Genshin Impact Reader Inserts

ꜰɪᴇʟᴅ ʀᴇꜱᴇᴀʀᴄʜ | ᴀʟʙᴇᴅᴏ 2/2 🍋

"Mint roots," he said.

You blinked at him. "Huh?"

"I was simply wondering if I could borrow some."

"Oh," you said, "yeah, that's fine, but only take one, I need the rest for experiments."

"You have my thanks," Albedo said, lifting one of the pots from your trolly and crossing back to his desk.

You kept your head down, trying to go back to what you were doing.

Aloe, mint, frankincense, rosemary, thyme—

"There are good samples," Albedo said, "you will have to mark on my map where you found them."

You nodded absently. "I will."

Lemongrass, basil, sorrel, bay leaves, chives—

You could hear Albedo shuffling around behind you, pulling books from the bookshelf. You pinched the bridge of your nose.

Chamomile, ginger, ginseng, flax seed, turmeric, echinacea—

"Are you troubled? You are very stiff."

You finally snapped. "No, I'm fine."

A pregnant silence followed, and you instantly felt bad. You turned away from your table to look at Albedo, who was watching you with careful eyes. He was always so patient.

"Sorry," you said, "I'm just stressed. I've got a lot of things to finish, that's all."

That was technically true, but you were also trying not to think about how nice Albedo looked when the low afternoon light hit him like that, highlighting his pretty features, making his hair shine like gold—

Stop.

You must have been making some sort of expression, because Albedo was raising his eyebrows at you, amusement present in his eyes. You avoided his gaze, hoping to any Archon that would listen that you weren't blushing.

"Is that so?"

You narrowed your eyes. "Yes, it is."

You didn't give him time to answer, crossing to the small garden you'd set up behind your work station, tending to the plants you had growing there. Some of them looked ready to harvest, and you made a mental note to do so later.

"____."

You nearly jumped out of your skin, whirling around and almost crashing into Albedo.

"Archons above, what?"

He was closer than you thought he'd be, and you felt your cheeks warm almost instantly, making you back up, but you felt your ankle collide with the corner of your garden bed, and you stopped, not wanting to topple into the herbs.

"You're very jumpy," he said, eyes studying your face, "have I done something to upset or scare you?"

You blinked at him. "Scare me— huh?! No! No, nothing like that. Really, Albedo, I'm fine."

Albedo didn't look like he really believed you, but he let it slide, arms crossing over his chest. "If you say so. I trust your judgement, so I will not push."

He turned and walked away, stopping at his canvas and examining what was on it, then picking up his sketchbook and perching on the front edge of his desk, crossing his ankles. You turned back to your work, listening to the sound of his pencil scratching the page as he sketched, and you felt like you were losing your mind.

Your eyes fell to a note Sucrose had left for you, one stuck to your mortar and pedestal. It read 'today is the day.' To anyone else, it could be a reminder note, or a note of encouragement. But you knew what it meant.