Work Text:
It was the day. Albedo had finally let his aunt Alice convince him to try and get his art out there (she was adamant drawing illustrations for a popular light novel under a pseudonym wasn’t enough), and he’d done it. His art had been selected for an exhibition and today was opening day. And as one of the featured artists, he had to be there.
He’d been a bit apprehensive. Art was not his main activity, he was a researcher first. He’d picked up art in High School as a way to empty his mind when his thoughts were uncontrollable, but he had never meant for it to become something more than a hobby. It didn’t stop him from becoming quite good, which was why Alice had pushed him on this path. But still, he wasn’t looking to become a full time artist.
Hopefully everything has been going well. He’d talked with the other artists, and they didn’t mind at all his point of vue. One of them even joked that it meant more opportunities for them. Even the public mostly focused on the art itself, and he only had to answer a few curious questions about his inspirations or his creative process.
Now that an hour had passed, everything was calmer and he could finally take the time to browse. He ended up in front of the painting he’d submitted and stopped to take the time to appreciate how the scenography highlighted it.
It was a painting he had made the previous summer of Klee, Alice’s daughter who looked up to him like a big brother. They’d gone to a sunflower patch, and she had been entranced by them, so big they were even taller than Albedo. Her wonder had prompted him to sketch, and he had later turned that sketch into a painting. He remembered vividly how the sunset had turned the flowers almost red, and how Klee had commented how it looked like they were on fire, so he had decided to include that in his painting, giving it an almost eerie vibe. The contrast between the red and yellow was accentuated by the lighting, yet didn’t take the focus away from the main subject, the little girl in red that had given the painting its name.
He was going to continue his visit when a voice stopped him in his tracks.
“This painting has nothing to do here.”
Just next to Albedo stood a tall man with long, dark blue hair. He had a lot of charm despite his extravagant clothes and, more surprisingly, his embroidered eyepatch. But Albedo couldn’t appreciate his singular esthetic, too focused on his words.
“What makes you say that?”
The man looked at him surprised, probably not expecting someone to hear his musing.
“I mean, I know this is an up-and-coming artist, but still the execution and skills are completely lacking compared to the other artists.”
Albedo looked back at his painting, frowning.
“And it’s not just that. A technique that still needs work is fine if the painting makes you feel something. But this feels like a random scene put on canvas just because it looked pretty enough, like the artist didn’t feel anything looking at it. You can’t reach people if you can’t elicit emotions.”
This was a… pretty thorough explanation that took Albedo by surprise. He could accept being critiqued on the lack of skill, but the lack of interest in the subject? When it was the closest person to family he had?
“I thought I had managed to pour my feelings into this painting, though… At least, I tried.”
The man looked back at him, surprised.
“You painted Twilight Lake ?”
“What? No, I painted The girl in red .”
Albedo looked back at the painting in front of him and finally noticed there was a second one just next to it. He’d been so focused on his own painting, he had not noticed it. It was objectively a pretty scene, a lake by night with fireflies creating a whimsical atmosphere, but the man’s review was harsh but truthful.
“Well,” the man’s voice interrupted his musing, “that’s another problem with that painting. Next to yours and its vibrant colours, it looks washed out. The person who chose to put them next to each other kind of sabotaged Twilight Lake .”
“I think they thought the contrast would enhance both paintings. Bright and dark can work together.”
The man chuckled.
“Yeah, when the paintings are both good. Which is not the case here.”
Albedo smiled, amused.
“You’re a bit harsh, are you an art critic?”
“I’m not, but my… father was kind of an artist himself, so I guess I have high standards. I’m Kaeya by the way.”
“Albedo. I’m relieved you weren’t talking about my piece, I was really proud of it.”
“You should be! You have a really unique technique and I can tell you adore that little girl, even if it looks like she put the sunflowers on fire.”
“I could see her do that… but no, that day she was perfectly well behaved, it’s just how I remember the lighting.”
“Well, that’s lovely.”
The sound of a phone vibrating interrupted them, and Kaeya fished his phone from the pockets of his -really tight- pants. Albedo kind of wondered how it could fit there.
“I have to leave but I’d like to make it up to you. You know, for making you think I was insulting your masterpiece.” He winked… or at least that’s how Albedo interpreted the overdramatic blinking. “Will you let me invite you for coffee? Let’s say, this Saturday at 3?”
Albedo would usually refuse those kinds of invitations, but there was something in Kaeya that made him curious. His good looks were also a nice bonus. So surprising himself, he agreed. After settling on a place, they went their separate ways, and Albedo kept that encounter at the back of his mind for the rest of the day.
—
As the meeting time with Kaeya approached -Albedo refused to call it a date despite his friends’ teasing- the man started haunting Albedo’s thoughts. He’d be at work, focusing on his research plan, and all of a sudden a doodle of the man appeared in the margin of his lab notebook. At least it was not unusual for him to draw in it, so his coworker didn’t blink an eye when they had to look at his notes and saw the profile of a random, good-looking guy.
Maybe he should try to properly paint Kaeya to get his urge to draw under control, but for that, he had to meet with him first. And if that went well, maybe he could ask him to model. It was a bit unconventional, but Albedo had always been like that, probably because his mother had been… peculiar.
