Author's Note

Review Responses:

Guest: Thank you for your review! And yes, ugh, poor Albedo! Nothing seems to go right for him!

cardcaptor-kanna: Thank you for your review! Haha, yes, I have those days, too, and hopefully, Albedo will get through this one! I would have loved to have Klee be the one comforting Albedo, too, since their sibling-relationship is too cute but alas, this is an Alberose fic, and I figured it would be better for Sucrose to have been the comforter!

At her words, Albedo rose off the floor, ran a hand through his wet hair, and took a step back. Something like shame drenched him from head to toe, soaking deeper than the rain ever could. Here he was, in front of his assistant, ready to host a surprise party for her, with absolutely nothing to show for it.

He spent a moment to formulate an answer, but the longer he took to come up with words, the less right they sounded.

At his silence, Sucrose furrowed her brow and motioned for him to come into the workshop. "Mr. Albedo, you're soaked. Let me help you dry off."

Leaving a trail of rainwater behind him, Albedo followed her inside, sitting heavily down onto the stool at his worktable. The faint squelch of his sodden shorts against the wood reverberated through the room, as Sucrose hustled into a supply closet and produced a towel. He kept his head down as she walked toward him, and it fell even lower as she gently placed the towel on his head.

Her words were quiet as she noted, "You never answered my question. Are … are you alright?"

He sighed, rubbing the towel against his hair, trying to soak up as much of the water as he could. "I'm fine."

"I—I don't mean to offend, but … no one screams like that when they're fine."

Albedo pressed the towel deeper into his head. How could he possibly tell her that his scream was borne of the frustration he had felt when he wasn't able to plan her surprise party properly? "My day didn't go as I had planned, is all."

She sucked in a breath. "Would y—you like to talk about it?"

He bit his lip. The party was already going to be a flop, so was there any harm in telling her what was coming? If anything, it would ensure that she wouldn't be disappointed when the guests started filing in and there wasn't any music, food, drinks, or decorations. "I wanted to surprise you, but it looks like there won't be much of a surprise, since I didn't manage to procure everything I needed to in time."

He didn't look up, but from the angle his eyes faced, he could see that her hands flew upward. Her voice sounded muffled, as if she were covering her mouth in shock. "A surprise?"

"Yes, I was going to surprise you with a birthday party, but I dropped the food and couldn't get any more in time, Angel's Share didn't have enough of the drinks I needed, the entertainment fell through, and the flowers I picked to decorate our workshop were destroyed by the rain." He took a deep breath. "To that effect, I'm sorry that I wasn't able to give you the party that you deserve."

She placed a delicate finger under his chin, drawing it upward so that he was looking directly at her. He couldn't help but feel red flush across his face at her touch. "You don't have to give me anything, Mr. Albedo." Her own face grew pink. "J—just the thought that you went through all that effort, I … I can't imagine anyone doing that for me." She closed her eyes. "I rec—recognized your illustrations in the book you gave me, and I don't even want to know how long you spent on them, and now this? Mr. Albedo, I can't think of a scenario where I deserve all this."

Albedo sighed. "Sucrose, you and I both know that that's far from accurate." Her eyes flared open and he met them seriously. "As I told you this morning, you deserve nice things." The next sentence was a revelation unto himself, so his voice was quiet as he shifted his gaze, his cheeks darkening. "I wanted to try and give you some of them today, and it's my own fault for not being able to come through."

Sucrose blinked, her gaze softening. "Mr. Albedo, I just … thank you so much for even trying to do something nice for me. The fact that you put in so much effort, it—it means the world to me." Her breath hitched, and even though he hadn't thought it possible, she flushed even more.

Albedo felt warmer then, the words blooming in every portion of his body. Suddenly, the crushing weight of the failed party preparations lifted off him, for what she had said felt enough to justify all his attempts. Normally, Albedo didn't smile much, but just then, he could feel his lips slowly curl upward. His tone turned breathy and contemplative as he quietly mused, "Maybe that's all I wanted to do."

In another deviation from normalcy, Albedo, who prided himself as a poised and restrained being when he could help it, found himself wholly being drawn to Sucrose, his body moving on its own accord toward hers. The only reason he didn't seek out a way to regain control over his faculties was that he noticed that Sucrose seemed to be moving closer to him, as well. A brush of cold air against his still-wet skin caused him to shiver slightly, but glorious, glorious warmth cascaded over him again when his eyes closed, and his lips met Sucrose's.

She tasted just like her name, sweet, with the same floral undertones as the Sweet Flowers she constantly experimented with. Her lips were gentle and her kiss so soft that his mind, bleary with ecstasy and excitement, could barely register that she was as nervous as he was.

He never got a chance to ask her, for, before their kiss had gone on for more than a few seconds, the workshop door was thrown open.

As Klee burst into the room, dressed in a checkered party dress that he had left out for her earlier in the morning, Albedo and Sucrose flew back to other sides of the room —her to her desk, and him back into his chair, trying to appear innocent.

