ᴄʜᴇᴍɪᴄᴀʟ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ - ᴀʟʙᴇᴅᴏ x ᴏᴄ

Chapter 35 - Preparation

(Oh me, oh my, another Albedo POV chapter!)

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"Everything sucks, Albedo!" Melanie threw several pieces of clothing over her shoulder. He followed close behind her, folding her clothes as she continued her march around camp.

She still hadn't slept a wink, which he was aware of. The bags under her eyes were large enough to carry all of his alchemy supplies with room to spare. When he had woken up this morning to help Melanie prepare herself for her meeting with Kaeya and Lumine, the two of them had been under a blanket; he was sleeping; she was not.

Melanie gave up and plopped down on the ground to sob into her hands. He chewed on his lip, unsure of how to approach her. She had reached the emotional stage of sleeplessness, and according to his books, it would only get worse from there. Part of him wished he could comfort her the way she needed, but it was pointless with the Calvary Captain on his way with the Traveler. If her nightmare hadn't spooked her enough, the thought of those two would.

She wasn't the only one unsettled by her dream. He read of many prophetic dreams recorded in the history of Teyvat, but Melanie didn't seem like the type to see into the future. The Treasure Hoarders were indeed free, just like in her dream, but his demise would not come. He was not nearly finished with his purpose.

Albedo approached her, placing the folded clothes back in a neat pile next to her things. He glanced over at where she was sitting to see her Treasure Hoarder uniform in her lap. The mere sight of them sent shivers down his spine, a feeling he wasn't familiar with despite experiencing it several times before. Every day, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to turn her over to the side of citizenship rather than the rebellion she lived in.

No matter how he felt, he had to remain supporting of her. Melanie was still crying, but at least now she was dressing herself. He turned his back to her to provide a bit of privacy, even though he was certain she wouldn't mind, even if he did watch her magnificent features. Ever since their intimate moment, she seemed to enjoy his eyes on her.

"You can look. I'm fine now," Melanie called, sniffling right after. He spun on his heel, opening his arms out to her almost immediately.

She stood there staring at him for the longest time. Slowly she blinked, like she was considering her options. But at the same time, he was also staring at her. Something was off about her attire, and it wasn't just the cyan Treasure Hoarder outfit she wore.

Similar to when he first brought her to camp, her typical outfit was being worn, only his jacket was over it. It fit her like a glove. Pride coursed through him, bringing a smile to his face. There was nothing he wanted to see more than the Knights' emblem on her. A black bandana was the newest addition that brought the colors together. If he remembered correctly, it was the one he packed in her bag. She said it was JJ's old bandana.

Melanie wore a piece of the Treasure Hoarders, a piece of himself, and a piece of JJ. One thing represented herself, and that was the Vision she now had displayed on her boot, bouncing beside the silver insignia pinned to the side. The Cryo Vision felt right on her, that was for sure.

Eventually, she walked into his arms, burying her face in his chest, mumbling a few words he couldn't hear. He was pretty sure she said something along the lines of 'I feel stupid,' but he wasn't sure.

"It suits you," he said while he rested his chin on the top of her head. "Your Vision, I mean. You have suddenly taken great fulfillment in your strengths."