Mieko sighed as Albedo made their dinner for the evening. She felt him pet her head, noticing a warm bowl in her lap now. "Thank you, Albedo."

"You're welcome, Mie." He kissed her cheek. He hadn't yet found a good way to explain himself to her, so he was biding his time, trying to find the best way to do so. "Now, eat up and get some rest." He stated. "You've had a very stressful few weeks."

"I… Won't deny that." She said softly, Albedo glad that she was actually taking a break. A proper one that wasn't work related for either of them. Because of the supply line failure and loss of her shipment, even though they couldn't reimburse the actual mora she used for the materials, they had offered to pay for Mieko's shop rent while they remade the items and delivered them to her workshop in Mondstadt. The couple had their meal and Mieko was strangely quiet. Albedo didn't mind, but he was also worried about what was on her mind. They finished eating and Mieko plated some dessert, but in the process she nearly dropped the serving utensils twice, Albedo noticing her steadying her own trembling hand by her wrist.

"Your hands are shaking." He mentioned as he watched her, seeing her flinch. "Mie." He got up and stood next to her. "Sit down. I'll take care of-"

"No." She replied flatly. "I can't keep letting you take care of me."

"Mie…" Albedo saw her holding back tears. He didn't know how to voice the words still, and he knew just saying it out loud would require later explanation. "Mie. I don't mind. Please. You need to rest." He knew she was incredibly reluctant, and had done everything herself now for the 9 years she had been living alone. She took some time to settle down, but Albedo managed to get her to sit down and drink some tea. He wondered to himself why he would go to such lengths for someone who was falling to pieces so clearly. Normally he wouldn't even bother, but it was always different. Mieko was different. Even among his friends and colleagues, he wouldn't dare do this much for any of them. He only looked after Klee to a fraction of the degree he did with the blue haired woman that sat in the room with him, and she was supposed to be his sister. He glanced back at Mieko, the woman staring down at her lap with a forlorn expression. He felt his chest ache, seeing that look on her face. He just finished cleaning up and put a hand on her head. "Shall we go to bed?" He asked, Mieko glancing up and nodding.

"Thank you…" She smiled at him, Albedo helping her up with a gentle hand. Her condition was deteriorating dangerously fast. His observations still couldn't pinpoint a cause, and even after taking her to multiple doctors, no definite results. She could still function with dressing herself and taking baths by herself, but he worried about how long that would last. Once they were in bed, he turned to face her, laying on his side. "Mie?"

"Yes, Albedo?" He slid his hand over her stomach and pulled her closer by her hip. "Oh…?"

"Darling." He tangled his fingers in her hair. "Do you feel better now?"

"I wish I could say yes…" She replied, smiling back at him, blushing a bit as he leaned in and nuzzled her cheek.

"Close your eyes and rest. I'll be up for a bit."

"I don't think I can sleep… Not if you're holding me like this." She turned further on her side and pulled him by the small of his back against her. "Plus… You're tempting me."

"Oh? Well. That's certainly a side of you I haven't gotten to see in a while." He chuckled. "I guess that means you and I will be awake… All night." The soft expression on his face made Mieko melt inside.

"I suppose we will." She replied, reaching up to undo his hair tie. "I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all. I'm quite looking forward to it." He smiled. "We don't have to start right away either. Let's take our time." He was distracted though, while he trailed his hands across her body. She was thinner, in a way that caused him to frown slightly. Thankfully she didn't notice the concern on his face. He had her sit up on the pillow a little moving to sit between her legs once he'd gotten her shirt unbuttoned. He was taking mental notes as he went, Mieko not once protesting. She never did, and Albedo smiled to himself as she asked him why he stopped if he stared too long. "I'm admiring you." He would reply, embarrassing her enough to keep her mind occupied while he studied her. There was nothing else physically wrong aside from her getting thinner, and strangely lighter. He felt like she weighed too little, even with how thin she looked. Now it wasn't just mental, it was showing physically, whatever this was that was wrong with her. He took his time, taking in every detail of what was wrong, as well as making sure she was kept as unaware as possible by loving her up in between his observations to process his thoughts. He found the way she reacted to be more muted than normal, presumably thanks to her exhaustion. He smiled though, when he got her to jump a little under his hand. Still, not a word of protest. Mona's words flooded back into his head about her indulging him because she was afraid of him leaving. Was the fact that he was paying her this much attention not obvious? He had assumed it would have been painfully obvious, but he supposed that with the way her mental state had been slipping, maybe it wasn't clear. He had to stop to think again, hearing a soft whimper from the woman in front of him.

"Albedo…" He looked up and his cheeks burned, seeing her staring at him with that expression that he adored seeing on her face. "Please, don't stop…"

"Ah, am I keeping you waiting? Forgive me, darling." He moved closer, letting her sink back into the pillows and smiling down at her. "Where shall I begin, my Mie?"

A few days later, Mieko was talking to the landlord. "I'm sorry, Mie… I know it's hard to keep up with prices on the rise."

"No, it's not your fault…" She shook her head. She shelled out her Mora for the payment, the landlord knowing she was struggling with her business. "I haven't been doing enough."

"I'd hardly say that, Mie. You're working hard, but it's hard to upkeep." They said. "You should consider moving in with your boyfriend." They added, Mieko sighing at the mention of it.

"I cannot burden him by asking that." She stated, sipping her tea. "I cannot be a burden to anyone…"

A week later, after Albedo had done some more work and Mieko had dusted her workshop down, they were having some tea and discussing a plan. "Klee is bored?"

