Wallowing | Albedo's Descent Book 2

Chapter 11: A Child's Demands

Klee carefully pushed the door open, "Kaeya?"
There was rustling under the covers, but he didn't say anything.
Klee closed the door and hopped onto the bed. She dug out Kaeya's face, "are you okay?"
"No," Kaeya whispered as he looked away from her, his face incredibly red.
Klee tilted her head, "does Kaeya have a fever?"
He shook his head, "no... Albedo came to see me earlier..."
Klee smiled, "Klee told you he wasn't dead."
Kaeya closed his eyes tightly, "but I think I did something wrong."
"Like what?" Klee asked, "if Kaeya did a bad thing Klee thinks Lisa would be complaining about it right now."
Kaeya pursed his lips before whispering, "I was holding him, Klee... Like... Like holding him..."
Klee frowned, "that's not a bad thing."
"But it... but I was holding him... right here..." he used his eyes to gesture everywhere.
Klee crawled under the covers, "in bed, you mean?"
Kaeya somehow got more red, "yes..."
She shrugged, "Klee doesn't think that's a wrong thing. Klee thinks Kaeya needed to hold Albedo and that Albedo needed a hug anyways."
Kaeya looked around with his eyes, "but... I don't think I've ever... held him that closely before..."
"..." Klee narrowed her eyes at him, "do Kaeya and Albedo ever touch each other?!"
Kaeya blinked, "yes... I'm almost always touching him... well, now this sounds bad..."
Klee rolled her eyes, "really? Then why is Kaeya blushing so much? Doesn't Kaeya hold Albedo all the time?"
"No..." he sounded a little ashamed.
Klee glared at him, "Klee thinks that she needs to make sure Albedo and Kaeya have proper hugging time."
"It... it's just..." Kaeya was a little flustered, "Albedo's so small and dainty... what if I break him?..."
Klee giggled, "Albedo can't break!"
Kaeya sank into the blankets, "yeah, I know that... but I feel like he doesn't really like it when I'm hugging him, so I don't do that very often..."
Klee had a concerned expression, "Kaeya makes it sound like he really cares about Albedo's opinion and not as much about showing Albedo how much he loves him."
Kaeya blinked, "Klee..."
She smiled.
"I'd... never thought of it like that..."
Klee pat Kaeya's head, "that's okay. Kaeya can just start now!"
Kaeya nodded, "okay... I'll try..."
"*Try*?!"
"Er, yes..."
"No! No trying! Only doing!"
"Okay! Okay!"

Lisa grew concerned, "Sucrose couldn't find anything recognizable in its composition..."
Albedo frowned, "I have a few ideas... but there doesn't seem to be a way to test them..." He placed his hand against his chest, "I thought that maybe my blood had changed color in a sort of defense against that creature... but if it isn't blood..."
"Well, maybe it is?" Lisa added, "maybe it just changed completely?"
Albedo sighed, "I don't know..."
Lisa heaved a sigh as well, "at least it doesn't seem to be getting worse..."
Albedo nodded, "at least..."
There was running down the stairs. They both turned to look.
Emerging from around the corner was the Cavalry Captain, fully dressed and looked like he had made an effort to look nicer than normal.
Lisa chuckled to herself.
Kaeya blinked, then turned to Lisa, "does he have to be chained up?"
"What? You don't like seeing him like that?~"
"No. I do not." Kaeya folded his arms. He wouldn't accept such statements from her anymore.
Albedo sighed, "just became I'm over here doesn't mean I can't hear you."
Lisa giggled, "anyways. Jean says it's 'for the good of Mindstadt.' I mean, I understand but still... poor Albedo all by himself in there all day with nothing to do..."
Albedo shrugged, "I don't mind it so much... but it gets a little... lonesome..."
Lisa smirked, "you know, while you were gone, Kaeya would come down here and talk to you~"
"Lisa!" Kaeya exclaimed.
"No," Albedo spoke up, "I already knew. I could hear him... Sometimes."
Kaeya grew very red, "you could?"
Albedo nodded, "it wasn't like I was paying much attention, though... I was preoccupied."
"Anyways," Kaeya decided to change the subject, "I'm here to take Albedo out."
Lisa cooed, "aww that's so cute! But I cant let you. Jean said I have to be the one to keep an eye on him. And it's only an hour."
"Then, am I allowed in there?"
Lisa blinked several times, "uh, she didn't say we couldn't go in..." Was Kaeya really that desperate to spend time with Albedo? Then again if it were Jean Lisa would probably feel the same.
"Where's Klee?" Albedo asked.
Lisa chuckled, "out like a light. She'd been staying up all night with me for a while, so she needs the sleep." She unlocked the cell and stepped in with Kaeya.
The Cavalry Captain immediately sat down next to Albedo, putting his arms around him.
To Lisa's surprise, Albedo leaned into Kaeya.
"How do you sleep down here? How have you not frozen to death yet?" Kaeya asked worriedly as he rubbed Albedo's hands together in his own.
Albedo looked around, unsure what to do, "uh, Lisa brings me blankets and pillows..."
"Well, at least she cares. I bet Jean hasn't come to see you once."
Albedo smiled, "Jean has actually come to see me the most."
"What?" Both Lisa and Kaeya asked at the same time.
Albedo leaned into Kaeya, closing his eyes, "though, I'm not allowed to tell you what we speak about."
Kaeya clicked his tongue, "that's so like her." He pat Albedo's head affectionately.
Lisa felt like it was intrusive of her to be a third wheel... but they were just so cute! Plus, they didn't seem to care that Lisa was there anyways.
Klee groggily walked down the stairs, yawning, "good morning...." Then she noticed how many people were in the room. She walked into the cell, dragging her feet, Dodoco hanging loosely from her hand. She walked up to Albedo and Kaeya and pushed them apart, "leave room for Klee..."
She collapsed into Kaeya's lap and immediately fell back asleep.
Kaeya chuckled as he pulled Albedo back over. Albedo was careful to keep his arms away from Klee, afraid of waking her with the cold of the shackles.