If anyone had had the gall to tell Scaramouche that he'd be stuck working in a coffee shop only a year ago, he would have openly laughed in their face.
Warmly welcoming customers? Wasting away behind a counter to prepare food and drinks for the ungrateful masses? Trapped indoors, standing around in one spot, and having to deal with a slew of people all day every day? Nope, not for him. He would rather gouge his own eyes out and eat them than have to deal with entitled, boring people all day who got off on ordering him around and then bitching and whining about anything and everything.
Yet that's where he ends up, slaving away as one of a grand total of two workers in an ugly little coffee shop tucked away in one of the many side alleys in Mondstadt (Mondstadt, of all the places! And the competition is all popular hotspots out in the open city square...), constantly two seconds away from giving into the temptation of pouring boiling water over his face, or the more... tame desire to simple tear his hair out.
It was his 'atonement', he was told. For what? Now, the answer to that particular question was one even he didn't possess. He was offered no logical nor reasonable explanation as to how his fate had been determined, only a sudden 'intervention' that he unsuspectingly walked into one day when he got home, the faces of his mothers, sister, and aunt all peering down at him with varying degrees of disapproval or, and he was loath to even acknowledge it, but... pity and concern. Just the thought of it puts an awful taste in his mouth. All he knows is that one day he was doing whatever the fuck he wanted, then the next he was being quite literally shipped off to another country just to work in some stupid shop and "learn to be a better person somewhere away from ties to home, because it'll enrich your life and give you more meaningful experiences to reflect upon", which was along the lines for what his aunt Nahida said... and was also, in fact, complete and utter bullshit.
Even though Mondstadt was the so-called 'Land of Freedom', he still feels as caged as he always has. Out of one cage and straight into another... the change of scenery did nothing to delude him into thinking he was any freer now than he'd ever been.
No matter its location, design, or size, a cage is still a cage.
It's not like he really cares though. Being away from all of his family and being on his own was far better than being stuck with them in Inazuma or Sumeru since he despises them all equally and with a passion. The fact that he had no say in the arrangement at all is what pisses him off the most. The job, too, was something that he only found out about upon arrival as he was being quite literally pushed out of a boat and into the waiting arms of Jean Gunnhildr, some woman with either too much time and money on her hands or simply nothing better to do than run herself dry in the pursuit of seeming charitable and achieving the impossible. She was the one who told him what was expected of him, showed him to his shitty little hotel room and temporary home, and then let him know that he'd be leaving in six months' time.
It had felt more like he was being sentenced to community service for crimes that he hadn't even been made aware of. Sure, he knows he can be a little shit, but his sister was the one using her looks (meaning the fact that she shares an almost uncanny resemblance to their mother) to seduce the general of the Tenryou Commission so her own misdeeds were swept under the rug. While she was out there actually committing crimes in rebellion, the worst he did was fuck around with the Arataki Gang and find amusement in their stupid antics (their leader, Itto, had declared him a rival after a particularly large onikabuto he found... though he had plans to eat it, not use it for beetle fighting like the idiot assumed), sneak off to Tatarasuna to stay there when he couldn't handle being at home anymore, and... well, he punched an important public figure in the face once, but the guy was a creep and had been stalking him and calling him weird shit like a 'pretty puppet' and a 'perfect test subject', so what else was he supposed to have done? Just let it happen? Fuck that.
Grumbling to himself, he cleans the same table for the umpteenth time in the last twenty minutes. It might have been easier if the job wasn't so fucking boring and if they actually had some customers to serve, but today he's somehow managed to torture himself and make his life more painful as a consequence of his own foolish actions. If being 'nice' was supposed to be one of the outcomes of his stay, then he's going backwards from here onwards, because his intent was actually nice for once and he absolutely regrets it with everything he has.
"How long do you think it will take for them to strike up an actual conversation?" A voice asks, pulling him out of his internal turmoil.
He glares up at the speaker, his eyes narrowing further when he sees amused teal eyes staring down at him. Albedo. He was the only other unfortunate worker, but also probably the one thing keeping him relatively sane in all this. The blonde was nice to look at, easy to listen to even when the topic wasn't one he was interested in, and the best thing of all? He was so, so fun to tease.
"We've left them to their own devices for quite a while, but..." Albedo continues with a thoughtful hum, entirely unbothered by the intense glare directed at him. "This is kind of..." He trails off, lips pursed together.