—
Albedo got to the agreed coffee place early, securing a place. He had suggested it, and knew how busy it got on the weekend. He was carefully reading the menu, not sure what he wanted to try that day, when someone stopped at his table, grabbing his attention. It was Kaeya, wearing white pants and a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the top buttons open. The clothes were simpler than the first time they’d met, but his sense of style was on point, the clothes perfectly tailored and accessorized. He was still wearing an eyepatch, and that piqued Albedo’s curiosity.
Kaeya smirked, and inclined his head a bit, teasing.
“Eager to see me?”
A look at his phone let Albedo know it was still 10 minutes until the time they had agreed on.
“I could say the same to you.”
“Well, I could say it’s because I’ve never been here so it was in case I got lost,” Kaeya said with humour, taking his seat in front of Albedo, “but maybe I was, yeah.”
Albedo blinked, caught off guard by the admission. He had no idea how to react. Was that supposed to be flirty? Or just teasing, as Kaeya seemed to be? With no clue about it, he ignored it and changed the subject, giving the menu to Kaeya.
“Since it’s your first time, you’ll need that more than me.”
“Thanks, but I’ll probably just take some coffee. I’m sure the pastries are good but that’s not really my thing.”
Once again, Kaeya completely perplexed Albedo.
“Why did you agree to come here then?”
“The goal was to make it up to you, so a place you liked was the best choice.”
Truth be told, Albedo had already forgotten why they had planned to meet up. He’d been caught off guard, but he wasn’t that insecure about his art that the comments would plague him, especially since the misunderstanding was cleared.
“Still,” Albedo insisted, pushing the menu more toward Kaeya, “they have a variety of roasts so if you’re a coffee enthusiast, you can find something that suits you.”
“Fine, fine”, Kaeya took the menu, smiling. “But in exchange, tell me about your art.”
“There is nothing much to say,” Albedo shrugged, “it is something I enjoy because it’s relaxing and a way to immortalise memories or feelings. It’s not what I do for a living, though.”
“You’re not a full-time artist? You’re talented enough to be one.”
Albedo smiled.
“Thanks, but it’s not about talent. I’m fine with doing commissions but many artists lose their love for the art when it’s their main activity, and I wouldn’t want that.”
Kaeya hummed in understanding. At the same time, the waiter came to take their order.
“What do you do for a living, then?”
“I’m a researcher. What about you?”
Kaeya smiled mischievously.
“Try to guess.”
Albedo thought back to their first meeting, Kaeya’s familiarity with art coming back to mind.
“Something artistic? You said you’re not an art critic, but you did sound like one.”
“You’re not too far, I work at the city hall, in the culture department.”
“That’s why you were present on opening day…”
“I’m glad I was, I got to meet you this way.”
Just like the day they met, Kaeya dramatically blinked, which Albedo took as a wink. Now that his attention was brought back to Kaeya’s eyes, Albedo’s curiousity took over.
“Can I ask you an invasive question?”
“Yes,” Kaeya nodded, “I’m single.”
Albedo looked at him, unimpressed. This made Kaeya chuckle, but he gestured to Albedo to go on with his question.
“Is there a reason you wear an eyepatch?”
Kaeya looked taken aback, and stayed silent for a while. Albedo feared his question was too indelicate. He tried to take it back and apologize, but got cut off by the waiter coming back with their order.
Kaeya was the first to talk once the waiter left.
“My eyes are good, a bit unsettling because of heterochromia, but I can see perfectly well. It’s just that I have an ugly burn scar so I thought, if I’m going to bring attention to my face, might as well not make people uncomfortable.”
Albedo was glad Kaeya had answered, at least his question wasn’t too inappropriate. And he got an insight on the man that was quite interesting.
“I’m sure you wouldn’t make people uncomfortable, they’ll still find you good-looking.”
“Oh, is that you flirting back?”
Albedo could feel his cheeks heating up, so he chose to focus on his drink instead of Kaeya’s amused smile.
They kept talking while enjoying their drinks and, in Albedo’s case, delicious sweets. Albedo had such a nice time, he didn’t realise they’d talked for an hour when the waiter came back to clean the table.
They had other places to be but, once again, Kaeya wasn’t ready to leave Albedo just like that.
“I’d love to see you again after today, if you’re also interested.”
“Now that you mention it, there was something I meant to ask. I haven’t been able to stop doodling you since we met, and I think I need to paint you to get rid of that urge, if you’re fine with it.”
Kaeya’s cheeks coloured at that admission, and Albedo took great pride in that. He was sincere, but if he could also tease the man at the same time it was a win in his book. Plus, it was good payback for that flirting comment.
Kaeya recovered quickly, putting his head on his hand and looking at Albedo with a teasing smile.
“Oh? You want to capture my looks?”
“Not really. I don’t need much to make a drawing look like you.”
Albedo grabbed a pen from his pocket and a clean napkin.
“You see: a stroke for your face, one for the eyepatch string… and one for the eyepatch.”
He looked up at Kaeya with a smile, enjoying the air of mock offense on his face.
“No,” Albedo continued, “what I want to capture is your essence, what makes you such a magnetic individual.”
Kaeya’s blush came back with a vengeance.
“Albedo… I thought you were a cute, soft-spoken artist, but the truth is you are a menace.”
“So…” Albedo tilted his head to the side. “It’s a no ?”
Kaeya smiled, still blushing.
“I’d say it’s a date.”
Albedo couldn’t wait.