Their faces were still red, as Albedo realized that he had failed to put the "Experiment in Progress" sign on the door to divert any unwanted visitors before the party time. After a second thought, Albedo's eyes whipped toward the clock. Actually, Klee was right on time! It was the exact time he had written on the invitations for the party to start!

"Surprise, we're here! Happy birthday, Sucrose!" Klee cheered, showering the room with tiny explosives that she and Sucrose had apparently created earlier in the day.

Albedo gulped as behind her filed the rest of the party guests. His blush faded away as he stepped forward to apologize for the lack of well, everything, at the party. "I'm so sorry, everyone, but as it turns out, nothing for the party is ready, but you're welcome to stay and celebrate."

"Nonsense, Albedo," Grand Master Jean, who had been scolding Klee for throwing bombs, said. "You have everything here, don't you?"

He opened his mouth to contradict her, but Master Diluc, who was standing broodily in a corner behind her snapped his fingers, and three servants materialized in the doorway, each carrying a giant barrel with a spigot attached to it.

"I hope you don't mind the imposition," Diluc conveyed, "but I asked Charles to reject any non-alcoholic drink orders today at Angel's Share to ensure that you'd have enough for the party. Please consider it on the house."

Albedo's eyes widened. So that was why Diluc had ordered all the non-alcoholic beverages. "Thank you so much," he replied, feeling hope alight in him. At least he had crossed off one item on his list.

"And I," said Timaeus, stumbling forward, holding a teal-colored birthday cake atop a large platter emblazoned with the Good Hunter logo, "noticed from my stall that you didn't pick up all the orders you said that'd be ready at sundown, so I asked Sara if I could bring them for you, instead." He set down both the cake and the platter and rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Sorry to be so stingy after Master Diluc's generous donation, but could you still pay me back the four thousand mora for all this at some point? Good Hunter still made me pay for it."

"Consider it done," Albedo said gratefully. He turned toward Sucrose, his eyes sparkling. By some miracle, the food and the drinks had managed to be procured. Those were by far the most important parts of a party! At least now, he wouldn't be sending the party guests back home shamefully hungry or thirsty.

Before anyone could say anything else, a blushing figure stumbled into the room. Albedo recognized it as Barbara, and his jaw dropped.

"I hope you don't mind," Jean apologized, motioning for the Deaconess to come closer, "but this is my younger sister, Barbara, and I invited her here. She's an exceptional singer."

Albedo's eyebrows rose. "No, no, I was supposed to meet with Barbara today in hopes that she would be our entertainer for the party."

"I'm so sorry!" Barbara cried, her eyebrows furrowing. "The afternoon service ran extra-long today, and I couldn't find you afterwards!"

"It's okay," he said, "it's not your fault." He stroked his chin. "I must've been in the woods, then, looking for flowers to decorate this dreary place."

Klee stuck out her tongue. "Boo! Who needs flowers when you've got bombs?" She motioned toward the room, where her little bombs remained scattered about.

Albedo laughed, exchanging another look with Sucrose, for the bombs did present an interesting version of décor. "I suppose you're right, Klee."

A general chuckle resounded through the congregation, and the rest of the partygoers dispersed around the workshop.

Noelle and Outrider Amber sampled salami and sausages from the Cold Cut Platter from Good Hunter, while Diluc and Jean conversed over tall glasses of Apple Cider and Berry & Mint Burst. Klee happily skipped around, causing a cacophony as she set off the bombs she had strewn about the room. Luckily, Sucrose had concocted the bombs so that the explosions were harmless but flashy, granting more amusement than destruction. The other Knights that he had invited milled about, listening to Barbara's latest hit song, which she sang enthusiastically from atop an empty worktable.

He went over to the cake and sliced off a small section, admiring the delicate butterfly the chefs at Good Hunter had frosted onto it. Grabbing a fork, he walked over to Sucrose and handed it to her. "Happy Birthday, Sucrose," he said, for the second time that day.

She took the cake slice and smiled. "Thank you." She leaned back against a table. "It looks like nothing went wrong after all, Mr. Albedo. The party is beautiful, and I … I'm so grateful to you."

Albedo returned her smile gently. "I'm glad you think so." He surveyed the room, realizing he hadn't seen a certain person enter. After a moment of searching, however, he spotted Cavalry Captain Kaeya in a dark corner of the room, his eyes circulating the guests with interest as he took a deep sip out of a flask. "I'll be right back," he told Sucrose, walking toward the Cavalry Captain.

Before Albedo reached him, Kaeya turned and beamed. "I was right, wasn't I? Something interesting did happen." He laughed. "You just turned red, so no need to deny it."

Albedo sighed, knowing that his face was red. "Yes, you were." He leaned on the wall next to him, thinking of Sucrose's lips. "Something interesting happened and today …" He thought back to what a disaster it was, and then to Sucrose's words. Warmth filled him again. "Today was a perfect day."