12/8

photo diary

Tea Prompts!

Link to the prompts here :)

Tags: Kaeya, Albedo, Diluc, Dainsleif, Tartaglia x gn!reader(separate), fluff mostly, angst if you s q u i n t, Diluc/Kaeya story spoilers

milk tea; what are their kisses like?

Kaeya Kaeya kisses like an avalanche, sudden and passionate and heavy. He’s not coy, he’s not slow, he knows what he wants and his kisses reflect that. Pulls you in by the waist or cups your cheeks and tilts your face to his. He tastes faintly like wine, which is funny, because his kisses leave you breathless and intoxicated, wanting more.

Dainsleif Slow and meaningful, every kiss has a place and a time. A reason behind it. He’s touch starved and afraid and that shows in the way he grips your jaw and holds you close as he kisses you like it’ll be the last time every time. He doesn’t know the meaning of soft, there’s only you, and him, and his never ending quest to defeat the Abyss. He tastes like the mixed drinks he consumes at night and during the day he tastes faintly of something you couldn’t begin to explain.

Tartaglia His kisses are suffocating and are never short or without some sort of battle for dominance. He kisses like the ocean, pulling you down and washing over you with his essence. He tastes like how you imagine victory would taste, it's all very interesting. He’s a lot of tongue and teeth and gripping you tight no matter who is watching, he doesn’t care, he just wants to show you how he feels, and oh boy do his kisses somehow always convey how he feels.

Diluc Heated and needy, so so needy. He’s touch starved but in a really different way than Dainsleif. Away from prying eyes he’s touchy and needy, hands roaming your body, your hair, you. He’s so warm and he tastes like cinnamon hearts. Diluc insists one hand must be in his hair at all times when he’s kissing you, and his hair is so soft and fluffy it’s hard not to indulge. In public he prefers chaste kisses but he’s not above pulling you away for a proper kiss.

Albedo Experimental, curious, it changes every time. He always tastes of chalk and the lollipops he steals from his fellow captain’s desk. A surprising amount of less lip on lip action, he likes to roam with his mouth, find out what makes you tick, where to kiss to get certain reactions. Sometimes he’ll reenact a scene he read in one of Lisa’s romance novels. He’s just curious and his kisses and their always changing nature certainly reflects that.

peppermint tea; what do they get excited about?

Kaeya Kaeya is versed in a lot of things. Perfume making, hand to hand combat, horse training, how to read body language, wine in food, wine in drink form, wine in general. But nothing quite gets him excited like a good chat about the wine making process. He learned from his adopted father what goes into making a good wine, and perhaps he’s not part of that family anymore.. But he still remembers how they do it and the intricacies always excite him. So much goes into a fine wine you would not believe- And look at that, he’s been talking for the last hour and for once Diluc isn’t annoyed. You win :)

Dainsleif History, ohhhh my archons. He can talk about history all night if you let him. He talks with his hands when he’s excited about something, drops whatever he’s holding to start gesturing wildly like how the French do? It's cute. Besides history though, he knows, much like Kaeya, quite a bit about alcohol and has no qualms discussing what makes a fine drink. And beyond those two facets of his personality. You’ll find he gets quite excited over.. Flower crowns? Make him one and his eyes light up, star pupils widening as he puts it on. You swear the stars became hearts for a second there..

Tartaglia Man loves fishing like all the chads do. Can talk about fishing all day. Can talk about battle strategy all day, too. And how fishing is good battle practice- Focus, Ajax. Right! He likes dogs, feeling their soft fur between his fingers. He also gets really excited when you ask about his family. He’s pulling out his wallet where he has at least two dozen photos of his siblings and parents. He’s got a massive family, you realise very quickly as he lists their names and little things about them. It’s the only time you’ve ever seen his dull eyes shine, even though it's just a smidge. There’s a shine when he talks about his family.

