Failed Experiment
Characters: Albedo, gn!reader
TW: death of the reader, graphic descriptions of injury
‘Alchemy truly is a wonderful thing’ Albedo thinks to himself as he watches you hurry about the lab to gather materials for him. It’s what brought you two together in the first place, after all.
He can still remember the day you first met: The nervous look in your eyes, the way you fumbled with the test tubes like they WEREN’T extremely dangerous, but the way you seemed to make the chemicals and the very science bend to your will, your natural poise and grace shining through to produce beautiful results every time. It was truly amazing to watch. So much so that he soon found himself captivated by everything you did as the years went by.
The big smile plastered on your face when an experiment went well.
The frustration that furrowed your brow as you reviewed your notes when it didn’t.
The way you would sing your latest favorite song as you worked.
It was all so enthralling.
So enthralling that he failed to notice you distractedly picking up the wrong test tube during a risky experiment one day.
It was too late by the time he realized what chemical you’d grabbed and he could only watch in horror as the mixture boiled and shook in your hand before erupting into a violent explosion that sent vibrations throughout all of Dragonspine.
He watched as the force of the explosion sent you flying towards the entrance of the lab. The sound of your scream being cut off by a painful CRACK as your spine collided with the lip of the cave entrance and broke in two before you fell onto the floor, motionless, echoes in his mind endlessly.
You died that day. Painfully. Albedo knew from the look on your face that you knew nothing but agony until the very end.
It was just a freak accident, but Albedo has countless regrets about how it could’ve been prevented.
He could’ve made sure the test tubes were in the right order before the experiment.
He could’ve made sure you’d been paying attention!
He could’ve been paying attention FOR you if he wasn’t too busy staring at your—
*inhale*
But it’s fine!
You’re still here with him, after all! Obediently following his directions as always! With no chances of anything bad happening to you ever again!
Albedo’s thoughts are interrupted by you wordlessly signaling that all of the materials have been prepared.
He walks over to the table to begin the experiment, but not before giving you a kiss on the forehead in thanks to which your respond with a big smile, the star-shaped mark on your neck glowing ever so slightly at his touch.
The experiment continues on in complete silence, the only noises coming from test tubes clinking together as you happily gave and took them from the alchemist without a word.
‘It is a shame that I’ll never be able to hear them sing again. They had such a lovely voice.’ Albedo thought solemnly to himself.
But it’s for the best.
After all, a homunculus puppet with no voice has no reason to question its own existence.