Sighing, Scaramouche stops what he's doing and stretches as he straightens his back. The subject of Albedo's concerns, and also the very reason why he regretted attempting to be nice, were the only customers in the shop at that moment - Sucrose and Collei.
The last thing he'd ever thought about doing was trying to play matchmaker for anyone, but when he decided to talk about Collei once he found out she was visiting for the Windblume Festival, somehow Albedo roped him into the idea of setting her up on a little date with Sucrose. Perhaps he was too easily persuaded by the blonde, but he did also think at first that it'd at least be interesting to see how they'd end up interacting - and it was - but looking back on it now... what they've done can hardly be considered as a real interaction.
It was kind of cute at first. They were obviously both drawn to and interested in each other to some degree the moment they shared their first glance. They blushed furiously, were all flustered and shy, and stumbled over their words, but it really looked like they were going to hit it off instantly.
Now it's been over half an hour and it's old.
All they've managed to do was continue to blush, stutter out a word or two at almost the exact same time, then giggle and fall into a flustered silence again... rinse and repeat. For half an hour.
Unfortunately for them, as painful as it is to watch, it's their only source of entertainment. Nobody else has entered the shop and it'd pretty much be nothing short of a complete miracle if anyone else does within the next couple of hours, thanks to the shitty location with little to no foot traffic at all.
"At this rate?" Scaramouche says, pretending to mull it over as he pressed a finger to his chin. "Probably, uh... when we're dead? Even though they're obviously into each other, they're both fucking disaster bis and probably have no idea the attraction is even mutual. And here you said with such confidence that Sucrose would be able to bring her out of her shell... what a joke. Collei probably thinks she's being pranked."
Albedo hums, his expression pensive. "Considering the fact that you were the one to propose the idea to her, Ryo, the thought of it being an act of malice surely must have crossed her mind at least once-"
"Hey-"
"-but I was being genuine when I shared my hypothesis that Sucrose is the best person for her, at least that I know of, to form a connection with... whether it turns out platonic, romantic, or something else. It just appears that I may have misjudged just how, ah... difficult the first obstacle would be for them to overcome."
Scaramouche huffs in annoyance, redirecting his glare at the two girls now instead. He had no idea why it was so hard for them and saw no reason why they couldn't at least enjoy the silence together a little instead of trying and failing so hard to force some sort of conversation. They're both introverts anyway, so what harm is a little quiet? If they weren't trying so hard, they probably would have ultimately actually been able to get out more than a couple of words by now.
At this point, a part of him wants to just kick them out and be done with it, but he knows Collei needs this so he refrains. If she knew just how benevolent he was being, surely she'd sing his praises for once, but he doesn't care for that from her so he turns his attention to Albedo instead.
"How about you go get them talking, then?" He challenges, watching Albedo with a slight smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "They haven't even ordered anything yet. That might be a good place to start, don't you think?"
Albedo barely reacts to the challenge, his expression blank and unreadable as he looks back at Scaramouche, though he does notice a hint of a mischievous glint in his eye as he folds his arms across his chest and tilts his head.
"Oh? But you seem so much more confident in your ability to assess their behaviour and feelings for each other... and your suggestion is sound, so clearly you want to assist them. I believe that qualifies you to be more suited to the role of being able to properly guide them in their engagement with each other. If it were up to me, I'd just suggest leaving them to their own devices so that they can work it out on their own."
He raises a questioning eyebrow. "This is coming from the guy who literally observes just about every single person who walks in and out of here like they're some kind of puzzle to solve?"
"Hm. You've been observing me and my behaviour?" Albedo says more than he asks, his lip twitching to an almost smirk.
Heat crawls along his neck and it feels like his ears are burning. He's not even sure why that catches him off guard and throws him off the way it does, it's not like he tries to hide the fact that he pretty much stares at Albedo at any given opportunity. "What of it? It's not like there's anything else to do in this shithole."
Albedo gives him a look that he can't quite name, but it makes him nervous. It's as if he knows something. But what is there to even know?
"I see," Albedo says simply, the look quickly disappearing as his face returns to its usual neutral disposition. "Well... observing behaviour is an entirely different concept to understanding motivation, intent, reasoning... I may watch, but I do not quite understand. I'm afraid I'm still not the best with social cues and determining the flow of conversation." He says with a mournful sigh, suddenly averting eye contact entirely.