Diluc Tell him you’re thinking of learning the piano and watch how quickly he pulls his gloves off and leads you to the grand piano in the winery. Invites you to sit beside him so he can teach you the basics. He’s incredibly skilled at piano, and wants you to share in his hobby. Can talk about pianos all day, apparently he knows how to fix them too? Even if pianos are dull to you, indulge him. The way he lights up is to die for, he’s not one for idle chit chat, but pianos?? Man won’t shut the fuck up. Truly, it’s nice. To hear him talk so much

Albedo Another one for the mundane shit tbh. Flowers, light sweet foods, science, dusty old tomes, the truth of the universe- His curiosity is his ‘excitement’. He doesn’t show excitement like the others but you can tell he’s excited when he’s talking about a species of flower and his words sort of slur together as he talks at a fast monotonous pace. Or when he finishes an experiment and you’re the first person he runs to with the results like he just uncovered some great big thing(everything is a great big thing in pursuit of the truth!) You’ll notice that he actually really wants to share his curiosity with you. You. You make him excited, his favourite lab partner.

pomegranate tea; at what point did they know they loved their s/o?

Kaeya When he realised you saw past his lies. The “I’m fine, dove! What? Want my attention?” sort of lies. The moment you began to see past them, you started to hold him, but you never really pushed beyond letting him know you were there. That’s when he realised he had done the unthinkable. Kaeya Alberich had fallen in love, with you. And honestly? Screw the ancient plot. With you by his side, he could conquer the world, but he’d much rather wake up to your kisses instead.

Dainsleif Dainsleif hates to admit it, but he is the kind of man who falls in love with everything around him. The flowers that bloomed despite the harshest conditions, the comforting breeze, water against his skin, the stranger on the street he just passed. So he had always loved you in the way he loved everything. But he realised he really loved you when you traced the leylines on his arm, no fear, no hesitation, just adoration in your eyes. Watching you, he realised that while he loved everyone and everything in the way a guardian does. There was nobody he wanted to protect more than you.

Tartaglia Some may say it's when you bandage his wounds with worry and panic, when you show him that you love him. But really it's when you listen to him talk about his family, talk about how he actually didn’t like his job but he had to do it, for them, he says. And you never judge him. Running your fingers through his hair as he recounts his regrets, when the bloodthirsty warrior persona is gone and it's just Ajax, the boy who liked to fish and listen to stories. When you’re just you, the person who cares about him underneath his title. Love is such a strong word, such a strong feeling, but every time you look at him when he talks.. He loves you.

Diluc Another one for team loves too much, truly. He’s so scared all of the time. His family is gone, and he blames himself for it, he pushed Kaeya away, he couldn’t save his father in time. So accepting that he loved you was not something done easily. But watching you interact with his brother, being kind to someone he still loves who he knows is suffering. Your kindness as Kaeya’s smile falters just a little bit. It's then that he realises he loves you. And the moment the last patron is gone he doesn’t hesitate to bury his face in the crook of your neck and tell you how he feels, no matter how scared he is.

Albedo Love? What is love but a chemical reaction? Albedo doesn’t understand relationships let alone love. All he knows is his heart ticks faster when it sees you, the pulsating grows louder in his ears and it confuses him more than anything else. Watching you interact with Klee, smile on your face as the young girl shows you something or another. Albedo wishes to study this feeling, understand his diagnosis. Is he dying? Contagious, perhaps? Book after book and his answer lies in commitment and he wonders if he can commit. But then you look at him as he rambles on and on about a topic he’s well aware you don’t care about and he decides. Yes. He can commit.

WHAT THE HELL did tumblr not save my completed draft or something fuck me

i'm officially starting the most boring part of my life. working in a 9 to 5 job counting the stock of products in the company until its dinnertime and writing excel reports during OT.

being a fresh graduate of college, i have chosen to be an intern at utopeeia sdn. bhd to afford my meals and detergent.

the scariest part is the introducing yourself part. hobbies? favourite colour? it's hard to choose, as i am a multi talented individual and likes every colour because i'm not biased.

hey, im ____. i like public speaking, skydiving, writing essays, angering my boss and other scary and extreme things.

yup, im going to let that be my future coworkers first impression of me.

all right, so for the next few days, i'll write my experiences with my friends in the corp!

kazuha

- sometimes helps me with my reports when he's free (such a sweetheart!)

- i WILL give him chocolate on valentine's!

- writes everyone poems on their birthdays

- treats coworkers to dinner

- in a party, always the sober one

-

itto

- will ride a scooter after work or put me in a trolley and push me into a puddle

- lets our onikabutos battle, he treats the battles like pokemon eraser battles. his onikabuto almost got confiscated once

- pranks our boss sometimes (i don't know how he got his hands on a fake cockroach. as far as i know, he can't save money for shit.)

- always in the pantry

- is the one who stocks up the shared fridge

albedo

- he's very normal.

