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“The potion had some,” says Albedo, “Unintended side effects.”
He says this standing at the front entrance of Aether’s teapot mansion, an unannounced visitor. Tubby had to use the emergency summons to get Aether’s attention. He’d been in the shape of a dinosaur at the time. Normally, Aether lets his companions have free roam of the pocket dimension. But the note of urgency in the teapot spirit’s tone had prompted him to depart his indwelling and make haste to return and see what the matter was.
As soon as Aether arrives, he can immediately tell something is wrong. Albedo looks out of sorts. He’s missing his characteristic white coat. His hair is mussed, and a sheen of sweat coats his features. It’s an unusual look for the generally composed, stoic alchemist.
Aether asks, “What kind of potion was it?”
Albedo can’t seem to keep still. He fidgets, hands grasping his elbows and raking through his hair. “It was intended to enhance elemental potency. I had thought to provide it for the Knights of Favonius to improve their ability to defend Mondstadt from monsters. Since this was my first batch of prototype, I tested it on myself.”
Aether raises an eyebrow, “Do you usually do that? Drink untested potions to see their effects?”
“Yes. Routinely,” Albedo says. “As an artificial human, my body’s composition makes an ideal template for experimentation. I am naturally resilient to many poisons, and the symptoms typically wear off in the span of a day. However, in this case, there were… extenuating circumstances.”
“…Such as?”
“The potion has caused my body’s elemental alignment to slip,” Albedo says. “As a Geo wielder I am typically inert. It’s another reason why I am an ideal candidate for testing. However, now… see for yourself.”
Aether nods, and blinks. His vision takes on the shimmering veneer of elemental sight. As he does, it’s like a flash-bang went off right under his nose. Albedo’s entire body, which usually glowed a subtle gold under elemental vision, now marbles all over with rainbow light, radiant and flashing like phlogiston.
“At present, my body is in a state of constant elemental flux,” Albedo says. “We’re I to come into contact with any other element in this raw state, it could trigger an explosive elemental reaction.”
From where she floats over Aether’s shoulder, Paimon remarks, “Uhhh, that sounds bad! Really bad!”
Albedo’s eyes suddenly flash with irritation as he looks over at Paimon. “Would you go away, please? I came here only to see Aether.”
“…Oh…” Paimon’s face falls, and she bobs sadly downwards.
Albedo seems immediately ashamed by his own words. “…My apologies. Another side-effect of the potion appears to be the inability to withhold my innermost thoughts. That, more than anything, is why I could not be seen in public.” He drags a hand across his reddened face. “I learned this the hard way when I greeted Lisa by remarking she appeared to have increased in bodily mass since taking a holiday. Apparently that was the wrong thing to say. She nearly slapped me.”
In spite of the dire situation, a corner of Aether’s mouth curls in a smile. “Yeah, I can see why that would be a problem.” He turns to Paimon. “Sorry, but would you mind…?”
“Hmph!” Placing her tiny hands on her hips, Paimon turns her nose up in indignation. “Paimon didn’t want to listen to Albedo’s nerdy nonsense, anyway!” With that, she vanishes in a small poof of sparkles.
Aether turns back to Albedo, who’s wearing a bashful look that’s quite at odds on his face that so rarely shows expression. It's kind of a treat to see Albedo wear his emotions openly. Too bad Albedo looks so uncomfortable.
“Why don’t we go somewhere else,” Aether says, glancing around them. The green grass shimmers with Dendro, while a nearby fountain sprays Hydro into the air. With Albedo in such a volatile elemental state, making contact with the grass could cause burning or burgeoning; while a stray droplet of Hydro might vaporize or trigger an electro-shock. Aether concludes they should go as far from possible sources of elemental interference as they can.
He takes Albedo to the beach, figuring the inert Geo of the sand shouldn’t trigger many unwanted reactions, so long as they stay away from the shoreline. The artificial sun of the teapot realm shines down with mild warmth, while an intermittent breeze stirs the air, its Anemo energy too weak to cause a Swirl reaction (he hopes).
