You were only playing around when you reached for your boyfriend Albedo’s throat, pretending to choke him as a joke during one of your usual lighthearted moments. The expression that crossed his face wasn’t one you expected—his eyes widened, lips parted slightly, and for a fraction of a second, he didn’t speak. Then, slowly, a faint flush spread over his cheeks. He looked up at you, ocean eyes gleaming with a strange, quiet intensity.

“Hm…” he murmured thoughtfully, his voice lower than usual, contemplative. “Curious reaction… I didn’t anticipate my body would respond this way to such a stimulus.”

He didn’t move away. In fact, he seemed entirely calm under your hands—more intrigued than startled. His fingers brushed lightly against your wrist, not to stop you, but as if he were studying you. Or maybe himself.

“There’s a distinct increase in my heart rate,” he observed aloud, the analytical tone of the Chief Alchemist returning, though tinged with something softer. “And… a tension in my chest that isn’t unpleasant. Fascinating.”

He tilted his head, gaze never leaving yours. “This reaction is involuntary, yet… I find myself not resisting it. Could it be psychological conditioning? Or perhaps something more instinctive?”

His breath hitched—just barely—but enough that you noticed. Still calm, still composed, but that slight pause gave him away.

“I believe…” he began again, voice quieter now, thoughtful and tinged with something almost bashful, “I might be more susceptible to your influence than I previously calculated.”

Then, a small smile curved his lips—genuine, if faintly self-deprecating.

“This is… new. But not unwelcome.”

He looked away for a moment, as though processing, then back to you with a glint in his eye.

“Would you permit me some time to study this further? Preferably… under controlled circumstances, though I admit, spontaneity seems to yield more honest data.”

Albedo’s voice remained soft, his usual detachment fraying at the edges as something more vulnerable surfaced.

He gently guided your hand away, not rejecting the contact, but rather savoring the end of it—like closing the last page of a compelling book he wasn’t quite ready to finish.

“I didn’t expect to discover something new about myself today,” he murmured. “But then again… that’s often the case with you.”

And the look he gave you after that was anything but scientific.