- he sometimes acts so different from his usual self i kind of suspect he just got tired and slept in bed the whole day and his clone comes in the workplace.

- doesn't ever come to our after work parties

- everyone always talks about his "angelic" voice when he's not here

- he's easygoing and is very cheeky IF you know he's joking and being smug

- always gives away candy? why does he have so much of them???

scaramouche

- our bad tempered boss

- scolds us for scaring the customers when it's him who scared them away.. rolls eyes

- he's too grandeur. his whole room is made of glass, an amateur way to display wealth.

- noone likes him except our super straight coworker nina who gushes over every boy who passes by her even if they're assholes

- probably has a wife somehow. (we stole some glances at his photo frame on his desk and it was some wedding photo?! and he was kissing the bride?!)

- at least he's generous and doesn't give us a shitty payroll for the fussy things he makes us do

ganyu

- she is super sweet so she gets bullied

9TH MARCH DIARY + BOOK REVIEW

DIARY

today me and my family are planning to go to taiping, perak!! our hometown! my mom, dad and i's birth place!! he planned to depart early in the morning but i only woke up at 10am.

after i brushed my teeth, chicken flavoured instant noodles with Australian cabbage were graced with my presence.

i still ate so many things after eating the noodles. (like.. half a steamed pork bun.. cucumber, boiled egg...)

my dad took so darn long to search what a store he wanted to visit halfway through the highway was named after. (SPOILER: we didn't get to buy the biscuits he spent 30 mins searching for prior to our trip)

i was bored out of my mind for the first two hours, sleeping (awakely) for like half an hour then waking up to pee. the petrol station was such a good experience!! the squatting toilet is so convenient for people lazy to wipe the toilet seat.

after an hour we arrived in the city of ipoh! it's really close to taiping but we just couldn't stand it anymore the chicken rice shop there was so famous.

walking past many shoplots we saw a fluffy white cat spotted with gray! i swear i heard it meowing but when i meowed it didn't meow back that cibai!

my dad ordered 3 bowls of butter rice, tauge, white chicken and braised chicken feet! IT WAS SO GOOD LWT ME TELL YOU!!! but the portions were very small. thank god they were because i would've felt more carsick later if it wasn't...

so my dad was researching a biscuit shop in ipoh for half an hour because he forgot the name and directions. when we queued in front of the shop. the person in front of us got the biscuits but we didn't!! "sold out," they said.. "we only made half today," they said...

after exiting ipoh we were on the road for 1.5 hours i think. i felt like it was 1.5hrs. i read my book about animals there. IT WAS SO UNCOMFORTABLE!!!! i felt like the food hasn't completely digested yet. i would feel uncomfortable already if i wasn't in a car but now im also reading a book?! im def asking for it imo. but i cant stop reading the book bc this road trip is so darn boring!!! this goddamn radio station plays the same songs every 2 hours.

when we arrived at my maternal grandmother's house my mom played snake chess with mg younger cousins while me and my dad watched dramas hahaha. im on ep 28 of falling into your smile!!! i can't live without it.

i also ate two fried fishballs from the dining room! hehehe.. nothing really happened in her house. after we left we tried to find food. we went to a hawker stall. when my dad was buying siam laksa, pepper pork belly soup, satay and kuih kak, i was playing my mp3 songs to my mom. she laughed when i tried to sing etoile et toi from kizumonogatari!

i can't. the food was horrible. even i who has a lotta pity for chefs who botched their food i can't forgive this. not when my soup tastes like plain water with pepper in it! it was rm9.90. THE ONE IN KEPONG was so much nicer and 90 cents cheaper. this is supposed to be a small town! even the cheaper one in the city is better?! but that one in kepong is my favourite store ever so i can't judge. the satay was average. it smelled so good but its texture is like chicken breast which im not a fan of.

i forgot to wash my hair today🥺

when i returned to my paternal grandparents' house (where we were staying at), i bathed and played with my phone until i felt guilty and started reading my book which ill be writing a review of later.

A/N: i was also talking to flies and chasing them out of the room but they weren't getting out. and when i was opening the door another fly came in. fucking cibai!!!!