Something pulls at his heartstrings. The way that Albedo's tone shifted, the minute changes in his expression and body language... he looks sad. But he doesn't allow the moment of weakness to sway him, it's not like he particularly cares about the blonde's shortcomings in the slightest. It's not his problem that he's stuck with someone who is socially inept, and it's not like that's ever gotten in the way of him doing his job until now either, so he makes sure to stand his ground and convince him to take on the challenge.
"Even though most people come here just to see you and you've never had any trouble serving anyone before?" He retorts with a scoff and a roll of his eyes, placing his hands on his hips. "Besides, Sucrose is your friend, not some total stranger. Stop being a little bitch and go talk to them already, I'll probably put them on edge. Just serve them like you would with anyone else, dumbass... you disrupting their current 'flow' might be all that it takes to actually set things in motion for them."
Normally this is where Albedo makes a jab back at him, but this time he only stares down at the table. "You know, if you actually smiled and didn't glare at everyone all the time, people would be flocking here to see you..." He mumbles, his voice barely audible as he starts to fiddle with his gloves. Anxiety? It's pretty typical of him to fidget, but not like this. "But... you don't understand, I..." He continues, trailing off into another sigh, this one heavier and possibly even more mournful than the last.
Now that was hard to ignore.
Scaramouche's eyes soften just the slightest, his concern starting to win over his stubbornness as he wonders just what has caused Albedo to be visibly upset and struggling like this. His mind races with the possibilities. Has Sucrose said or done something to upset him? Did they somehow have a falling out that he was unaware of? Or was it something else entirely...? Part of him wants her to have done something just so he'd have a reason to justify his general dislike for her, but he wasn't even sure why that urge was present to begin with. Sure, he's not a people person in the slightest and finds it hard to actually like anyone, but something about Sucrose specifically rubbed him the wrong way when Albedo first introduced them. Why couldn't she just get a partner already and stop being so...
So... clingy.
It's none of his business, but fuck, Sucrose rarely leaves Albedo alone. Seeing her walk in just about every day just to sit around and try to get his attention is annoying as fuck. It makes it harder for him to work, and she rambles on and on so much that she's impossible to tune out and ignore no matter how hard he tries.
He hates it. Hates her. Hates the way Albedo's eyes light up a little when she walks in. Hates the way his eyes soften as he listens to her ramblings with an almost fond expression on his face.
She didn't deserve it, it should be...
Scaramouche nips that thought in the bud immediately, swallowing and becoming very aware of how dry his mouth is. He frowns, almost tempted to chase the thought before he shakes his head and changes his direction of thought entirely. Why should he care about what either of them does? It has nothing to do with him. He's already served over half of his sentence and he'll be gone in two months then never see either of them again.
He looks at Albedo, brows furrowing in worry as he sees he hasn't budged. Albedo still has that pained and sad look in his eyes as he stares down at the table. Taking a few moments to organise his thoughts, it's his turn to let out a heavy sigh.
Where was he even supposed to start? Concern wasn't something he often found himself having for people, at least not anymore, unless they were sick or injured. He can take care of a flesh wound, but he's never been all that good at supporting anyone emotionally. He has no idea how to properly or healthily deal with his own emotions, much less the emotions of others... and he doesn't even know why that look makes his stomach twist and turn in all sorts of unpleasant ways in the first place.
"Seriously... what the hell happened?" He asks, still trying to protect himself by hiding his concern behind a tone of annoyance despite being anything but that. "I... If there's a problem, you might as well vent it all out to me instead of just moping. We're pretty much stuck with each other."
Albedo glances up at him for only a brief moment, but he's sure he can see hurt in his eyes.
It sets off a panic. Fuck, he must have sounded like even more of an uncaring asshole than he intended. Sure, he doesn't want to give away just how much he apparently does care, but he doesn't want to seem like he doesn't at all. Because he does care, he cares so fucking much that it hurts to see Albedo looking like that and it pisses him off beyond belief. If it were just about anyone else he'd be able to shrug it off and forget about it, but it's Albedo, and that only makes him feel more frustrated about the entire situation.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, he presses his fingers to his temples as he tries to figure out what to do to fix it, to make Albedo go back to his usual self again.