No sooner do they arrive on the beach does Albedo sit and immediately begin to remove his boots. “It’s hot,” he says by way of explanation when Aether shoots him a look. His tall boots are followed shortly by his gloves and stockings. Aether can’t help his gaze being drawn to the pale length of Albedo’s calves and ankles; so commonly was he dressed from head to toe that seeing Albedo in any sort of undress was quite the unusual event. A flush colors Aether’s face as he forces himself to look away. What was he doing, blushing at the sight of a bare ankle? Was he a Fontainean maiden?
Aether supposes he should be honest with himself about the way he feels—has always felt—regarding the Chief Alchemist of Mondstadt. The fact that they saw each other so infrequently, along with Albedo’s naturally reserved demeanor, did little to temper the crush Aether had always quietly nurtured for the man. But it was only ever just that: a crush, and not a particularly serious one at that. Or so Aether thought. Present circumstances are causing him to rethink.
“I can ask Tubby to adjust the ambient temperature of the realm, if it helps,” Aether offers, still not looking at Albedo. Although the temperature seemed entirely pleasant from his perspective; his own comfort was not the issue here.
“That won’t be necessary,” Albedo says.
When Aether expects him to continue talking, he doesn’t; instead, he grasps a handful of sand on the beach. He lets it fall from his fingers and pool onto the ground, watching it with childlike fascination and wonderment.
“So many colors,” he remarks in quiet awe. “Has it always been this way?”
To Aether, it looks like ordinary sand. But it stands to reason that whatever potion Albedo has dosed himself with is affecting his perception, along with everything else.
Albedo gets to his feet, dusting sand particles from his palms. “With your permission, I’d like to attempt using my Vision.”
Aether gives him a wary look. “What’s gonna happen when you do…?”
“That, I do not know,” Albedo admits. “Which is why I sought a place far removed from people and structures that I might risk damaging. This realm seems ideal for it.” He grasps a wrist, flexing it back and forth. “With luck, using my Geo Vision to trigger an elemental burst will help clear out some of this excess energy, allowing for an easy solution to my condition.”
“Okay,” Aether says. To him, this plan sounds as good as any.
“Stand back,” Albedo cautions. “I cannot predict what might occur as a result of using my elemental powers in this state. If you were injured or harmed in the process, I don’t know if I could forgive myself.”
Something tweaks inside of Aether’s chest at Albedo’s words. It must be the potion that’s causing him to admit such things. Aether hadn’t known that Albedo considered his safety and well-being so important to him.
Aether positions himself ten paces behind Albedo, far enough to be reasonably out of range of a detonation, yet close by to rush in and offer a helping hand if needed.
Albedo draws in a deep breath, raising his hand overhead. His Vision glows at the nape of his neck.
“Witness my great undertaking!” he cries, and snaps his fingers.
Aether was expecting an explosion; that was the usual form of Albedo’s elemental burst, a flower-like radial of ephemeral golden crystals. What manifests from Albedo’s Vision is indeed an explosion, but otherwise entirely different from anything he’d produced before. The detonation quakes the ground with force, releasing an immense cloud of multicolored light, chromatic blooms and crackling static. Albedo is flung backwards by the force of the blast; sending him crashing into Aether who was standing directly behind him.
Aether, who was prepared for something like this, catches Albedo and steadies him to prevent him from collapsing to the ground. Over Albedo’s shoulder he stares, fascinated at the sight of the explosion. The volatile elemental energy remains hanging in midair, fizzing and reacting with itself. Color-shifting clouds shimmer and arc with lightning and rain. Unnaturally colored plants curl out from the sandy ground, only to spontaneously combust, ice over, and shatter before sprouting again.
Aether tears his eyes away from the sight for a moment to return his attention to the man in his arms. “Well, that’s definitely something all right. Feel any better now?”
Instead of replying, Albedo shifts against him, burying his face in the crook of Aether’s neck and drawing in a deep, shaky inhale.
Worry stings at Aether’s heart. “…Albedo? You okay?”
“S-sorry,” Albedo says with a trembling voice. He tightens his grip on the scarf around Aether’s neck and breathes in deeply again. “I’m all right. It’s just that you feel so good…”
A different sort of feeling pulses inside Aether’s chest as his heart races. He laughs nervously. “W-what do you mean?”