BOOK REVIEW

Big Game by Stuart Gibbs

OKAY. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ FIVE STARS! FULL!

i expected this book to be fcking trash because. i thought people on goodreads were high when reading this book. but no!!! they are perfectly sober.

i think im the target audience here. young teenagers. and mr gibbs served! the cover is really nicely drawn and the hardcover rocks! i got it super half priced at book xcess i love that store. the paper skin of the cover and the hardcover expensive notebook-esque format got me down on my knees!

OK SO. the main character. Teddy. super cute and likable. knows a darn lot about animals. i searched some of the animals he mentioned online and they are. SO CUTE! he's super smart too. reading about 7th grade life just gives me memories! i graduated primary school in covid so it was a comfort to me knowing how normal peoples 7th grade went i guess.

the story is an exciting slow burn. you get to like everyone in the cast and follow teddy and his friends as they try to expand the list of suspects. even though reading about kids trying to solve a mystery isn't that fun, i somehow didn't drop the book. it was like real life in a way. it isn't exciting like tv shows but it portrays real life. you feel like you're actually teddy and things that happen to him might happen to you too.

it's so fun to see them chasing potential killers around and getting wrongly accused. it's so uncertain you might never steadily make a guess on who is the killer. 50 pages later ___ is the main suspect. 20 pages later xxx is likely...? you never hold on to a suspect for more than 60 pages until it makes you doubt yourself and you don't pick suspect to suspect at all.

AND THE PLOT TWIST!!!! yes i said jt i dont need to elaborate don't i. it just means there is an unprecedented plot twist.

the ending was really unexpected and i really enjoyed it. i was bored out of my mind before i read the ending so it was really worth it. (and my time)

goigle drive can eat my shit

lessons learnt at educastle's seminar!

25/6 last sunday, i attended educastle's seminar on how to be motivated to learn!

through this talk, i learnt that LEARNING is a choice. it will NOT end after writing that PhD thesis📃. what matters is your curiosity🔍. noone is content with knowing only surface level textbook knowledge, they must also want to know the depths of the iceberg! 🤔

you are a student🧑🏼‍🎓not because you are binded to high school🏫, but because you are learning. an old man without a degree can also be a student. you choose to learn than stay idle, so congratulations, learner! 📚

a way to be constantly motivated to learn is to develop curiosity for the workings of life🤯. for me, i am extremely interested in the fields of mechanics and engineering🥼, so i will learn that as an interest.

a fact i learnt was that you will remember more of something when you question it🤔, more than if the speaker was directly spitting out facts you don't want to know about.🥱

to understand in depth about real-life problems🤨, you can use the 7 layer technique in which you question your answer 7 times💭. you can use this to develop higher order thinking skills🤔 and also know the contributing factors to your dilemmas.

why do i crave validation? because __. why __? because ___. why...... .... x7

oh albedo!🧎🛐🙏💯🥵😇🥰

busy

nsfw!!! albedo x f!reader

cockwarming, blowjob, needy!reader, uninterested!albedo

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

“I’m busy,” Albedo tells you for about the sixth time in the past ten minutes, and your shoulders drop in dissatisfaction. “I’ll take care of you after I finish my research.”

You huff in response because you know he won’t be finished anytime soon. He would stay hunched up in this room forever if he could - and he tries to.

He’d probably be able to if it weren’t for you, his pretty angel who would come bother him for even a sliver of attention. Whether it be just to sit beside him in comfortable silence or to ask him about what he was researching, you were always there with him. You were surprised he wasn’t sick of you by now.

Unbeknownst to you, he adored it - adored you. Loved when you would come to visit him even if it pulled him away from his work, filling the otherwise quiet room with your sweet voice while you leaned your cheek onto his shoulder.

Today, though, you were pestering him a little extra. Heat simmered under your skin and its been so long since he’s touched you and he hasn’t made any move to do so. So you took it upon yourself to get what you wanted.

What you wanted translated into you asking to suck him off while he worked.

“I’ll stop bothering if you let me.” You promise - a lie but he didn’t have to know that - gently trying to push him so you could move in front of him. “I’ll be good, Bedo, please.”

He pauses, letting out a light sigh before sliding himself and his chair backwards to make a space for you.

You beam at him, eagerly crawling and squeezing yourself into the space under the table and between his legs. He watches you intently while you so excitedly kneel below him before reaching out and pushing your hair back and out of your face.

That was the only time he touched you, leaving you to do as you wished while he did whatever he was up to before.

It’s a shame he was so set on research instead of watching you. You looked so pretty with his cock in your mouth, doing your best to fit him all the way down your throat. Hands splayed out on each of his thighs and your eyes blinked back tears while you tried to accommodate his girth.