"It's okay," Albedo says softly, though his tone relays an entirely different message. "It is just something that I have to live with... no matter how difficult. I was born this way and there's nothing that I, or anyone else for that matter, can do about it." He mumbles, his voice serious and laced with defeat.
It pisses him off even more. Fuck, it pisses him off so much that he's trembling. To hear Albedo talk about himself like that...
"That's bullshit." He practically growls, any attempts at subtle caring now gone with the wind at his emotional outburst. He reaches out to grab one of Albedo's wrists without thinking, but he stops just short of actually making any contact, his hand hovering awkwardly above it instead. "Where the hell is this shitty attitude coming from, huh? You're better than this."
Albedo gives him a solemn look, but there's something else in his eyes now that suddenly makes him want to curl into himself.
For some reason, he feels like a fool. It washes over him so suddenly and he has no idea where it comes from, but he's seen that strange look in Albedo's eyes when he's talking to some of the customers before. It's usually when he's testing the waters, when he's unsure about something and fishing for information.
"It's the autism, I'm afraid..."
And with that line, it suddenly clicks and all falls into place. He put on a show just to fuck with me as part of some little experiment, he thinks, and then without skipping a beat Scaramouche instinctively moves to punch Albedo with far more force behind it than necessary. Albedo dodges it just in time and even has the audacity to laugh as he pokes out his tongue and then goes over to Collei and Sucrose's table before he can even do anything about it.
Fuck, he feels like a total idiot.
The girls look at the two of them with knowing looks on their faces (although there is nothing to know, there is simply no other way to interpret their expressions), and despite his pride, he can't help but shrink away from their gazes. As loath as he is to admit it, he can't stand women leering at him, so he has no choice but to let it go and attempt to busy himself behind the counter out of their line of sight instead.
Stupid Albedo... getting him all worked up and making him worry for literally no reason. If he thought he was in a foul mood before he was interrupted in his cleaning, then he was at a whole other level of it now. Even if Albedo did tease him back on occasion, he's never toyed with his feelings or deceived him in such a way before, and it stings. It's not something he'll easily forgive. Not when it gave him such unwelcome and unpleasant feelings that soured his mood further and left a heaviness in his chest that isn't going away.
He grumbles to himself once again as he rearranges things that absolutely do not need any rearranging. The kitchen is immaculate and everything is in its rightful place, but he has no other way to let go of this burst of energy and the need to do something that's now taken root in him.
No longer caring about that date, he doesn't even try to look to see how it's going. He just wants them to leave. He wants to go home and be alone and not have to deal with anyone at all.
"They just want a cream stew to share." Albedo announces suddenly, tapping on his shoulder and startling him since he was so caught up in his head. If he notices Scaramouche's reaction he doesn't act like it, just casually making his way over to the drinks station to start preparing whatever else they ordered like nothing was wrong in the slightest.
Normally they would be talking away about whatever comes to mind while they work, but this time he keeps his lips pressed into a thin line.
He doesn't want to, but the moment he composes himself he at least lets out a sound of acknowledgement before taking a moment to just watch Albedo through narrowed eyes as he got to work. With the ingredients he reaches out for, it's easy for him to work out that the girls ordered a sparkling berry juice and a berry and mint burst, which was just about what he expected from them. Then he gets to work on the food, biting back a sigh of annoyance as he busies himself in the kitchen.
At this point, cooking is like second nature to him. It's not exactly something he enjoys doing, but it is something that he can shove in his mother's face since she can't prepare a single meal, no matter how simple the recipe, and that alone brings him an immense amount of joy. His movements are automatic as he preps, washes, and cooks, and his mind wanders to any mundane little thing that doesn't require him to come to terms with any emotions he might be feeling until Albedo speaks up again and breaks the silence.
"Is this what they call the silent treatment? I must confess, it is rather unpleasant." Albedo says, and he can feel those teal eyes boring into the side of his head. "I didn't expect you to get... emotional."
He can't help but scoff before he lets out a small, derisive laugh. "Right. Because I'm heartless and don't feel things."
"That's not... I didn't..." Albedo stumbles over his words, stuttering and then letting out a genuine sigh of defeat. "I'm not used to anyone actually caring about me, to be honest. I really didn't think that it would upset you in any way, or that you would even take my sad state seriously in the first place, and if I did, I wouldn't have taken this approach."