“I theorized this might be the case,” Albedo says, still clinging tightly to Aether. “Seeing as how you are capable of resonating with all of the elements… It seems like in my current state, the energy within my body seeks to resonate with yours.”
Aether tries not to read too much into his meaning. And fails. Blush high in his cheeks, he attempts to redirect the conversation. “S-so, are you feeling okay? Can you stand up?”
“I believe so,” Albedo says. He seems reluctant to disengage his grip on Aether; yet manages to peel them apart. However, moments after standing, he wobbles on his feet, bringing a hand to his temple. “…Oh, dear,” he remarks as his knees buckle underneath him.
Quick as a flash, Aether reaches out to steady Albedo and keep him from collapsing to the sandy floor. Worry dwells within his chest, overcoming his temporary flustering. It seems Albedo’s condition is worse than either of them expected. Trying to vent the excess via elemental burst seemed not to have worked. If anything, it seemed to put Albedo in an even more precarious state.
“Let’s get you inside someplace safe,” Aether suggests.
Albedo doesn’t reply, just nods weakly. His skin against Aether’s is burning up as though with fever, and his grip is tight enough to be almost uncomfortable.
Aether considers how to get them both back to the mansion, given walking appears to be a challenge for Albedo. He briefly considers, and then immediately rules out teleporting; with Albedo in the volatile state he’s in, he’s not risking any interactions with the ley lines. That left the only option being carrying him. Aether briefly wishes he had the form of a Koholasaur, or some other big and burly body that would make transporting Albedo a breeze. As it was, he was only himself. It would have to suffice.
Aether shifts Albedo’s weight against him, coaxing him in such a way as to hoist his body again, this time on his back.
“I should tell you,” Albedo says, “The potion has another side effect I have observed.”
“Yeah?” Aether asks, adjusting Albedo’s weight against him: arms beneath his knees, Albedo’s chin over one shoulder.
Albedo sighs. His breath tickles Aether’s ear where hangs his feather earring. “…Increased libido,” he says.
Aether immediately flushes once again. He feels—yep, he definitely feels it. With Albedo’s body flush against his back, it was hard to ignore. He can’t see Albedo’s face; but as embarrassing as this situation might be for Aether, it was surely even more mortifying for the Chief Alchemist.
Determined to not make either of them endure this any longer than absolutely necessary, Aether sets off in the direction of the teapot mansion, the whole time trying and failing to ignore that thing pressing insistently against the small of his back. Or the soft, breathy sounds Albedo was making; or the ways his own body was beginning to respond in kind.
“I truly am sorry,” Albedo says as they walk. “You may feel inclined to expel me from your teapot realm for this transgression. Such a reaction would be entirely reasonable.”
“I’m not kicking you out,” Aether reassures him. “You’re my friend, and you need help. I wouldn’t leave you like that.”
Albedo gives a breathy sigh. The sound of it does things to Aether’s insides. “That is a relief to hear. I knew it was the right choice to call upon you for this, Traveler.”
“Haha, well, what are friends for?” Aether’s laugh sounds somewhat forced.
“Friends… indeed,” Albedo says. There is a short pause, as though he is fighting internally with the desire to say more. In the end, the truth serum wins out. “Although I cannot deny my ulterior motives for calling on you, in particular.”
“Ulterior… motives…?”
“You have long been a subject of fascination to me,” Albedo says. His hands clutch tightly around Aether’s torso; his breath gusts in the nape of Aether’s neck. “Ever since that day we first met upon Dragonspine. Naturally, I held no illusions my feelings would ever be returned. You are a traveler, after all, and I am—” He cuts himself off, drawing in another shaky breath. “Regardless, it wouldn’t have worked. I long ago resigned myself to solitude. It better fits somebody like me.”
“Albedo…” Aether’s head is spinning. He wasn’t expecting a love confession, of all things, from Albedo today. It’s all he can do to focus on putting one foot in front of the other.