You were so messy, too, saliva and precum on your chin - Albedo likes it wet, likes you looking a mess.

The way he didn’t react - besides a few heavy breaths and a small ‘fuck’ that spurred you to take him deeper - made you feel hot and more desperate for him, squirming in your spot between his legs. This wasn’t enough for you, not when you know you could be getting fucked right over the table he was sitting at.

Pulling off him and gasping for air, spit stringing from the tip of his cock to your mouth. Your jaw was sore from it being kept wide open for so long and your throat burned.

“Bedo,” a small, raspy whimper.

A small noise of acknowledgment from him, “hm?”

“C’n I please-“

“I thought you said you would stop bothering me after this?” You wiggled your hips again, whining and wrapping your lips around the wet head of his cock.

“I’ll never get anything done if you keep pestering me like this.”

His hand grabs your jaw, pulling your mouth away from his dick and making you peer up at him. He admires you for a short while, thumb swiping along your slick bottom lip, to which you open in hopes he’ll let you suck on it.

He doesn’t, opting instead to lean back a little more, patting his thigh like he was calling a dog to come to him. Your face burns at that but you don’t pass the opportunity to sit on his lap, crawling up and situating yourself atop him.

You can feel his dick against you, pressing against your cunt, twitching under you at the feel of your wetness. You thank god that he’s so lenient with you, letting you act out your desires with nothing more than amused scolding.

With hands on shoulders, you lift yourself just enough so he can slip himself inside. He hooks his own chin over your shoulder, seemingly drawing his attention back to his work once again.

“That’s better?” He asks whilst writing, but its rhetorical. The way you immediately start rolling your hips tells him all he need, a high chant of “yesyesyes” spilling from you.

A try at making a rhythm was lost quickly, head too cloudy to do more than little desperate jerks of your hips.

Doing all the work was tiring, with Albedo not even shifting his hips to aid you, just letting you pathetically twitch and grind and whimper like a bitch in heat - he’d tell you that, if he was more vulgar, but doesn’t. He’s sure you already know, anyway.

Even though he was quite good at blocking things out, the wet suction and squeeze of your walls around him were a little much, and he had to stop his work to take a breath and calm himself a little.

It unfortunately didn’t do much, the never stopping movements from you becoming something that he couldn’t just ignore.

So he decided on a different course of action.

“You’re distracting me,” he murmurs, grasping you hip with one of his hands, to which they kick forwards. “Stop moving.”

You shake your head, a silent protest at his notion. How mean could he be to make you stop?

A pinch to your side and a simple “what did i say?” were enough to make you think twice.

You let out something akin to a sob, hips shaking as an attempt to keep them still. It was somehow too much and not enough at the same time and it made you want to cry, made you want to tell Albedo how mean he was being right now.

He’s so stubborn sometimes, so set on working and blocking out the rest of the world that even when he wants something he wont get it. You, tearful and pouting, shove your face in the junction of his neck and shoulders and try your hardest to just sit.

“Good girl,” a praise - he knew you were pouting - to keep you from being too upset.

“Just a little while longer, alright?”

— For the first time in my life, karuta was dear to me.

emergency diary copy paste

6.11morning roti canai breakfast. rabbit hole of social media. chemistry notes. lunch longbeans spicy, ginger chicken yum, sour potato slices, naipak. banana. ttdi library hehe so cun cuz absolute focus, j rock n phonk. had a blast playing w my stickers. so cold. went to 1u mr diy so happy hehee felt like myself again. bata shoe kinda meh. burger king stalk st nicholas school acc see what shoe they wear haha. so fun went to inside scoop the cashier so friendly. blueberry yogurt, coffee almond fudge & raspberry sorbet. yum. went to hobility n stayed there for so fucking long Helpppp it was at least 20 mins there i was investigating evey fucking product HAHAHA. it was the first time i did sth like this cuz there were no salesmen n i enjoyed it so much. esp talking abt ultraman n jia tong to dad. "yo wtf ultraman is my generation one lol". hehe so many cute figures. and wafers, gachapon, pre order shit. lolol so ecstatic exploring the damn shop until dad realised xiao gu was here as well. we walked to pjpac and next gen theme park. lolol talked to her there it was so comforting and reality sank in - goingyo sg tmr. not that scared and sad anymore. dinner waisekai so happy hehe. took pics. lou shu fun soup fishball. sugarcane water. talking to liyeen so fun. went 1u again refund brush hehe.