He slams his hand down against the counter, suddenly furious and unable to control it. Everything wells up within him all at once, and he swings around to look at Albedo face to face, his expression deathly serious. "Shit, of course I took it seriously! You never look sad. How the fuck can I not be worried after all the time we've spent together?"
Albedo says nothing, simply looking guilty.
He continues speaking his mind.
"It might have been just a joke to you, but I don't really appreciate having my feeling played with like that. I was actually... I thought something was wrong. I don't like seeing you sad and I don't like hearing you talk bad about yourself either, it fucking infuriates me."
"...It wasn't just a joke to me." Albedo suddenly insists, shaking his head. "I know I played it off that way, but it wasn't. It was... an experiment."
"Oh, even better." He hisses sarcastically, feeling his anger rise further.
Albedo narrows his eyes as well now, his lower lip protruding in a sulky pout. "As I said, I'm not used to people caring about me. I... just wanted to see how you'd respond to my behaviour, to determine whether or not you would actually feel anything for me because I don't know. I don't know how to tell how people feel unless they tell me straightforwardly, which you never do!"
"Well, you could have just asked me about it like a normal person instead of trying to manipulate me like that!"
"But I'm not a normal person!" Albedo huffs, aggressively fiddling with his gloves now. "I... I'm not normal." He mumbles, his voice small and pathetic. "I don't know how to properly talk about sensitive topics such as this. I don't know how to get the answers I'm seeking through conversation. Maybe if I did, I wouldn't be stuck here like this in the first place. I apologise for going to such methods to elicit a response that I might be able to understand from you, but..."
He feels like an asshole. He is an asshole, and he knows he should stop. He knows, but he's also a fucking idiot and he runs his mouth before even having the opportunity to even attempt to think about what he's saying.
"You think you're stuck? You basically have your life set up for you here, everybody loves you and values you, and they want you around! Whereas my entire fucking family decided one day that I was a problem that they didn't want to deal with anymore, so they shipped me off to a whole other country with nothing, telling me nothing, cutting off all communication with me and abandoning me here. Now they're probably having the greatest time pretending that I don't exist since I'm not there to remind them about it anymore, and I doubt they'll even come here to get me when they're apparently supposed to. I'm the one who's stuck here!"
When he's done speaking, he's panting and his eyes are burning. Fuck, he really is stuck, isn't he? Stuck in this stupid place with nobody and nothing.
Mother has abandoned him again.
Now, instead of being a mere island away, she's left him to rot in a country on the other side of Teyvat where no one can find him and take him back to her. They'll all forget about him if they haven't already. He barely existed to them in the first place.
He hears Albedo inhale deeply, then the sound of cups moving across the counter. Even Albedo will ignore him and leave him to panic in the kitchen alone like the pathetic waste of space he is. He shouldn't have said anything, he knows, he knows, but Albedo brings something out of him that nobody else does.
The sound of footsteps gets closer, not further away as he expected.
Then Albedo grabs a fist full of his apron, and before Scaramouche can snap and thrash to get away from the invasion of his personal space, Albedo lets go of him and moves to bump his forehead against his shoulder instead. "...My mother escaped her homeland with me and brought us here, then rented a room and left in the middle of the night while I was asleep." He says calmly, his voice devoid of any sort of emotion. "Now it has been three years. If Jean hadn't taken pity on me, I don't know what would have happened to me... I have nowhere else to go. I don't know why she left. I just know the undeniable fact that she did and that she is unlikely to ever return."
Guilt washes over him. He knew that Albedo was probably in a similar position to him, the coffee shop was clearly just somewhere they shoved people they didn't know what to do with to keep them both preoccupied and easy to find, but he didn't realise...
"Fuck, Albedo, I-"
Albedo huffs, silencing him. "I don't want pity. I simply told you about my personal situation because you told me about yours." He says, then goes to move away, but Scaramouche presses his hands down on his shoulders and holds him in place. "I know you're only supposed to be here for a few more months... perhaps that's why I resorted to such a method. The people I work with never stay here for very long, and normally it has no impact on me, but... I feel an attachment to you that refuses to waver. I enjoy my time here with you. I thought it was one-sided and I couldn't bring myself to just ask, even if it should be simple to do."
His heart races. He doesn't know why, but it definitely speeds up and feels like it's hammering against his chest.
Albedo wants him around, and feels attached to him? But why?
