Archive of Our Own ^beta

“There's this one... peculiar, yet nonetheless effective method of watching the sky here, on Dragonspine,” Albedo said, a smile seeping into his voice. “I've discovered it thanks to Klee, who insisted on making snow seelies on our first joint visit.”

Cyno listened as he walked along, the crisp snow crackling under his feet. Even though he managed to get his hands on some warm clothes, the cold still bit his cheeks, forcing him to bury his face in his scarf as deep as he could. He was by no means used to such weather, yet he found himself drawn to the peaceful landscape of the snowy mountains nevertheless.

“Want me to show you?” Albedo asked.

Too entranced by the shiny snowdrifts and the frozen river, Cyno almost missed that line.

“That question is a complete snow-brainer,” he replied, hearing Albedo huff. A small tingle of pride made its way to his chest. “That is to say — yes, of course.”

They slightly deviated from the path, stopping at the nearest snowdrifts. Cyno looked at Albedo, waiting for something. And Albedo did do something: after turning his back to the snowdrifts, he plopped right into the snow, much to Cyno's surprise.

“I know how it might seem,” Albedo said, not even bothering to hide the amusement in his voice. “But you'll have to trust me on this one and do the same. It is worth it, I promise.”

And so, trying to not think too much of it, Cyno did the exact same thing, ending up lying near Albedo. The snow around his body felt soft, yet still chilly no matter how many layers he had on him. Wasn't Albedo cold?

He looked at Albedo, but the man wasn't paying attention to him; no, he looked up instead, and Cyno followed suit.

And oh, what a view it was.

The stars were glittering in the sky like diamond shards on a black velvet cloth. The moon was a faint silvery white glow, providing just enough light to make out the dim constellations. The snow was falling gently around him, and he could feel some of it swiftly melting after landing on his face. He could see clouds of his own breath, and the snowflakes glistened like tiny crystals as they slowly fell from above.

Cyno sighed, taking in the breathtaking sight, as well as the smell of fresh frosty air. The sound of tranquil silence filled his heart with peace. Ultimately, it was the same sky he had seen in the desert; yet, somehow, it felt completely different. Less lonely, perhaps. Freeing.

“...Spectacular, isn’t it?” came Albedo’s quiet voice. It sounded as if he was almost as awe-struck as Cyno.

Cyno just hummed in agreement. Not a single word from his vocabulary was enough to neither describe the sight, or what exactly he felt about it.

However, he could certainly tell that he was still cold. He felt goosebumps run down his skin as he shifted in the pile of snow, straightening. Albedo sat up short after, an inquiring expression on his face.

“It's quite late,” Cyno said, getting up and brushing away all the snow from his clothes. “We should go back.”

Albedo looked at him for a couple of seconds, contemplating something.

“Cyno, are you cold by any chance?” he asked with some degree of concern, his eyebrows raised slightly.

“I…” Cyno blinked. Was he so easy to read? “Not exactly, no—”

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Albedo continued with a small smile, standing up as well. “You need not judge your own state by my unbothered exterior. I’m well accustomed to such weather, while I have to assume that your experience is… somewhat limited. So please, during our future strolls, don’t hesitate to let me know when you’re uncomfortable.”

Once again, Cyno was slightly taken aback by how perceptive his companion was. Pursing his lips, he yielded.

“...Alright,” he nodded, taking off his wet mittens. “Before we go, do you have a place for these in your bag?”

Albedo's eyes widened the moment he took them.

“...Cyno, they're soaked,” he sighed, putting them away anyway.

Then, to Cyno's confusion, he began taking one of his gloves off as well.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking one of my gloves off to give it to you,” Albedo explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “When water evaporates, the skin cools down faster, and I'd prefer to keep you as warm as possible,” he added, and a second after he handed the glove to Cyno.

Cyno wasn't sure about the idea, but the warmth was indeed inevitably slipping away, so he did put it on. Albedo then took his right hand in his own, bare one. Upon realization, Cyno's heart raced at the sudden contact. He didn't have enough time to fully process it, however; Albedo told him something about knowing a shortcut, and led him there along snow-covered trails.