For the event:

Albedo +

Tysm! (＾∇＾)ﾉ♪

𝟓𝟎𝟎 𝐅𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓 - 𝐚 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢

take part - here!

pairing - albedo x gender neutral reader (royalty au!)

genre - fluff

word count - 2668

a/n - hello hello!! this is such a pretty photo, kinda reminds me of a botanical garden :) i think those flowers are hydrangeas so i tried to incorporate them into the drabble as much as i could :D ik it's daytime in the pic but for the sake of this it's nighttime ok shhhh. i kind of struggle to write for albedo a bit but i did as best as i could :) i also went v e r y overboard with this :')

content under the cut!

marriage is an odd thing, strong and supportive in theory but fickle in execution and nature, it often made no sense to you whatsoever. so imagine your surprise when your parents, the king and queen of fontaine, came to you and informed you of your betrothal to the crown prince of mondstat: prince albedo.

to many, a betrothal to prince albedo would be a dream. from what you've heard he's quite handsome although a bit socially inept and possessed a mind rivaling that of the most brilliant scholars. you'd be lying if you said part of you wasn't curious, but that part of you was also being swallowed by an inevitable fear of what was to come.

marriage was a thick, steely cuff shackled to ivory floors in your opinion, you'd exchange your freedom in for your country as your duty requires you to, but then what? live a life locked up in a palace with some man you barely know as your husband? the mere thought of it had you running to the nearest bathroom and dry heaving over the sink.

on top of the weighty betrothal, you hadn't a sliver of an idea of what prince albedo looked like exactly. sure, you knew he was a bit quiet and super smart but asides from that? you had nothing to go off of.

and it seemed like you never would officially know what he looked like until the day of your marriage when your parents made it their mission to hide portraits of the prince that had been sent over to your palace as a gift. you tried to sneak a glance under the cloth draped over one of the paintings only to be harshly reprimanded by your person in waiting and dragged off for more nobility training.

the week before you were to be shipped off to mondstat and married, your parents came to you smiling ear to ear. "the monarchs in mondstat have arranged for an engagement ball! isn't this exciting?" and of course, like always, you nodded and went along with it. but in reality you wanted nothing more than to slink away and indulge in your hobbies that had nothing to do with royal duties or marriage.

and now here you stood, greeting one person after the other as you stood beside both your parents and the monarchs of mondstat. guests swept across the marble dance floor, skirts billowing akin to faint smoke. you gripped a flute of champagne in one gloved hand and the other mindlessly fussed with an over-the-top heirloom on your neck. "stop slouching!" your mother hissed, lightly tapping the side of your arm with her elaborate golden fan. you sighed and straightened your back, sending her a look that practically read "happy now?"

bored out of your mind, you had nothing to do but look around and take in the sights (asides from repeating the same basic greeting every thirty or so seconds). the king and queen of mondstat had spared no expense in decking their ballroom out with the finest of decorations and food hailing from the best of cooks and pastry chefs. you glanced towards the side past your parents who stood on either side of you. the king and queen of mondstat were busy being greeting other guests, but you saw no one who looked like they could be the crown prince.

you'd noted down a few possibilities of who albedo could be: the gentleman with inky blue hair and a striking eyepatch who had entered an animated discussion with a guard. or perhaps the stony-faced redhead who looked like he'd rather be anywhere but here. yet none of them seemed probable to you, that eyepatch man was much too chatty and though the red head was a strong contender for a while, he didn't seem quite socially inept.

though the mini hunt for your betrothed played out like a game in your mind, it didn't help distract you from the overwhelming presence of people that surrounded you. from each and every corner and side came flocks of nobility, ambassadors, lords and ladies, dukes and duchesses, you name the title and they were there. after answering far too many questions for your liking and speaking in tongues that left you with a lump in your throat, you quickly excused yourself to the bathroom only to end up lost within the grand halls of the palace.

