touch of kaeya’s hands as they travel up his forearm before he grips albedo’s shoulders lightly, reassuring, affirming, warm, unforgettable, and walks away. the sparkle in his eye whenever he’s in conversation with albedo, how it shifts into something a little more dangerous when he gets him alone. the way he burst like an aqueduct that night when albedo first told him about khaenri’ah, as if he had never cried a day in his life-- a rare moment of vulnerability in kaeya’s life, and perhaps the most raw, human emotion that albedo had ever seen.)

“but i think the answer is much more simple than you might think, sir kaeya. maybe i just… maybe i like it here. maybe someday i’ll even be able to say with confidence that i love it; maybe even you will leave mondstadt before i do, and on that day, maybe you’ll finally believe that i enjoy it here enough to want to call it home.

though i must say, if that day ever comes… those feelings of mine might not be the same anymore. not without you here, i don’t think.”