“You must think me terribly sad and desperate, taking advantage of your kindness like this,” Albedo murmurs, inclining his head into the smooth curve of Aether’s neck, inhaling deeply. “I promise, once we arrive at our destination, I am more than capable of taking matters into my own hands. Literally, that is to say.”
“Yeah, I got that,” Aether says. They’re in sight of the teapot mansion now. Albedo’s breathing is growing heavier, and so is his own—only partially from the exertion of carrying Albedo on his back.
He can’t get the imagery out of his head. He hadn’t associated the concepts of Albedo and libido in his mind outside of a cursory thought. Albedo was so composed, so sexless and focused on his work, that the idea he had these desires… that he felt these sorts of things for Aether—was, frankly, exhilarating.
They arrive at the front entrance. Tubby gives a warbled chirp of greeting, which Aether ignores as he kicks open the front door of the teapot mansion. Albedo was beginning to slip; the sounds of his heavy breathing becoming impossible to ignore. A part of Aether remains deeply concerned for his friend’s condition, his safety. Another, more primal part of him wants nothing more than to pin Albedo against the nearest surface and—
He makes a bee-line for the nearest room, which happens to be Aether’s own bedroom. An enormous four-poster king sized bed dominates the center of the space, onto which he deposits Albedo’s body with a soft thump.
Albedo blinks up at him. He looks an utter wreck, hair mussed, face flushed, chest heaving and pupils blown. His arousal is likewise apparent: the erection which had been pressed against Aether’s back now tents the front of Albedo’s shorts, unapologetically lewd and impossible to ignore.
Albedo squeezes shut his eyes and turns his face away into the bedspread. “Please… don’t look at me,” he says in a soft whimper. “I cannot bear to know what you must think of me right now.” As he says this however, he still has one hand gripped tightly on Aether’s arm, as though he is loath to let him go.
“I’m still worried about you,” Aether tells him. “Let me help you, Albedo.”
“You’ve already given me more than enough,” Albedo says, eyelids fluttering. “I cannot imagine how you—haah—how you might see me normally after witnessing all that you have today.” His body moves on its own, hips thrusting against empty air, one hand twisting the sheets while the other grips resolutely onto Aether’s arm. “I’ve resigned myself to never having you. The pain that I feel now shall surely pass with time. So, go already, and leave me alo—”
Aether places hands on his shoulders. Gently yet firmly, he pins him against the bedspread, framing him between his arms. Albedo blinks up at him, bewildered and awestruck.
“Albedo,” he says, voice low. “Shut up.”
Saying this, Aether leans in and kisses him.
The instant their lips meet, Albedo surrenders utterly, lips parting with a desperate groan. Aether tastes the heat of him, the sweet-slick slide of a hungry tongue, the needy whine as he pulls them together, closer than ever.
When Aether imagined kissing Albedo before, it was nothing like this. He’d thought it might happen on Dragonspine: chilly lips, cold hands, tender as a snowflake. Or on the peak of Starsnatch cliff, hesitant and fluttering like the wind through cecilia petals.
There is nothing hesitant nor tender about this thing between them now. They crash together, Pyro between his teeth, Electro running through their bodies, an overload reaction. They part for just a moment, a gasping breath, before diving in deeper. Aether hadn’t known just kissing could produce such desperate and needy sounds out of Albedo. It’s addicting. He wants more.
A hand pressed against Aether’s sternum forces them apart. He withdraws, surprised. Beneath him, Albedo wears a look of regret amid the red flush of arousal.
“You—you don’t have to do this,” he says to Aether. “I’ve already asked too much. You need not pretend for my sake…”
Aether cannot keep the frustration from showing on his face. He lets out an irritated huff.
“You know, Albedo,” he says, “For a smart guy, you can be pretty dense sometimes.”
“H-huh?”
“What makes you think I don’t want this too?!”
Albedo’s expression seems distant for a moment, as though running calculations inside his mind. Finally the meaning behind Aether’s words appears to click. “Oh.”
“And, for the record,” Aether says, reaching down with one hand to slide it up Albedo’s bare knee and thigh, “I’d have done this any time you asked. No truth potion emergency required.”
Albedo shivers under his touch. His lips part, but no words come out; only a shaky exhale.