"this is ridiculous..." you grumbled, hiking up yet another flight of stairs and passing another intricate porcelain vase that you'd sworn you'd seen twice in trying to navigate the palace. you wondered if you'd just been going around in circles until a certain door caught your attention.

unlike the wooden oak doors that defined many of the rooms in the palace, these doors were purely glass and framed by uncarved wood with some of the leaves still intact. the twisting branches were something like you'd seen in the few alchemy classes you'd taken previously. curious, you placed your palm on the wooden handle and twisted it open.

before you was a sight unlike any other you'd seen before.

tiled paths lined from the door lead inwards towards a stunning indoor garden. along the sides, beds bordered by hedges held silky hydrangeas both violet and ocean blue which surrounded tall, stalking trees that protruded their way up in the middle of the flower beds. bushes and other varying greenery sat in the beds, neatly crafted to form elegant circles. in the middle of the garden, a beautiful beige marble fountain sat spewing water from the top.

for a moment you simply stood by the door and observed with your mouth agape, completely engulfed by the garden that seemed to jump right out of your favorite fantasy novels. you glanced around cautiously, and when you caught sight of no one else, you traversed deeper within.

the only tangible sounds were the soft clicks of your shoes across the tiles and the gentle trickle of the fountain which reverberated throughout the lush garden. as you approached the fountain, you noticed tiny multicolored butterflies hovering over the marble borders. you perched yourself on the edge and watched them flutter around you with curious eyes.

"hello there..." you quietly whispered to a stunning golden butterfly that landed on the tip of your finger.

"i see you've met auric." a voice suddenly broke through the calm silence you had been engulfed in.

you whipped your head around, a tad frightened. at first, you saw nothing but darkness. "w-who's there?" you asked, rising from your seat and looking around.

from the darkness of one of the leading paths stepped forth a young man.

but this was no young man in particular, in fact this was most definitely the most handsome man you'd ever seen in your entire life.

bathed in moonlight, his ashen locks were neatly combed and braided to the back. his attire was that of the finest garb, you noted. gold lined his dark blue overcoat, the tails embedded with dots of silver and aquamarine. but most of all, his stunning cerulean eyes sucked you in like a whirlpool and held you in its swirling grips.

"the great spangled fritillary," he politely smiled, gesturing to the butterfly on the tip of your finger, "scientific name speyeria cybele." he finished, walking closer to you.

"but to me, that butterfly's name is simply auric." said butterfly was still on your finger, flitting its wings every now and then. how it hadn't flown away with your movements, you had no idea.

the name tasted familiar on your tongue, "auric? like the chemical term?" he nodded, placing his white gloved finger near yours.

the butterfly, or auric rather scuttled off your finger onto the man's. "correct, meaning-"

"of, related to, or derived from gold." you eagerly finished for him. he seemed surprised but nodded. "yes...very good. are you perchance a scholar?" from the look on his face, it seemed if you were to lie about your status as a monarch he'd see right through it. and yet you couldn't exactly risk giving up such sensitive information to a complete stranger who had you alone.

"not exactly, i am merely...associated with the royal family of fontaine." lying wasn't exactly your specialty, but for now it seemed like he bought it.

"ah, i see. i too am also...associated with the royal family of mondstat." with a gentle flick of his finger, auric the butterfly fluttered away back to hover over the spewing water.

"is the ball not to your liking?" he asked. you fumbled with a response, knowing that this man was closely associated with the royal family could mean your answer here would be very important.

"i- um, the decorations are quite lovely!" you quickly blurted out, unsure of what else to say.

"ah it pleases me to hear that, are you having a good time?" you nodded your head yes, but from the looks of it you didn't seem too convincing. "you mustn't lie, it's very unbecoming. it's alright if it wasn't to your liking. i'm not much for parties myself." the mysterious man sat himself down on the edge of the marble fountain and gestured to the empty space next to him. "you're welcome to keep me company while i avoid social interaction." you snorted and placed yourself on the space beside him.

"that's a bit contradictory you know."

"i'm well aware, but the clashes of duty and desire are almost always contradictory are they not?" he ended with a charming smirk. smartass, you chuckled and nodded.

you thought back to the butterfly that had perched itself so tamely on your fingertips. "are you a researcher of butterflies?" you asked as you looked up at the fluttering insects that still hovered above you.

"i would consider myself so, i know more about them than most people." he hummed to himself. "and you? you seem awfully intelligent for someone merely associated with the royal family." you gulped and hoped he didn't see through your ruse.

"i- um, i'm in charge of the younger monarch's...educational teachings. yes-! i'm their tutor." you quickly weaved a lie. it had holes and gaps but it was the best you could do for now.