"I-"
"Um..." Sucrose suddenly interrupts, and he gets the split-second urge to either bite his tongue off or just scream as he jumps back and away from Albedo, putting distance between them. "I'm sorry to, uh, interrupt, but... it's been a while and we were both feeling a little concerned about what's going on back here."
Collei nods in agreement, peeking out from behind Sucrose as she practically hides behind her, latched onto her arm.
Well, it seems like they're getting along just fine now, aren't they? Good for them, he supposes.
"My apologies," Albedo mumbles after clearing his throat, his face a pretty shade of red now as he moves to get their drinks. "We'll bring everything over right away."
Scaramouche blinks as he remembers he's supposed to be cooking, and luckily nothing has gone wrong and the food is still edible. It's moments away from burning so he quickly saves it and spoons it into serving bowls, garnishing their dishes as he tries to still his racing heart. "Sorry for the wait." He grumbles, then once he's done blinks up at them in confusion when he sees neither of the girls has returned to their table.
"I think that can wait a moment," Sucrose says, that irritatingly knowing look on her face once again as she pulls up her bag and opens it. He can see Albedo shaking his head out of the corner of his eyes which piques his interest since she completely ignores it and takes something out of her bag to insistently hand it to Albedo with a smile. "Your request is complete, just in time for Windblume too! I was going to give it to you later in private, but I think now is as good a time as ever."
A modified cecilia is in her hand judging by its appearance, but the typical colour was changed to a stunning royal blue. He inhales at the sight of it, its beauty unlike any other flower he'd seen before.
Then her words catch up to him. A flower for Windblume... so Albedo was going to participate in that tradition and went out of his way to acquire such a unique flower for someone special to him. It made something twist in him uncomfortably, but he ignores the feeling and holds the bowls a little tighter before stepping forward, ready to push through the girls to get to their damn table so he can give them their food and escape from that awkward situation.
"Move." He says, not making eye contact with anyone. The girls are hesitant to obey him which irritates him further, but they eventually relent and shuffle to the side under his glare. Before he can move though, Albedo places a firm hand on his shoulder. "What?" He snaps, looking at Albedo unintentionally and almost dropping the bowls in his hands as he gets a good look at him.
Albedo's face is a brighter red than he's ever seen it, even after all their back-and-forth teasing. The blue cecilia is in his hand, and it's being extended towards him.
"Ryo... before I lose my confidence entirely, this is for you," Albedo says, biting his lip. His eyes are drawn to them from the movement, and all of a sudden he is overwhelmed with the urge to feel those lips against his own. "So, as awkward as this is with an audience, I would appreciate it if you put the food down for now, seeing as Sucrose took it upon herself to force me to do this now rather than later in private when I felt ready."
Nodding, he puts the bowls down. He doesn't know what to think at all, so he just stands there dumbly, eyes darting between the flower and Albedo's face.
"Is this another joke?" He asks, searching Albedo's face for any signs of deceit. "You're seriously giving me a flower for Windblume? What am I supposed to make of that, exactly?"
Albedo rolls his eyes, holding the flower out closer to him. "Please don't hold that against me. I had no ill intent behind my decisions, even if they were poor ones and they came across the wrong way. I was always planning on giving you this Windblume no matter the result, I just... may have gotten a little nervous and wanted to try to figure out how you'd respond to it." He says sincerely, clearly putting an effort into being open to regain his trust. "You called Collei and Sucrose 'disaster bis', if I recall correctly? Well, I'm sure they think the very same thing about us right now. I have been trying to figure out what you think about me for weeks now, and Sucrose has already made fun of me for not knowing whether or not you enjoy my company as much as I enjoy yours. Take that as you will."
"...You called us disaster bis?" He hears Sucrose mutter, but he doesn't care about what either of the girls has to say as he stares at Albedo, any calm he'd mustered up disappearing completely as he burst out into a fit of laughter.
He accepts the flower with a smirk as Albedo's blush deepens, admiring it up close and holding it close to his chest. "Well, all right then. But I expect you to take me out on a date somewhere nice and as far away from this dump as possible, then we'll go back to your place after, because I have been dropping hints at your dumb ass for months and I'm pretty sick of waiting."
Albedo blinks and nods, the beginning of a smirk twitching at the corner of his lip too. "As long as you also stay the night and cook us breakfast, I certainly have no complaints about that arrangement."