𝙸𝚗𝚏𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 |Yandere!Albedo × Reader|

Chapter IX: Solus

The illusion of happiness began to fade, and it faded fast. The bliss of denial was gone, and was now replaced by tremendous guilt. The fireplace didn't feel as warm when you sat by it. Food tasted bland and possessed no flavor, almost like fresh snow. The reality of your situation was dire, and the future was bleak.

You awoke from a pleasant dream, only to find you weren't in your quaint cottage. Rather, you were housed in the guest room of the Mad Alchemist's prison... whoops, cabin. The view from your window, instead of lush green fields, was replaced by barren snowy woods. Not that you didn't like new view, it was nice change of scenery, but you were getting quite homesick as of late.

You stretched your arms out in front of you before sliding out of bed. The cold of the floors shocked you, but you adjusted. You wandered into the bathroom, your footsteps light and cautious. Since arriving here, you never felt you could fully let your guard down.

While brushing your teeth, you caught sight of yourself in the mirror. Your hair was a mess, would Albedo let you shower? Were you allowed to do anything here? Why did he bring you to this cabin, anyway? You realized you couldn't remember when you began living here. Was this out of free will?

You were thinking yourself sick. You gargled and spit the water-fluoride mixture from your mouth. The minty aftertaste reminded you of your nightly concoction. Was the alchemist trying to poison you? Well, if that was his intention, to slowly kill you, this would be one hell of a way to go. You could practically see it on the cover of your bestselling diary: Death by Toothpaste.

The mental image made you laugh, but unfortunately your happiness was cut short. In mere seconds Albedo stood before you. He was breathless, panting profusely. He was pretty cute, huffing and puffing like that... You felt like smacking yourself. He is literally keeping you prisoner!!

You knew the cabin was quite small, so where could he have run from? So many questions, yet no solid answers... for whatever reason you couldn't bring yourself to ask.

Wait, you knew why. Flashbacks of his brutality resurfaced, yet you suppressed them as quickly as they came. At some point, you would have to face it; the Albedo that you loved never existed. His sanity was a facade. He wasn't capable of feeling any emotion, or so you hypothesized.

"Why were you laughing?" The blonde's voice sent a chill through your blood. His breathing was normal now, and his expression was bitter. You refused to look at him and gave him the silent treatment. He crossed his arms, drumming his fingers against his forearm.

"You had better explain yourself. I'm sure there's nothing funny about this bathroom."

You sensed he wouldn't believe anything out of your mouth. Your eyes began to sting and your throat grew tight, the way you did whenever you were overwhelmed. Despite your best efforts, a sib happened to escape your lips.

The sound of raw human emotion seemed to affect Albedo. His energy shifted from resentful to concerned, and he tentatively brushed the back of his hand against your cheek. His touch was as light as a feather, but it still spooked you. You stepped back, and he hastily drew away. He seemed to come back from somewhere deep within his mind.

"I... I apologize for being so inconsiderate. Would you like to join me for breakfast?"

After weeks of solitude, your heart yearned for companionship. Aside from some minor stalking, he was rather kind to you. He didn't abuse you in any way, and while you hated to admit it, you still harbored some attraction to him.

"Sure!" You replied, without any consideration of the weight of your choice. Albedo blinked, seemingly processing your response. It was clear he didn't expect that response. His words tumbled over each other.

"W-well then, follow me." He held out his hand, but quickly drew it back. He began walking to the stairs, and you were quick to follow. You kept your eyes trained on his fluffy hair. So floofy, so irresistibly soft, almost like a cloud-

You narrowly avoided making a fool of yourself by bumping into him. Keep yourself together, Y/N! The two of you traversed through the library to another set of doors. He pushed them open to reveal another room, a small one you had never been in before. An antique wooden table resided in the center of the floor, and two chairs were situated on either end. A frosted over window provided minimal light, but it was enough to see clearly.

Albedo waited for you to sit down before he did. Why is he acting so fricken weird? Has he never shared a meal with another before? You couldn't recall her clearly, but you swore he used to have an assistant. Or were you just making things up? You rubbed your temples, and the ever-observant alchemist took notice.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes, it's just... a little chilly. Does this place have any insulation?"

Albedo ignored your question, or was too caught up in his head to hear. "I hope you like it. F/F, your favorite."

You were slightly shaken. How in the world did he know F/F was your favorite food?? You were certain you had never ate in front of him... right? Your memory was quite distorted, so nothing was for sure.

You could help but smile. On the bright side, it was nice to feel important. Better than feeling like a prisoner. "Thank you."

He looked rather... giddy? Why was he so happy? Was this some sort of test? Maybe that was your purpose here; to be a test subject in some elaborate experiment. Sounded right out of a horror movie. A chill ran down your spine, and you shuddered.

You also noticed that he was watching you intensely with every bite you took. It was really creepy, and made you suspicious. What if he had put something in the food?

Just when you were worrying about how you could politely stop eating, Albedo cleared his throat. "I was wondering if you would like to assist me today."

Assist? You were extremely interested. Maybe you'd finally get to go outdoors! "Yes, yes, I can help with anything!" You said, about to jump out of your seat.

Albedo beamed at your enthusiasm. "Come with me." He rose from his chair and gestured to another door in the room. Due to the large number of locks you inferred that it had to be a main door. Filled with glee (and with no other options) you accompanied him out.