Title: I'll follow (you anywhere)
Prompt: summer, running on the beach
A/N: For the Alberose zine, as part of a special collab. Since my main piece was from Albedo's pov, I wanted to do a Sucrose-centric one!
Summary: Albedo's hands were rough and calloused and for some reason, holding her own. He was saying something, something important, but all Sucrose could focus on was their interlaced fingers.
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Albedo's hands were rough and calloused. There was a burn mark on his thumb from an experiment gone wrong and a dab of blue paint on his left pinky that never seemed to wash off. Sucrose had known this for months now, had even been there as the pads of his fingers were scratched and scarred, but it was one thing to know and another to feel.
And with Albedo holding her hand, all she could do was feel.
It was a little silly. Sucrose was in her twenties now, way past the age for silly school-girl crushes. They were walking in paradise, following the shoreline of the Golden Apple Archipelago. The sea gently lapped the sand, sea gulls cried overhead, and a gentle summer breeze ruffled her hair. Albedo was talking, a deep analysis on the differences between the hilichurls here and the ones at home. She should be listening. She should be paying attention.
The only thing she could focus on was the fact that his fingers were interlaced with hers. Did Albedo even notice they were holding hands? She peeked up at him, but his passive expression gave nothing away. At some point, they had started holding hands, and she was half-afraid that if she said something, he'd stop.
"So, what do you think?" Albedo asked, his eyes meeting hers suddenly.
Sucrose flushed and jerked away. Her tail stiffened, her ears flattening from embarrassment. He'd caught her. "T-that…"
"That?" he repeated patiently.
His hand was still in hers. Did he not notice? Or care? Sucrose wasn't sure which answer was worse. Flustered, she scratched her chin as she tried to think of a response. She could barely remember what he'd just said. "We n-need…more data…"
He didn't look away as he probed. "And?"
She looked away first, searching their surroundings for an answer as she tried to calm down. "It's not just the hilichurls, but even the flora and fauna," Sucrose tried again. It was a shallow response, but better than nothing. "Despite the region's isolated existence, there aren't many changes between the mainland and here."
"Yes," Albedo replied bluntly, motioning with his other hand for her to get to the point. "I asked why that's the case."
Right. Sucrose clutched the edge of her skirt as she held back a sigh. "Well…" It was a region that seemed to be out of any of the Archons' influences. There were species here that were native to different regions in Teyvat. An influx of foreign material that should have altered evolution and habits.
All she could think of were reasons why they should have seen more variations.
A series of tall columns caught her eye and Sucrose turned to her right to find ruins in the distance. Unlike the other ruins they'd encountered, these seemed to be in good shape. "Perhaps we should check for more messages left behind by older inhabitants?" she asked. It was a stay of execution, a delaying tactic that should hopefully give her enough time to think of an answer. "There're more ruins over there."
Albedo studied the pillars quietly for a moment, then glanced at her. Flashing a rare smile, he nodded. "Good idea."
"I'm glad—" Sucrose yelped as he started to jog across the sand, pulling her along. "A-Albedo!"
"Yes?" he asked, not looking back, his hand still grasping hers tightly.
"Your…" Sucrose flushed. Would he let go if she asked? She could feel every scar on his palm—did he notice hers? The small cuts she gained as she tried her best to keep up.
Even now, as they jogged forward, it was all she could do to keep pace. She shook her head. "Nevermind."
Maybe if she tried hard enough, next time she'd be the one pulling him ahead.
Maybe next time, he'd be the one looking at her.