"you might be interested in the royal library then. if you ever return to the palace i'll be sure to show you." your ears perked up at the mention of a library.

"i'd like that, sure." you smiled. so far you kinda liked this man, he'd been nothing but courteous to you but within was a deeper layer that seemed to rest just beneath the surface. you couldn't lie, your curiosity was beginning to get the better of you. you tried to avoid his gaze yet his eyes bore into you, almost as if analyzing your every move.

"you seem...bothered by something. might i ask what?" you fiddled with the ends of your gloves and sighed.

"am i that obvious?" you peered up at him from your hunched position, a tiny sheepish smile on your face.

he merely waved his hand and dismissed your question, "not particularly, i'm just fairly observant."

perhaps it was the fresh air, or the lack of pressure on your shoulders you'd left behind in the ballroom, but you felt your resolve crumbling bit by bit.

"i'm to be wed soon," you mumbled more to the ground than him, "and i'm not sure if i'm ready to be tied down. or if i'll ever be ready for that."

you hadn't raised your head to check if he was still listening, but from his quiet breaths and slight hums of understanding it seemed he was.

"i see, marriage is quite the hassle i must agree. i simply wouldn't have the energy to expend into maintaining both a relationship and my academic endeavors," you nodded in complete understanding, "but then again, perhaps a relationship wouldn't be too hard to maintain if it were the right person."

"the thing is, i've never met my fiance. i have no idea if he's right for me."

he hummed and you watched from the side as auric fluttered down onto his finger once again. "being someone as lovely as you, your fiance would have to be a fool not to treat you right." he smiled, giving you a reassuring look.

the butterflies in your stomach swirled upwards with his compliments and you hid you flustered eyes in the confinements of the suddenly very interesting ground.

"thank you, for the reassurance i mean." you mumbled.

"of course, i believe you're in good hands."

the curious side of you was clawing away at your sides, demanding that you know more about this mysterious man. the more rational part of you however, demanded that you hold your tongue and treat this as a formal encounter. of course, you chose to be complicated.

"if i might ask for your name?" you boldly asked.

before he could even get a chance to open his mouth and reply, a nearby clock sounded the bell ten times. you whipped your head over and suddenly remembered that your mother would be looking for you.

"i don't mean to cut this short but my mo- i mean! the queen will be looking for me. i must hurry back." you picked yourself up and bowed hastily. as you turned to dash out of the door, he caught your hand in his gloved one.

he seemed to not know what he was doing at first, but cleared his throat and placed a feather light kiss on the back of your silk covered hand. "until next time." he nodded politely at you. if you weren't a mess before you sure as hell were now.

where he had formally kissed your hand and been polite, you managed to squeak out a "goodbye!" before scurrying off.

by some miracle you'd managed to find your way back to the ballroom and stumbled to your parent's sides with less grace than you were taught. your mother turn to you with a worried look, "where have you been?" she hissed lowly under her breath.

"got lost," you panted, smoothing out the fabric of your clothes.

"oh my dear (y/n)! i've been looking for you!" you snapped your head up as the call of your name. your future mother-in-law bounded towards you and took both of your hands in her warm ones.

"i've finally found that elusive son of mine, i'm so very eager to have him meet you." she giggled and clasped her hands together.

your stomach did backflips- did she just say you're finally going to get to meet the man you'd spend the rest of your life with? it was a bit overdue in your opinion, but better late than never you supposed.

you waited expectantly, the nervous butterflies in your stomach began to flutter with each second as you watched the queen of mondstat filter through the crowd for her son. at the thought of butterflies, your mind wandered back to that handsome man in the garden and auric the beautiful golden butterfly. he had the most lovely voice too...you almost thought if you listened hard enough past the classical music and chit chat you'd hear the soft bass of his calm voice.

"(y/n)?" brought away from your thoughts, your eyes fell upon those same cerulean eyes that you'd just seen earlier.

your mouth fell agape and you couldn't hide the immediate shock on your face. "you!" you pointed a finger at the ashen haired man you'd encountered in the garden.

"yes, i'm prince albedo. i apologize i should have introduced myself in the garden but," he paused for a moment to extend his hand, "you seemed much more inclined to hide your identity. i thought i'd do the same." your head swam with thoughts of all kinds as you hesitantly placed your hand in his.

the sly glint in his eyes let you know that marriage to him might not be as shackled as you thought.