Cyno found it hard to focus entirely on walking, both his gaze and thoughts constantly returning to their hands. Albedo's palm was warm — much warmer than his own, and softer, too. He also had a small callus on his middle finger. Was he left-handed?.. Somehow, Cyno didn't realize it until now.

Hesitantly, he held Albedo's hand tighter, awkwardly intertwining his own fingers with his. Albedo didn't seem to mind, giving him a quick, reassuring look, before proceeding further.

As they walked in comfortable silence, nothing but rising wind and the crunch of the snow disturbing it, a little smile crept up on Cyno's face, hidden from the world by his scarf.

Eventually, they reached Albedo's campsite. Albedo swiftly lit the campfire and oil lamps, taking off his warm clothes short after. Cyno followed suit, leaving his winter clothes on some of the unoccupied chairs. While he was briefly looking around the lab for any changes since he last visited, a snowstorm started outside. The view was as chilling as it was mesmerizing.

After Albedo finished his preparations, he led Cyno to the far corner of the cave, separated from the rest of the space by curtains. On the other side, there were plenty of pillows and blankets, enough to form a thick layer. In the corners stood jars with strange, bright orange seelies inside, which, as Cyno later found out, not only illuminated the "room" with dim light, but also served as compact heating sources.

Overall, it looked cozy; and even if it didn't, Cyno didn't have much of a choice. He sat down, settling for one of the heavy blankets.

“I have some valberry tea,” Albedo announced, peeking in. “Will that suffice, or would you prefer plain water?”

“It will suffice,” Cyno replied, looking up at him. He hadn't tried that one before; but even then, he wasn't a big fan of tea in general.

“Would you like to add sugar?”

“No, it's alright. Thank you.”

“Of course,” he gave him a small smile and left, closing the curtains again.

While Cyno waited, he allowed himself to relax and lie down on the soft pillows, closing his eyes. He listened to the howling wind outside, to what he could guess was kettle boiling, and to Albedo's surprisingly quiet footsteps. Cyno's mind inevitably wandered, lingering on the moment when Albedo took his hand. He sighed, hiding his face behind his arm.

Before he could dwell on it for too long, Albedo came in, holding a red teapot and a couple of matching cups. They looked surprisingly childish, as if they were both sculpted and drawn on by a kid.

“Apologize for the lack of the finer china,” he said with a quiet chuckle, sitting down near Cyno, who, in turn, straightened up. “This one belongs to my little sister, hence the design. I hope it's alright with you.”

Now that Cyno could take a closer look, he saw a big golden four-leaf clover on the pot, some beige waves and lines. The cup he got had flowers on it. Everything was somewhat sloppy, which added to its charm.

“It's an ice set,” he said, holding the cup for Albedo. The man smiled, carefully pouring the tea for him.

The drink was still really hot, fragrant steam rising from it. It turned out to be green tea, and it had a delightful, sweet smell. Cyno blew on it for a little while, then sipped, pleasantly surprised with the slightly bitter herbal flavor of it, topped off by a fruity aftertaste.

“It's delicious,” he commented, going for another sip.

“Glad if so,” Albedo replied, stirring the sugar in his own cup.

It was quiet again, and the enveloping silence was comfortable for both of them. However, Albedo seemed to be done after just one cup; after setting it down on the small table where the teapot stood, he moved closer to Cyno and rested his head on his shoulder. Cyno's eyes widened slightly while he tried to process the sudden warmth flooding his chest — it had nothing to do with tea.

“I sincerely hope it won't disturb any of your plans,” Albedo muttered, calm and relaxed. “Since both of us will have to stay here for a while — until the blizzard dies down, that is.”

“Don't worry. It wouldn't,” Cyno assured, taking a deep breath. With Albedo in such close proximity, he could make out a faint floral scent.

In the back of his mind, Cyno knew that there was no other place he'd rather be anyway.