desire ~ k. kazuha idol au

• chapter seven •

The little luncheon between you, Kazuha, and Ayaka lasted a few minutes longer. Afterwards, Ayaka insisted that she had to leave. Something about working on finances with her brother.

After Ayaka left, smiling smugly for whatever reason, you realized that you were alone with Kazuha. Again.

You looked at the floor, swinging your leg in a circle to distract yourself from the biting silence. Upon taking out your phone, you noticed it was time for you to go.

"Oops!" you exclaimed, standing up and attracting Kazuha's attention. "I'd better go, Kazuha. I promised Jean I'd put in some extra work hours after my... ahem, overly long lunch break from that other day."

"Ah." Kazuha said, reddening as he put away his guitar. "That was partially my fault. I apologize... I kept you too long, and-"

"Aah, don't worry about it." you interrupted, waving off Kazuha's spur-of-the-moment apology. "That's past now. I've learned my lesson with holding grudges... but I'd better run. Otherwise I'll be owing Jean even more extra hours."

"Alright." Kazuha said, raising his hand in a weak wave. He sounded a little disappointed.

As you walked off, you thought you heard a sigh. But you shrugged it off and began thinking of something else.

I'm just being delusional. Maybe after I get some work in, I'll be back to normal.

✧•✧•✧

You were bending over the eyepiece of a microscope, fogging the lens and wiping it until it sparkled. You were lost in your thoughts after spending an hour (or was it two?) examining rare mushroom specimens.

These mushrooms that Tighnari gave me sure have some interesting elemental properties. you noted, trying to add a last scribble onto an already filled and crinkled notepad. Next, I should probably consult that book that Xingqiu gave me, so that I can properly identify the—

Your thoughts were interrupted as you felt a sharp, yet gentle, tap on your shoulder. You turned around to see a nervous looking Sucrose, who recoiled suddenly when you turned.

"Ah!" she stuttered, backing away from you. "S-sorry if I startled you, Miss Y/N!"

"That's alright. And I've already told you," you said, trying not to sound irritated to avoid scaring Sucrose, "you don't need to call me 'Miss Y/N' anymore. Y/N is fine with me."

"Oh! So sorry!" she mumbled, her face going pink. "I was wondering... if you have time, could you please help me mix some chemicals? I've almost reached a breakthrough in my research, but I need another person to assist me."

"Oh, yeah, sure!" you said, returning to polishing the microscope eyepiece. "Anything else you need?"

"A-ah, yes." Sucrose fumbled with a piece of paper that she had been clutching quite tightly. "Jean and Albedo want to meet with you in the office to discuss something. I'm not sure about the details myself, but judging from the tone of their voices, it sounded pretty important."

"Oh?" you questioned promptly. "I'll go there right away, then. Thank you for the reminder, Sucrose."

"Of course." she said, but you were already walking away, straightening your badge and smoothing out your coat.

I wonder what Jean wants? you thought. I don't think I've done anything wrong... I hope.

When you opened the door to your supervisor's office, you were met with the familiar faces of Jean and Albedo, just like Sucrose said you would. You sat down placidly in a chair, waiting for any kind of instructions.

"Thank you for arriving so quickly, Y/N. I've arranged meetings with everyone, so your instruction will be brief." Jean said.

"I will be flying back to Teyvat International Headquarters in Mondstadt. I have merely been here to supervise the start of this new alchemy group, and I must say that your division is doing quite well," Jean commented, nodding with approval. "Albedo here will be your supervisor from here on out, so I just wanted to tell you beforehand to avert any shock."

"Well." you murmured. "I'll be sad to see you go, Master Jean, but you may rest assured that I will be working hard to make advancements in the world of alchemy."

"Thank you very much, Y/N." she said gratefully. "Also, Albedo will debrief you on your first field research project that will be occuring in a few months."

Once Albedo was sure that he had the floor to speak, he gently cleared his throat and said, "Thank you very much, Jean. So, the first field research project I have scheduled will take place in a forest near the city of Tatarasuna, Inazuma. We'll be investigating the strange Electro properties found in that specific area and landscape. We'll be doing that in order to create a plan to remove said properties to prevent further harm to such wildlife."

"This project will be occuring in the upcoming year, sometime during the spring. So the wait time is approximately four and a half months, if not earlier." Albedo finished, looking at you to see if you had any sort of questions.

"Alright, Albedo." you stated. "I will take my leave now." Behind you, Jean nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her.

But when you just got up and started towards the door yourself, Albedo approached you and muttered in your ear, "I know who you're meeting on the rooftop. Your secret is safe with me."

You froze. How could Albedo tell that you were visiting Kazuha?

You shot Albedo a questioning glance, to which he replied with another whisper, "Did you really think I couldn't tell who you were seeing after your overly long lunch break a few days ago? You were humming a neat little song from the moment you entered the lab."

You reddened slightly, and after making sure that Jean had properly closed the door, you hissed, "Was it that obvious?"

Albedo shook his head. "I think I'm the only one that noticed. I'm just very observant, that is all. Now get out of the office. Before Jean gets suspicious."

Upon receiving this command you scampered from the office and made a quick beeline to the lab station that you had been working at to pick up your files and bag.

After saying goodbye to all your colleagues, you headed out the door... but then you ran into a certain ivory haired boy.