“Although if it helps with your condition, then that’s even better,” Aether says. “Elemental resonance, you said, right? Sounds… interesting.” He inclines his head. “Worth a try. It’ll be like another one of your experiments, yeah?”
As he speaks, he reaches further up Albedo’s shorts to finally wrap a hand around the base of his cock, stroking him once, roughly.
Albedo lets out a broken moan. “Ae—ther…”
“That’s a good look for you,” Aether tells him, stroking him again. “Be better if you didn’t have all those clothes on, though.”
His suggestion prompts a flurry of movement, as both of them discard their clothes as swiftly as they can without regard for grace or dignity. Aether’s scarf, belt, and breeches lay pooled on the floor; Albedo’s shorts, carelessly kicked away, end up draped over the back of an antique chair.
When they rejoin together, a different sort of energy hums between them. Albedo’s entire body is bare save for the metal cuffs he wears on his biceps. Sweat causes the golden star upon his neck to glisten. He is, Aether thinks, unfairly pretty like this, tangled up in Aether’s bedsheets, waiting to be touched.
For Aether’s part, all that remains on him is his tight-fitting tunic, its chest glowing with soft light, and the feather earring he never takes off. He’s hard now, too, obviously. A warm smile crosses his face as he approaches Albedo on the bed.
“Just so we’re clear,” Aether says. “You do want to have sex, right?” His smile curls further. “I know you can’t exactly lie right now, so…”
Albedo shoots him a look of irritation that’s only somewhat tempered by the sight of his raging boner.
“Aether,” Albedo says in all seriousness, “If you do not pin me against this bed and have your way with me right now, the next time you pour yourself a cup of tea, I’ll dose it with a potion that will cause your body and cells to revert into that of a Hydro Slime.”
The specificity of his reply gives Aether pause. “Wait, can you really…?”
“You’ll never have to find out,” Albedo says. “So long as you stop hesitating and fuck me already, Aether.”
The directness of the command, and the raunchy incongruity of Albedo’s mouth forming such words, makes Aether’s cock jump in anticipation. In one hand he holds a small phial of oil, which he’d retrieved from a side table while disrobing. He pours it on himself, giving himself a couple of perfunctory strokes. It’s not really necessary; he’s hard enough as-is. Maybe he just likes showing off. He looks down at Albedo upon the bedspread, whose eyes are intently observing him. He gently places hands on the other man’s knees to spread them apart and positions himself in between.
“So, how do you usually like it? Fast, slow, somewhere in the middle…?”
“In truth, I am not yet sure,” Albedo says. “My knowledge in this matter is for the most part theoretical.”
Aether pauses just outside of his entrance. “Wait, so this is your first…??”
“Do not mistake my inexperience for incompetence,” Albedo says. “I’m very well-informed on the anatomical and sexual characteristics of humans, as well as how those traits manifest within my own body. There simply has been no one I wanted to share them with until you.”
Aether’s face colors. “W-well then. I’ll try not to disappoint.” He presses the head of his cock against Albedo’s opening. “We’ll take it slow to start.”
Rather than another witty retort, Albedo responds with a low moan as Aether enters him. As promised, he takes it slow. Not that he has any real choice in the matter; Albedo is so hot, and so tight it takes a concerted effort and a gentle rocking motion to make any progress at all. Distantly, Aether wonders if they should have spent more time on the foreplay; but the breathy, needy sounds coming out of Albedo’s throat, when he only has the tip of himself inside so far, tell him that delaying any longer would have been far too excruciating for both of them.
Albedo’s body seems to crave him, his arms wrapping around Aether’s torso to pull them closer together, fingernails scraping against his back. He has a feeling that’s gonna leave a mark; but he cannot bring himself to care. In fact, he thinks it’s hot that they’re leaving impressions on each other’s bodies. Carefully, inexorably, he works himself deeper into that tight, inviting heat.
A few gentle thrusts more and they are joined together, hip against hip. Aether pauses there, feeling Albedo around him, letting his body adjust. He takes a second to admire the sight. Albedo’s cock, red-flushed and perfect, bobs between them, dripping glossy fluid onto his lower abdomen. Albedo was an artificial creation, wasn’t he? Whoever made him must have had an exquisite attention to detail. That, or they were simply a pervert. Aether could think of no other explanation for why he would look so utterly radiant while getting fucked.