"Yes, she's been trying to sneak out more often, and Jean is having to try and keep an eye on her." Albedo sighed, clearly a little tired. "I was hoping to go and do some work, but I know that I can't keep leaving Klee to Jean."

"Then, what about me?" Mieko asked. "I can watch her."

"But you're… You haven't been well." Albedo replied. "I don't want you to push yourself. Especially after the exhaustion you've been showing, and the amount of stress from the loss of the shipment."

"It's okay, it's okay. I'll just take her somewhere she can run a little wild, ne?" She smiled.

"Somewhere she can run wild?"

"Hehe. Miss Alice's favorite place to go, ne? The Golden Apple Archipelago." Albedo's eyes widened a little. "I remember you telling me about it that one time, and I heard from Traveler about the second time. So I think that might be fun for her to go back."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Plus with all that water around… I'm sure I can find a way to keep Klee entertained~"

Mieko had begun to lose momentum for her merchandise, and her motivation and energy were lacking. Albedo had gone to ask Jean about this, wanting her opinion on what to do, since Mieko had said how much she admired the Acting Grand Master for multiple reasons, even though she was younger than Mieko was. Jean knew that Mieko was stubborn, and although the thought of her closing up shop was unfathomable at first, Jean could see where she was faltering. When Albedo pointed out Mieko's health declining, she admitted she hadn't noticed at all. But she had something serious to point out. "I haven't seen her smiling unless she's around you. Even when she comes by for tea, she barely even smiles. It's clearly just something she's doing to try not to worry us." Jean pointed out to Albedo as he sat with her in her office. "And Lisa has said that she's usually working only on small things whenever she stops by Mieko's shop, so I am sure that at this point, the storefront is costing her a lot more Mora than she is bringing in." She added. "And she didn't get a lot of business during Windblume either…"

"Yes, I recall she said her intakes have been few and far between for repairs, and her earrings aren't selling well either." Albedo replied. This was troublesome, as Mieko loved that shop. It was what she'd worked so hard for after her Grandfather's passing, and the last thing she achieved before her Grandmother passed, that the elderly woman had been so proud of her for. "I have offered to assist her in her endeavors, but she refuses to let me help… She said it's her responsibility to deal with the shop, not mine."

"Yes, she has always been that way." Jean nodded. "Perhaps Diluc will know better… What she might want to do about it."

Albedo went to Diluc with this dilemma, but he only had one thing to say. "She has been holding on to the past this whole time…" He stated. "I understand where she's coming from, but I also know that she's not letting herself progress any further." he added. "Every time I see her, she seems less and less enthused about life. I remember when we were young, how happy she always was. Now… There's nothing left of that Mieko, except when you are in her presence." He turned to Albedo. "You make her feel happier than I think she's ever been. The only thing I believe that is holding her back is the shop."

"Holding her back? From what?"

"From being truly happy with her life." Diluc stated. "Mieko is the sort of person to bottle up everything, every little insecurity and every little thing that causes her discomfort, allowing it to bog her down until she breaks." He turned away from the alchemist again. "When she lost her grandmother, it was all she could do to not cry. Day in and day out, for weeks. Finally, she was able to do her work, but only after I went to tell her to get up and stop moping. It took someone to push her. I think, in whichever direction she wants to go, she needs to be pushed."

"I see… Thank you for your time." Albedo said, going to see Mieko, only to find her not at the shop. He went searching for her, finally locating her standing on the path to Dragonspine. "Mie?"

"Oh? Albedo." She turned, smiling at him. It was clear she had been overthinking something. He took her hand and lead her back to Mondstat, spending the evening in her shop. "I… Don't think I can do it anymore, Albedo." She said softly. "I don't think I can continue holding up this store front… Grandmother would be so disappointed, I'm sure…"

"I somehow don't agree with that." Albedo stated. "Yes, she was proud of you for making it on your own… But I think what was more important to her was your health, and your wellbeing." He smiled. "After all… she said she was worried about you, right?"

"I… Yes, she did…"

"So even if you let the shop go, Mieko… I don't think she'd ever say she was disappointed in you." He sat next to her, letting her lean on him. "In fact… I think she would be proud of you for having the courage to let go."

"Oh…?" She looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well, from all those stories you told me, she was very much a "you come before anything else" sort of lady. And as such, I believe that she wanted you to be happy, healthy, and not working yourself into the ground every day." He replied. Mieko pouted a bit.

"Are you sure that's not you talking?"

"Oh, perhaps I am just in agreement with those ideas." He smiled, letting her lay on him. "Mie… Whatever you decide…"

"But where will I live?" She asked. "The upstairs is my house, you know."

"I am well aware, darling." Albedo played with her hair, admiring the ribbon he'd given her. "Perhaps… Mie… You would like to live with me?" He kissed the end of her hair. "I'd gladly share my home with you, Mie…"

"I… Albedo…" She leaned into him and hugged onto his torso, sighing. "You spoil me, Albedo…"

"I like to think of it as treating you right." He said, holding her close. "After all… You struggled alone for so long, that I want to make sure you don't ever need to struggle like that again, so long as we're together."

"As said, you spoil me." She replied, the two looking at one another and chuckling a bit. "Thank you…"

"Anything for you, Mie. Now. When would you like to move in?" He asked. "I may ask you to assist me in cleaning up a bit as well."

"That's fine." She nuzzled against him. "I'll make sure to earn my keep."

((They're doing what they can to hang on, and Albedo is still working on a way to tell Mieko his feelings as more than just the "I love you". Will he succeed?

-Winter Cheshire))