“How are you feeling?” Aether asks. “Is it good? Any pain?”
“Ha-aah, Aether,” Albedo releases a breathy moan from his throat. His long lashes flutter; he looks blissed-out, on a whole other plane of reality. “Feels... good... more—hah!!”
At Albedo’s request for more, Aether begins to move against him, feeling the slick silken warmth inside as he pulls back a bit before thrusting in deeper. Albedo gives a broken cry in response, his cock leaking in the space between them. Aether thinks it’s rather unfair that he’s left that part neglected for so long, and so he wraps his hand around it, stroking Albedo in time with his thrusts.
A couple strokes is all it takes; Albedo releases with a musical sob, body shuddering, spilling over Aether’s hand and his own bare chest and abdomen. It’s a lewd and wanton sight; absolutely stunning.
“Fuck, you’re beautiful,” Aether tells him, meaning it. Albedo is a work of art, a symphony of sensation. Aether cannot believe how lucky he is to be the first and only person thus far to see him come undone like this.
He could get addicted to this, he thinks; but he has to be respectful of Albedo’s limits. He begins to slowly withdraw his still-hard cock, intending to finish himself off outside, when a leg hooked around his lower back holds him in place. He looks down in surprise and sees the bright glint of Albedo’s eyes looking up at him.
“Don’t—don’t go,” Albedo tells him. “I didn’t say you should stop.”
Aether’s cock throbs, even as he regards Albedo with wary surprise. “But, you just…”
“And?” Albedo indicates with a nod of his head towards himself. Aether follows his line of sight to find that, impossibly, in spite of having just come, he’s just as hard as before.
Inside Aether’s head, something snaps. He grips both hands around Albedo’s hips, fingers making indents in the soft creamy skin. Their hips snap together; Albedo gives a cry, still so sensitive, yet every part of him is begging Aether for more. He speeds up his tempo, drawing out more sweet and needy sobs from Albedo’s throat.
There’s a feeling building between them like static, the tension growing with every meeting of their hips. Aether chases it alongside his pleasure, a rising crescendo of desire. “Albedo—fuck—you’re so,” he pants in between thrusts. “So good... wanted to... do this with you... ever since—haaaaghh,” his words are swallowed up in a guttural moan.
A haze begins to form on the edges of his vision; a gauzy and prismatic blur that paints the edges of things, the sweat glistening on Albedo’s neck, the glimmering curls of his hair as Aether fucks him into the mattress. The visuals intensify; swirling colors and motes of light dance across Aether’s vision. Was this how normal sex should feel? Probably not, but at this point Aether’s too far gone to care. There’s a craving inside of him, which he knows without asking is echoed in Albedo too: the need to make their two bodies into one.
In Teyvat, elemental energy accumulates in the body during periods of intense activity; fighting, mostly. Aether feels a similar sensation building within himself now. It simmers like heat beneath his skin, on the verge of boiling over. All the while, pleasure like he’s never known surges through him, thrusting into Albedo with abandon as he chases towards that peak.
The release of accumulated energy within one’s body is known as an Elemental Burst. He knows it’s coming, but can no more stop it than he might halt a tsunami. It washes over and through, frizzing across nerve endings, burgeoning and melting and overloading his senses. Albedo sobs and clings to him, holding them fast together, his body taking everything Aether has to give, and more, and more, and more.
In that instant, for a moment, he’s somewhere else. He’s drifting through starry space. He’s floating in the bottom of the ocean. He’s in the heart of a raging volcano. He’s surrounded by lush rainforest; standing in a windswept field of flowers. He stands atop the highest peak of Dragonspine.
“Aether,” calls a familiar voice.
He flutters open his eyes, returning to the present, to mortal form. He looks down at the body beneath him. Albedo is gazing up at him, his wide, sky-colored eyes glistening in shifting colors and light. He rests a hand against Aether’s chest, fingers splayed.
“Look,” he says.
Aether’s gaze follows his. When he realizes what Albedo is seeing, his eyes widen, too.
Underneath Albedo’s hand, Aether’s chest illuminates with multicolored light. The same goes for his earring, the palms of his hands and soles of his feet. He hasn’t glowed like this since... he cannot even remember. Maybe not since he arrived in Teyvat on a shooting star.
Albedo stares at the swirling colors in the light. Pyro, Cryo, Geo, Electro, Dendro, Hydro, Anemo—all of the elements manifest at once within him. It’s different in him than it was in Albedo’s body. Within Aether, the seven elements don’t seem to be at war with each other. Rather, they appear to dance.
“True elemental resonance,” Albedo breathes. “...Just as my hypothesis indicated.”
Aether regards him fondly for a moment, drinking in the sight of his fascination. Then, the gears turn within his mind as he registers the meaning behind what Albedo just said.
“Wait... you planned for this to happen?”
“I said so before, didn’t I?” Albedo continues to touch Aether’s chest; although now it seems like it’s less out of scientific curiosity and more because he simply wants to feel the firmness of his muscles. “Your compatibility with the elements is unmatched in this world... made out of a substance not yet fully defined... I wanted to see whether an outside influence might catalyze a transformation into a more elementally complete state.”
Aether’s gaze flips between Albedo and himself, unable to fully process the change that has occurred inside of himself. “So, is this... permanent?”
“That, I am still not certain,” Albedo tells him. He regards Aether with a scholarly look, only slightly tempered by the fact that he is still naked among Aether’s bedsheets. “How do you feel, Aether?”
“I feel...” Aether’s gaze drops to his own body once more. He regards himself, taking stock of all his extremities, seeking out any feelings of strangeness or discomfort. None manifest after a cursory search. Rather, he feels good. Better than good. He feels like he could breathe fire, soar into the sky, shoot bolts of lightning from his—
“I daresay at least that part of you is doing alright,” Albedo says, smirking.
Aether follows his gaze, and flushes. Somehow, in spite of just having had an orgasm so powerful it realigned his elements, he’s starting to get hard again.
Well, it doesn’t seem like Albedo is upset by this in any way. Aether climbs back into bed with him, making the two of them into a tangle of arms and legs.
“Did your hypothesis always involve us having sex?” Aether asks, pressing his face into the soft hair beside Albedo’s ear. “Not that I mind. Just curious.”
“It seemed—the most prudent method,” Albedo says, breath catching as Aether’s hands feel him up. “Prolonged bodily contact—facilitated by the aphrodisiac—makes an optimal pathway for the elemental energy to flow unimpeded.”
“And the truth serum?”
“That,” Albedo says, gasping softly, “I added for myself—to aid in overcoming hesitation.” He turns his head, so pretty amongst the sheets, to gaze at Aether, one hand against the curve of his cheek. “Otherwise, I find myself rather... discombobulated... by your presence.”
For some reason, Aether finds that admission so endearing that he’s compelled to close the distance between them and kiss him again. It’s gentle this time, in contrast to their first, and he takes his time with it, knowing how new it all must be for Albedo. He doesn’t regret that their first time together, Albedo’s first-ever, took place in a sort of horny fugue; only now, he wants to know what Albedo is like in every other circumstance.
He pulls back, though their faces remain close. He offers Albedo a gentle, sunny smile.
“I’m glad,” Aether tells him. “Although, really, you could have just... asked. My answer would’ve been the same.” He gives Albedo a grin. “I’ve been kind of crazy for you since that time we first met, you know?”
In spite of everything they’ve just done together, Albedo visibly flushes at his admission, burying his face in the bed sheets. Cute, Aether thinks.
“I-I hadn’t fully accounted for... such feelings,” Albedo admits. “They remain an unexplored frontier to me...”
“Well, then,” Aether says, eyes shining bright as the light inside his chest. He looks at Albedo, undone, messy, and perfect. “Want to explore some more together?”
Albedo regards him—eager, full of energy, more than a little smitten. A small smile curls upon his face.
“I suppose... it cannot hurt to do a few more trials,” Albedo says. “I expect there is still much for us to discover.”